Statistical Analysis of Energy Dissipation Around Reconnection Sites in a Turbulent Environment

Magnetic reconnection occurs when opposing magnetic fields meet, resulting in a conversion magnetic energy into kinetic and thermal energy.

Energy dissipation around reconnection sites in collisionless turbulent plasmas is important for understanding the heating of the solar wind. Previous studies suggest that electrons are heated more than ions around reconnection sites, while ions tend to be heated more globally (Bandyopadhyay et al. 2020). The reason for weaker coupling to ions may be due to small (electron) length scales associated with turbulence,but this still not fully understood (Adhikari 2022). For this study, a 2.5D VPIC (Vector Particle-in-Cell) turbulence simulation with magnetosheath parameters is employed. Numerous reconnection sites are found and their properties computed. We carry out a statistical analysis of the pressure strain interaction around the reconnection sites. The results are then compared to MMS observations at the Earth's magnetosheath, where turbulent plasma dynamics leads to kinetic reconnection and heating. Future missions such as HelioSwarm, are expected to routinely measure pressure strain and reconnection in the solar wind, thus providing improved insights regarding the associated heating mechanisms.