Asymmetrically varying guide field during magnetic reconnection:
Particle-In-Cell simulations
Susanne Flø Spinnangr

Space Plasma Physics Group, Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Space Plasma Physics Group, Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen
Corresponding Author:susanne.spinnangr@uib.no
Author ProfileAbstract
Using fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) modelling we investigate how
magnetic reconnection responds to a varying guide field in one of the
inflow regions. We find that the reconnection rate varies significantly
when the orientation of the magnetic field changes between being
strictly antiparallel and having a guide field. These variations are
fairly consistent with the scaling relation for asymmetric reconnection
developed by Cassak and Shay (2007). However, the rate is also found to
be non-linearly modulated by changes in the ion inflow velocity. The
spatio-temporal change in the inflow velocity arises as the magnetic
forces reconfigure to regions of different magnetic field strengths. The
variations in the inflow magnetic field configuration allow for
different gradients in the magnetic field, leading to asymmetries in the
magnetic tension force. By momentum conservation, this facilitates
asymmetries in the inflow velocity, which in turn affects the flux
transport into the reconnection site. The outflow is found to be less
laminar when the inflow varies, and various signatures of the inflow
variations are identified in the outflow.