Dissipation in Relativistic Pair-plasma Reconnection: Revisited

TL;DR

This paper investigates relativistic magnetic reconnection in electron-positron pair plasmas using PIC simulations, focusing on the relativistic Ohm's law and energy balance to better understand dissipation mechanisms.

Contribution

It formulates a relativistic Ohm's law incorporating the heat-flow inertial term and analyzes its role in energy dissipation during reconnection.

Findings

The heat-flow inertial term significantly influences the kinetic Ohm's law.

Physically transparent diagnostics for relativistic kinetic data are developed.

Energy balance analysis clarifies dissipation processes in relativistic reconnection.

Abstract

Basic properties of relativistic magnetic reconnection in electron-positron pair plasmas are investigated by using a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. We first revisit a problem by Hesse & Zenitani (2007), who examined the kinetic Ohm's law across the X line. We formulate a relativistic Ohm's law by decomposing the stress-energy tensor. Then, the role of the new term, called the heat-flow inertial term, is examined in the PIC simulation data. We further evaluate the energy balance in the reconnection system. These analyses demonstrate physically transparent ways to diagnose relativistic kinetic data.