Relativistic Reconnection
High-σ reconnection, particle injection, and radiation/polarization diagnostics for astrophysical plasmas.
Magnetic-field strength, density, and polarized emission snapshots from our large-scale PIC runs. Colors show flux intensity; glyphs show polarization fraction and angle.
active
We combine 3D PIC simulations, transport modeling, and polarized radiation transfer to understand how relativistic reconnection accelerates particles and imprints signatures that blazar observers can test.
What’s happening
- Injection physics — Following how cold particles enter the acceleration region and tracking their evolution that sets the resulting power laws.
- Polarization predictions — Feeding simulation outputs into polarized radiative transfer to explain swings observed in blazars.
- 3D effects — Quantifying how 3D reconnection and turbulence alter acceleration efficiency and radiation signatures compared to 2D models.
Resources
Featured publications
- A Model for Nonthermal Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Reconnection
X. Li et al. — ApJL (2023) — read - First-Principles Study of Blazar Polarization from Magnetic Turbulence
H. Zhang et al. — ApJ (2023) — read - Low-energy Injection and Nonthermal Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Magnetic Turbulence
D. Singh, O. French, F. Guo, & X. Li — ApJ (2025) — read
Collaborators interested in testing synthetic polarization or sharing new diagnostics are welcome—contact me to plug these models into your observing campaigns.