INTERPRETATION OF PARTICLE-ACCELERATION IN A SIMULATION STUDY OF COLLISIONLESS RECONNECTION

A recent simulation study [Horiuchi and Sate, Phys. Plasmas 4, 277 (19 97)] investigated collisionless magnetic reconnection in a sheared mag netic held. Theoretical models for particle acceleration in current sh eets are used to interpret some of the simulation results, which are f ound to be consistent with analytical expressions for values of the el ectron energy gain, the acceleration time, and the longitudinal magnet ic field giving rise to adiabatic particle motion. The simulation also identified an ion acceleration mechanism that will require additional theoretical study. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.