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Title: Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection

Abstract

The first detailed comparison between gyrokinetic and gyrofluid simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection has been carried out. Both the linear and nonlinear evolution of the collisionless tearing mode have been analyzed. In the linear regime, we have found a good agreement between the two approaches over the whole spectrum of linearly unstable wave numbers, both in the drift kinetic limit and for finite ion temperature. Nonlinearly, focusing on the small-Δ′ regime, with Δ′ indicating the standard tearing stability parameter, we have compared relevant observables such as the evolution and saturation of the island width, as well as the island oscillation frequency in the saturated phase. The results are basically the same, with small discrepancies only in the value of the saturated island width for moderately high values of Δ′. Therefore, in the regimes investigated here, the gyrofluid approach can describe the collisionless reconnection process as well as the more complete gyrokinetic model.

Authors:
; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. IPP-Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstr. 1, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany)
  2. Dipartimento Energia, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)
  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22304142
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: (c) 2014 EURATOM; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; ION TEMPERATURE; MAGNETIC RECONNECTION; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; SIMULATION; TEARING INSTABILITY

Citation Formats

Zacharias, O., Kleiber, R., Borchardt, M., Comisso, L., Grasso, D., Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi - CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, and Hatzky, R. Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4882679.
Zacharias, O., Kleiber, R., Borchardt, M., Comisso, L., Grasso, D., Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi - CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, & Hatzky, R. Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4882679
Zacharias, O., Kleiber, R., Borchardt, M., Comisso, L., Grasso, D., Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi - CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, and Hatzky, R. 2014. "Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4882679.
@article{osti_22304142,
title = {Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection},
author = {Zacharias, O. and Kleiber, R. and Borchardt, M. and Comisso, L. and Grasso, D. and Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi - CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma and Hatzky, R.},
abstractNote = {The first detailed comparison between gyrokinetic and gyrofluid simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection has been carried out. Both the linear and nonlinear evolution of the collisionless tearing mode have been analyzed. In the linear regime, we have found a good agreement between the two approaches over the whole spectrum of linearly unstable wave numbers, both in the drift kinetic limit and for finite ion temperature. Nonlinearly, focusing on the small-Δ′ regime, with Δ′ indicating the standard tearing stability parameter, we have compared relevant observables such as the evolution and saturation of the island width, as well as the island oscillation frequency in the saturated phase. The results are basically the same, with small discrepancies only in the value of the saturated island width for moderately high values of Δ′. Therefore, in the regimes investigated here, the gyrofluid approach can describe the collisionless reconnection process as well as the more complete gyrokinetic model.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4882679},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22304142}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 6,
volume = 21,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sun Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}