The Effects of Transverse Magnetic Field and Density Variations on the Particle Energy Spectra in a Reconnecting 3D Current Sheet |
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Authors: | Valentina V Zharkova Mykola Gordovskyy |
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Institution: | (1) Cybernetics Department, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, U.K. |
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Abstract: | Electron and proton acceleration by a super-Dreicer electric field is further investigated in a non-neutral reconnecting current
sheet (RCS) with a variable plasma density. The tangential B
z
and transverse magnetic field components B
x
are assumed to vary with the distances x and z from the X nullpoint linearly and exponentially, respectively; the longitudinal component (a ‘guiding field’) is accepted
constant. Particles are found to gain a bulk of their energy in a thin region close to the X nullpoint where the RCS density
increases with z exponentially with the index λ and the tangential magnetic field B
x
also increases with z exponentially with the index α. For the RCS with a constant density (λ = 0), the variations of the tangential magnetic field
lead to particle power-law energy spectra with the spectral indices γ1 being dependent on the exponent α as:
for protons and
for electrons in a strong guiding field (β > 10−2) and
for electrons in a moderate or weak guiding field (β > 10−4). For the RCS with an exponential density increase in the vicinity of the X nullpoint (λ≥ 0) there is a further increase
of the resulting spectral indices γ that depends on the density exponent index λ as
for protons and for electrons in weaker guiding fields and as
for electrons in stronger guiding fields. These dependencies can explain a wide variety (1.5–10) of particle spectral indices
observed in solar flares by the variations of a magnetic field topology and physical conditions in a reconnecting region.
This can be used as a diagnostic tool for the investigation of the RCS dynamics from the accelerated particle spectra found
from hard X-ray and microwave emission. |
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Keywords: | Sun: flares Sun: acceleration Sun: electric field particle motion: trajectory gyration drifts energy spectra |
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