Turbulence and Associated Particle Acceleration and Transport in 3D Magnetic Reconnection

Self-generated turbulence is an intriguing characteristic of 3D reconnection and may influence the acceleration and transport in the reconnection region. Through 3D kinetic simulations of magnetic reconnection, we explore the properties of such turbulence and associated particle transport in 3D reconnection. Various aspects are examined, including the spectrum of turbulent fluctuations, the anisotropic scaling of the structure function, the superdiffusion of magnetic field lines, the cross-scale energy transfer employing scale-filtering techniques, and the resulting particle transport within the 3D reconnection layer. We find that turbulence properties are mostly consistent with current turbulence theory, with exceptions depending on the guide-field strength. The enhanced spatial transport of particles due to the reconnection-driven turbulence facilitates particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection. These results are critical for understanding high-energy particle acceleration in magnetic reconnection and have implications for fundamental reconnection and turbulence physics in space and astrophysical plasmas.