Related papers: A First-Principle Model for Polarization Swings du…
We consider a model where the strong magnetic fields of magnetars arise from a high baryon density, magnetized core. In this framework magnetars are distinguished from pulsars by their higher masses and central density. For magnetars, as…
Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous process in astrophysical plasmas, responsible for the explosive conversion of magnetic energy into thermal and kinetic energy. In extreme astrophysical systems, such as black hole coronae and neutron…
Magnetic reconnection is one of the prime candidate mechanisms that may energize the plasma emitting the strongly polarized X-ray emission from black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) in their hard states. The mechanism requires strong magnetic…
The number of pulsars with detected emission at X-ray and gamma-ray energies has been steadily growing, showing that beams of high-energy particles are commonly accelerated in pulsar magnetospheres, even though the location and number of…
The theoretical prediction that magnetic reconnection spontaneously drives turbulence has been supported by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic simulations. While reconnection with externally driven turbulence is accepted as an effective…
Three giant flares have been detected so far from soft gamma-ray repeaters, each characterized by an initial short hard spike and a pulsating tail. The observed pulsating tails are characterized by a duration of $\sim100\,\rm{s}$, an…
We perform two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of reconnection in magnetically dominated electron-positron plasmas subject to strong Compton cooling. We vary the magnetization $\sigma\gg1$, defined as the ratio of magnetic tension…
Energetic particle populations in the solar corona and in the heliosphere appear to have different characteristics even when produced in the same solar flare. It is not clear what causes this difference: properties of the acceleration…
Based on very high-resolution resistive 2D and 3D magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of current sheets, our findings suggest that the answer to this question is likely no. In contrast, turbulence-mediated reconnection yields…
Magnetic reconnection is a pivotal mechanisms in the energization and heating of cosmic plasmas, yet the exact process of energy transfer during these events remain elusive. Traditional models, which focus on acoustic and…
We present the results of numerical simulations of wave-induced magnetic reconnection in a model of the solar atmosphere. In the magnetic field geometry we study in this article, the waves, driven by a monochromatic piston and a driver…
In solar flares and other astrophysical systems, a major challenge for solving particle acceleration problem associated with magnetic reconnection is the enormous scale separation between kinetic scales and observed reconnection scale.…
Emission from X-ray binaries in the hard spectral state is dominated by high-energy radiation attributed to the Compton scattering of seed photons. The prevalent model of the Comptonization by hot electrons or pairs faces the problem of…
We analyze particle acceleration in explosive reconnection events in magnetically dominated proton-electron plasmas. Reconnection is driven by large-scale magnetic stresses in interacting current-carrying flux tubes. Our model relies on…
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in many laboratory, space, and astrophysical plasma contexts. Solar flares serve as an outstanding laboratory to study the magnetic reconnection and the associated energy release and…
Solar flares are accessible to a broad variety of observational methods to see and investigate the {\em magnetic reconnection} phenomenon in high-temperature strongly-magnetized plasma of the solar corona. An analysis of the topological…
Magnetic reconnection is a process that converts magnetic energy into plasma energy by changing the magnetic field line topology. The outstanding question is why the reconnection rate is $\mathcal{O}(0.01 - 0.1)$ in many astrophysical…
Using fully kinetic simulations, we demonstrate that magnetic reconnection in relativistic plasmas is highly efficient at accelerating particles through a first-order Fermi process resulting from the curvature drift of particles in the…
Particle acceleration induced by fast magnetic reconnection may help to solve current puzzles related to the interpretation of the very high energy (VHE) and neutrino missions from AGNs and compact sources in general. Our general…
Solar flares are one of the main forces behind space weather events. However the mechanism that drives such energetic phenomena is not fully understood. The standard eruptive flare model predicts that magnetic reconnection occurs high in…