Guide-Field-mediated Multiscale Instabilities in Relativistic Reconnection

TL;DR

This study uses 3D particle-in-cell simulations to analyze how guide fields influence magnetic energy dissipation, current-sheet dynamics, and particle acceleration in relativistic electron-ion reconnection across different magnetizations.

Contribution

It reveals the non-monotonic role of guide fields in regulating reconnection efficiency and current sheet stability in relativistic plasmas.

Findings

Weak guide fields suppress drift-kink activity, enhancing reconnection.

Strong guide fields inhibit reconnection by delaying tearing modes.

Optimal dissipation occurs when guide fields balance drift-kink suppression and tearing mode facilitation.

Abstract

We investigate magnetic-energy dissipation, current-sheet dynamics, and nonthermal particle acceleration in three-dimensional relativistic reconnection in an electron--ion plasma with a realistic mass ratio. Using particle-in-cell simulations of a double Harris current sheet, we explore a range of ion magnetisations and guide-field strengths to determine how guide fields regulate the overall magnetic energy dissipation. At low magnetisation, $\sigma_i=0.1$, increasing the guide field suppresses reconnection: magnetic-energy dissipation decreases, the growth of tearing modes is weakened, and nonthermal particle acceleration remains inefficient. At higher magnetisations, $\sigma_i=1$ and $\sigma_i=5$, the behaviour changes qualitatively. In the zero-guide-field case, strong drift-kink activity corrugates and broadens the current sheet, inhibiting efficient tearing-mediated reconnection. A weak guide field suppresses this drift-kink-driven disruption, allowing the current sheet to remain laminar and more coherent and thereby enhancing magnetic-energy dissipation. However, once the guide field becomes too strong, reconnection is again suppressed: the onset is delayed, tearing activity weakens, current-sheet compression is reduced, and the system retains a larger fraction of its initial magnetic energy. This non-monotonic behaviour is reflected consistently in magnetic-energy evolution, Fourier analysis of the tearing and kink modes, current-sheet thickness, and nonthermal particle acceleration. The most dissipative cases are not necessarily the zero-guide-field runs, but rather those in which the guide field balances drift-kink suppression without strongly impeding the tearing modes. Our results show that the overall system evolution is controlled not only by the available magnetic energy, but also by the guide-field-regulated morphology and stability of the reconnecting current sheet.