Cause of super-thermal electron heating during magnetotail reconnection
Eastwood, J. P.; Lin, R. P.; Øieroset, M.; Egedal, J.; Lê, A.; Zhu, Y.; Daughton, W.; Phan, T.
United States, United Kingdom
Abstract
We present a candidate mechanism for the energization of super-thermal electrons during magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail. By analyzing in-situ measurements of electron distribution functions we characterize the relative energy gain of the electrons as a function of energy, Δ${\cal{E}(${\cal{E}). For all the events considered the high energy part of Δ${\cal{E}(${\cal{E}) is nearly independent of ${\cal{E}. This is the signature of energization in an acceleration potential, Φ$\parallel$, which is caused by parallel electric fields in the vicinity of the reconnection region. The same acceleration mechanism is also documented for a kinetic simulation of reconnection.