Formation of fast shocks by magnetic reconnection in the solar corona
- Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China)
- Institute for Fusion Theory and Simulation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)
- Institute of Space Science, National Central University, Jhongli 320, Taiwan (China)
Reconnections of magnetic fields over the solar surface are expected to generate abundant magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) discontinuities and shocks, including slow shocks and rotational discontinuities. However, the generation of fast shocks by magnetic reconnection process is relatively not well studied. In this paper, magnetic reconnection in a current sheet is studied based on two-dimensional resistive MHD numerical simulations. Magnetic reconnections in the current sheet lead to the formation of plasma jets and plasma bulges. It is further found that the plasma bulges, the leading part of plasma jets, in turn lead to the generation of fast shocks on flanks of the bulges. The simulation results show that during the magnetic reconnection process, the plasma forms a series of structures: plasma jets, plasma bulges, and fast shocks. As time increases, the bulges spread out along the current sheet ({+-}z direction) and the fast shocks move just ahead of the bulges. The effects of initial parameters {rho}{sub s}/{rho}{sub m}, {beta}{sub {infinity}}, and t{sub rec} on the fast shock generation are also examined, where {rho}{sub s}/{rho}{sub m} is the ratio of plasma densities on two sides of the initial current sheet, {beta}{sub {infinity}}=P{sub {infinity}}/(B{sub {infinity}}{sup 2}/2{mu}{sub 0}), P{sub {infinity}} is the plasma pressure and B{sub {infinity}} is the magnetic field magnitude far from the current sheet, and t{sub rec} is the reconnection duration. In the asymmetric case with {rho}{sub s}/{rho}{sub m}=2, {beta}{sub {infinity}}=0.01 and t{sub rec}=1000, the maximum Alfven Mach number of fast shocks (M{sub A1max}) is M{sub A1max} congruent with 1.1, where M{sub A1}=V{sub n1}/V{sub A1}, and V{sub n1} and V{sub A1} are, respectively, the normal upstream fluid velocity and the upstream Alfven speed in the fast shocks frame. As the density ratio {rho}{sub s}/{rho}{sub m} (=1-8) and plasma beta {beta}{sub {infinity}} (=0.0001-1) increase, M{sub A1max} varies slightly. For the case with a large plasma beta {beta}{sub {infinity}} (=5), the fast shock is very weak. As the reconnection duration t{sub rec} increases, the bulges lead to generation of fast shocks with a higher M{sub A1max}. The present results can be applied to the mechanism of coronal heating by fast shocks.
- OSTI ID:
- 21282112
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 16, Issue 9; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3212889; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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