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Acceleration of charged particles in magnetic reconnection: Solar flares, the magnetosphere, and solar wind
Author(s) -
Goldstein M. L.,
Matthaeus W. H.,
Ambrosiano J. J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl013i003p00205
Subject(s) - physics , magnetic reconnection , solar flare , solar wind , magnetosphere , particle acceleration , nanoflares , computational physics , plasma , acceleration , coronal mass ejection , charged particle , solar maximum , plasma acceleration , magnetic energy , solar energetic particles , magnetic field , astrophysics , classical mechanics , nuclear physics , ion , quantum mechanics , magnetization
A possible source of free energy available for accelerating charged particles is conversion of magnetic energy to particle energy in reconnecting magnetic fields. Recent simulations using test particles suggests that reconnection may efficiently accelerate particles to the maximum energies that are observed in several astrophysical contexts. A simple analytic formula is used in conjunction with the simulation results to predict the maximum energy achievable in a particular plasma environment with the result that in solar flares reconnection is capable of accelerating particles to several GeV. In magnetospheric substorms the predicted maximum can reach several hundred keV, and near magnetic sector crossings in the solar wind the maximum energy can approach 100 keV.