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Title: Fast magnetic reconnection with large guide fields

Abstract

In this letter, it is demonstrated using two-fluid simulations that low-β magnetic reconnection remains fast, regardless of the presence of fast dispersive waves, which have been previously suggested to play a critical role. To understand these results, a discrete model is constructed that offers scaling relationships for the reconnection rate and dissipation region (DR) thickness in terms of the upstream magnetic field and DR length. We verify these scalings numerically and show how the DR self-adjusts to process magnetic flux at the same rate that it is supplied to a larger region where two-fluid effects become important. The rate is therefore independent of the DR physics and is in good agreement with kinetic results.

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22407975
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 22; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; 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; FLUIDS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETIC FLUX; MAGNETIC RECONNECTION; PLASMA SIMULATION; SCALING

Citation Formats

Stanier, A., E-mail: stanier@lanl.gov, Simakov, Andrei N., Chacón, L., and Daughton, W. Fast magnetic reconnection with large guide fields. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4905629.
Stanier, A., E-mail: stanier@lanl.gov, Simakov, Andrei N., Chacón, L., & Daughton, W. Fast magnetic reconnection with large guide fields. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905629
Stanier, A., E-mail: stanier@lanl.gov, Simakov, Andrei N., Chacón, L., and Daughton, W. 2015. "Fast magnetic reconnection with large guide fields". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905629.
@article{osti_22407975,
title = {Fast magnetic reconnection with large guide fields},
author = {Stanier, A., E-mail: stanier@lanl.gov and Simakov, Andrei N. and Chacón, L. and Daughton, W.},
abstractNote = {In this letter, it is demonstrated using two-fluid simulations that low-β magnetic reconnection remains fast, regardless of the presence of fast dispersive waves, which have been previously suggested to play a critical role. To understand these results, a discrete model is constructed that offers scaling relationships for the reconnection rate and dissipation region (DR) thickness in terms of the upstream magnetic field and DR length. We verify these scalings numerically and show how the DR self-adjusts to process magnetic flux at the same rate that it is supplied to a larger region where two-fluid effects become important. The rate is therefore independent of the DR physics and is in good agreement with kinetic results.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4905629},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22407975}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 1,
volume = 22,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}

Works referencing / citing this record:

Why does Steady-State Magnetic Reconnection have a Maximum Local Rate of Order 0.1?
journal, February 2017


A scalable, fully implicit algorithm for the reduced two-field low-β extended MHD model
journal, December 2016