Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (Nov 2009)

Acceleration and transport of ions in turbulent current sheets: formation of non-maxwelian energy distribution

  • A. V. Artemyev,
  • L. M. Zelenyi,
  • H. V. Malova,
  • G. Zimbardo,
  • D. Delcourt

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 6
pp. 631 – 639

Abstract

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The paper is devoted to particle acceleration in turbulent current sheet (CS). Our results show that the mechanism of CS particle interaction with electromagnetic turbulence can explain the formation of power law energy distributions. We study the ratio between adiabatic acceleration of particles in electric field in the presence of stationary turbulence and acceleration due to electric field in the case of dynamic turbulence. The correlation between average energy gained by particles and average particle residence time in the vicinity of the neutral sheet is discussed. It is also demonstrated that particle velocity distributions formed by particle-turbulence interaction are similar in essence to the ones observed near the far reconnection region in the Earth's magnetotail.