Title: Energy Dissipation and Particle Acceleration in Turbulent Magnetic Reconnection in Collisionless Plasma

Speaker: Professor Meng Zhou (Nanchang University)

Time: 10:00am, July 11, 2024

Location: 2-311, PMO Xianlin Campus

Abstract: Magnetic reconnection and turbulence are two of the most important and universal energy dissipation processes in space and astrophysical plasmas. Reconnection in the Earth’s magnetosphere usually evolves into the turbulent state, during which reconnection and turbulence are interwind and their interactions facilitate the fast energy dissipation. However, how the magnetic energy is being dissipated and particles are being accelerated to suprathermal energy by reconnection are outstanding problems. Here we present some recent progress in the following key aspects related to turbulent reconnection by using state-of-the-art spacecraft observations and kinetic simulations. 1) the secondary reconnection resulted from chaotic magnetic field lines in turbulent reconnection exhaust. 2) the electron acceleration mechanism during turbulent reconnection. 3) the anomalous effects due to waves/turbulence in the reconnection diffusion region. 4) the positive role of turbulence on the energy conversion for reconnection.