Fast Magnetic Reconnection and Energetic Particle Acceleration

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through simulations that weak turbulence enables fast magnetic reconnection and efficient particle acceleration, potentially explaining the origin of anomalous cosmic rays.

Contribution

It provides numerical evidence linking turbulence-induced fast reconnection with particle acceleration, supporting the Lazarian and Vishniac (1999) model.

Findings

Reconnection becomes fast with weak turbulence.

Particles are efficiently accelerated via first order Fermi process.

Potential explanation for Voyager's anomalous cosmic rays.

Abstract

Our numerical simulations show that the reconnection of magnetic field becomes fast in the presence of weak turbulence in the way consistent with the Lazarian and Vishniac (1999) model of fast reconnection. We trace particles within our numerical simulations and show that the particles can be efficiently accelerated via the first order Fermi acceleration. We discuss the acceleration arising from reconnection as a possible origin of the anomalous cosmic rays measured by Voyagers.