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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Three-dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry for Turbulence Applications: Case of a Jet Flow
Published on: February 27, 2016
Stochastic acceleration in turbulent electric fields generated by 3D reconnection
Marco Onofri1, Heinz Isliker, Loukas Vlahos
1Department of Physics, University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Abstract:
Electron and proton acceleration in three-dimensional electric and magnetic fields is studied through test particle simulations. The fields are obtained by a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of magnetic reconnection in slab geometry. The nonlinear evolution of the system is characterized by the growth of many unstable modes and the initial current sheet is fragmented with formation of small scale structures. We inject at random points inside the evolving current sheet a Maxwellian distribution of particles. In a relatively short time (less than a millisecond) the particles develop a power-law tail. The acceleration is extremely efficient and the electrons absorb a large percentage of the available energy in a small fraction of the characteristic time of the MHD simulation, suggesting that resistive MHD codes are unable to represent the full extent of particle acceleration.
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