Electron‐Only Magnetic Reconnection in Keda Linear Magnetized Plasma (KLMP) Device: Comparison Between Laboratory Study and Kinetic Simulation

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Electron‐only magnetic reconnection, a new type of magnetic reconnection characterized by the absence of obvious ion outflow and heating, has been widely studied by in situ spacecraft observations in space plasma. This paper presents an experimental investigation of electron‐only magnetic reconnection in the Keda Linear Magnetized Plasma (KLMP) device, complemented by a dedicated particle‐in‐cell (PIC) simulation. When reversed magnetic fields generated by two parallel aluminum rods approach and compress each other, a current sheet forms with a width on the order of the electron inertial length. Magnetic reconnection with a strong guide field subsequently occurs in this current sheet, and the Hall magnetic field with a distorted quadrupolar structure is measured. The PIC simulation demonstrates that the current is carried mainly by the electrons, that the reconnection process does not produce obvious ion outflow. These results indicate that electron‐only magnetic reconnection has been successfully realized in the KLMP device.