Ion dynamics during magnetic reconnection in the PHAse Space MApping experiment

The details of particle dynamics and energy conversion during magnetic reconnection remain an area of active research in plasma physics. Electron dynamics during reconnection have been studied in many plasma systems, yet it is unclear if ions participate in electron-only reconnection. Electron-only reconnection occurs at scales smaller than the ion gyroradius and for intervals much shorter than the ion cyclotron period. Magnetic reconnection is studied in the PHAse Space MApping experiment (PHASMA) via the reconnection of two plasma-gun-generated flux ropes. Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) is used to directly measure spatially resolved velocity distribution functions (VDFs) of argon ions during reconnection. From the VDFs, temperature and flow are determined. Here we show ion VDFs measured at different times (i.e., phases) of the reconnection process to study the evolution of ion temperature and flow. These ion measurements, along with previously measured electron VDFs obtained using an incoherent Thomson scattering diagnostic in PHASMA, are used to further our understanding of energy conversion during reconnection.