The Current Tension Electric Field in the Generalized Ohm's Law

In the prevailing form of the generalized Ohm's law (GOL), is often neglected. Because of the resemblance to the magnetic tension, we refer to this term as the current tension electric field ( E CT ). Our theoretical analysis reveals that E CT with a characteristic length of dominates the electron inertia terms in the electron diffusion region (EDR) and is comparable to the electron pressure term in low‐ β e conditions. Using particle‐in‐cell simulations, we demonstrate that E CT can contribute significantly to the reconnection electric field and energy dissipation at the boundaries of the inner EDR and in the outer EDR. Positive and negative J ⋅ E CT can be used to identify inner and outer electron diffusion regions, respectively.