A study of two-dimensional particle simulation of magnetic reconnection

Using two-dimensional full particle simulation, the process of magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasma is investigated and the velocity distributions of ions and electrons in various districts are obtained. As shown by the results of calculation, the Hall current produced by the different characters of electrons and ions in the diffusion region gives rise to a quadrupolar distribution of the y-component of the magnetic field, By. The velocity distributions of ions and electrons deviate from the initial Maxwell distributions, and exhibit nonlocal multiple distributions. At the same time, the electric field generated by the magnetic reconnection leads to the acceleration and heating of the electrons in the vicinity of the X-point. Hence a high-energy tail is formed in the energy spectral distribution of electrons.