Replication data for: Electron behaviour around the onset of magnetic reconnection

This data set contains 4 data files named fields-*.dat and 1 data file named parts-11600-p00000.dat, all containing binary simulation data, one ReadMe text file and one ReadData python script to read the binary data in the fields files. The binary data was created using Fortran 90. The fields-*.dat files contain electric and magnetic fields and average particle data in the simulation domain for relevant times in our analysis. The parts file contains the exact position and velocity of every particle assigned to the process indicated by the number after -p in the file name. The total particle number in the simulation is distributed on 16 processes. In the study this data set was created for, we investigate the onset of magnetic reconnection in a tail-like configuration with no initial perturbation.
Article abstract: We investigate the onset of magnetic reconnection, utilising a fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulation. Characteristic features of the electron phase-space distributions at the time immediately before reconnection onset are identified. These include signatures of pressure non-gyrotropy in the electron velocity distributions, and lemon shaped distributions in the in-plane velocity directions. Further, we explain how these features form through investigation of the particle energisation by the out-of-plane electric field. Identification of these features in the distributions can aid in analysis of data where clear signatures of ongoing reconnection are not yet present.