Electrostatic Solitary Waves and Electron-beam Instabilities in the Separatrix Region of Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract

Using 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, the generation of electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) and the associated plasma waves in symmetric magnetic reconnection are studied, and multiple kinds of ESWs with different propagating speeds are identified. Near the current sheet in the outflow region, there are two kinds of ESWs propagating away from the X line: their propagating speeds are about 0.73V Te0 and 1.2V Te0 (where V Te0 is the initial electron thermal velocity), and their generation is associated with the Buneman instability and the electron two-stream instability, respectively. In the separatrix region, there is one kind of ESW propagating toward the X line with a propagating speed of about 1.2 V Te0, which is formed during the nonlinear evolution of the electron two-stream instability. We also run a case with a guide field, and there exist two kinds of ESWs: the ESWs propagating away from the X line can be generated near the separatrices with electron outflow, while the ESWs propagating toward the X line can be generated near the separatrices with electron inflow. The two kinds of ESWs are associated with the electron two-stream instability and the Buneman instability, respectively.