中国物理B ›› 2022, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (6): 65203-065203.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ac3397

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Effect of the magnetization parameter on electron acceleration during relativistic magnetic reconnection in ultra-intense laser-produced plasma

Qian Zhang(张茜)1,2, Yongli Ping(平永利)1,2,†, Weiming An(安维明)1, Wei Sun(孙伟)1, and Jiayong Zhong(仲佳勇)1,‡   

  1. 1 Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
    2 CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, University of Science&Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
  • 收稿日期:2021-08-03 修回日期:2021-10-05 接受日期:2021-10-27 出版日期:2022-05-17 发布日期:2022-05-26
  • 通讯作者: Yongli Ping, Jiayong Zhong E-mail:ylping@bnu.edu.cn;jyzhong@bnu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1930108,12175018, 12135001, 12075030, and 11903006) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA25030700). Yongli Ping acknowledges the support of the Open Research Program from Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment CAS.

Effect of the magnetization parameter on electron acceleration during relativistic magnetic reconnection in ultra-intense laser-produced plasma

Qian Zhang(张茜)1,2, Yongli Ping(平永利)1,2,†, Weiming An(安维明)1, Wei Sun(孙伟)1, and Jiayong Zhong(仲佳勇)1,‡   

  1. 1 Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
    2 CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, University of Science&Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
  • Received:2021-08-03 Revised:2021-10-05 Accepted:2021-10-27 Online:2022-05-17 Published:2022-05-26
  • Contact: Yongli Ping, Jiayong Zhong E-mail:ylping@bnu.edu.cn;jyzhong@bnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1930108,12175018, 12135001, 12075030, and 11903006) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA25030700). Yongli Ping acknowledges the support of the Open Research Program from Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment CAS.

摘要: Relativistic magnetic reconnection (MR) driven by two ultra-intense lasers with different spot separation distances is simulated by a three-dimensional (3D) kinetic relativistic particle-in-cell (PIC) code. We find that changing the separation distance between two laser spots can lead to different magnetization parameters of the laser plasma environment. As the separation distance becomes larger, the magnetization parameter σ becomes smaller. The electrons are accelerated in these MR processes and their energy spectra can be fitted with double power-law spectra whose index will increase with increasing separation distance. Moreover, the collisionless shocks' contribution to energetic electrons is close to the magnetic reconnection contribution with σ decreasing, which results in a steeper electron energy spectrum. Basing on the 3D outflow momentum configuration, the energetic electron spectra are recounted and their spectrum index is close to 1 in these three cases because the magnetization parameter σ is very high in the 3D outflow area.

关键词: collisionless shocks, magnetic reconnection, magnetization parameter, electron acceleration

Abstract: Relativistic magnetic reconnection (MR) driven by two ultra-intense lasers with different spot separation distances is simulated by a three-dimensional (3D) kinetic relativistic particle-in-cell (PIC) code. We find that changing the separation distance between two laser spots can lead to different magnetization parameters of the laser plasma environment. As the separation distance becomes larger, the magnetization parameter σ becomes smaller. The electrons are accelerated in these MR processes and their energy spectra can be fitted with double power-law spectra whose index will increase with increasing separation distance. Moreover, the collisionless shocks' contribution to energetic electrons is close to the magnetic reconnection contribution with σ decreasing, which results in a steeper electron energy spectrum. Basing on the 3D outflow momentum configuration, the energetic electron spectra are recounted and their spectrum index is close to 1 in these three cases because the magnetization parameter σ is very high in the 3D outflow area.

Key words: collisionless shocks, magnetic reconnection, magnetization parameter, electron acceleration

中图分类号:  (Plasma production and heating by shock waves and compression)

  • 52.50.Lp
94.30.cp (Magnetic reconnection) 52.38.Fz (Laser-induced magnetic fields in plasmas)