Energetic electron acceleration during magnetic reconnection

During magnetic reconnection, magnetic energy is explosively converted to particle energy and consequently electrons are accelerated to hundreds of keV that are dangerous to spacecraft and astronauts. To date, how and where the acceleration happens during reconnection is still unknown. Also, how efficient can the acceleration be remains a puzzle. Using spacecraft measurements (e.g., Cluster and MMS) and numerical simulations, many attempts have been made to answer these questions during the last twenty years. In this talk, I will briefly review these progresses and then show our recent results in understanding these issues. Specifically, I will (1) report a super-efficient electron acceleration by magnetic reconnection in the Earth’s magnetotail, during which electron fluxes are enhanced by 10000 times within 30 seconds; (2) discuss the mechanisms leading to super-efficient electron acceleration; (3) report the first evidence of electron acceleration at a reconnecting magnetopause, during which the acceleration process is nonadiabatic; and (4) report electron acceleration in the