Ion dynamics in steady collisionless driven reconnection - art. no. 235003

Steady collisionless driven reconnection in an open system is investigated by means of a new two-dimensional full-particle simulation. The reconnectio n rate is controlled by an external driving electric field. Ion-meandering motion plays an important role in ion dynamics which controls the spatial s tructures of ion quantities. Although the electric current is predominantly carried by electrons, the current layer has the half-width of the ion-mean dering orbit scale because the density profile is controlled by massive-ion motion. Thus, the global dynamic behavior of reconnection is dominantly co ntrolled by ion dynamics. An electrostatic field generated through the fini te-Larmor-radius effect leads to electron acceleration in the equilibrium c urrent direction in the ion-dissipation region and ion heating by intensify ing meandering motion. Our results are in agreement with the recent experim ental results of Yamada et al.