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Title: Magnetic Reconnection with Sweet-Parker Characteristics in Two-dimensional Laboratory Plasmas

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/3001· OSTI ID:3001

Magnetic reconnection has been experimentally studied in a well-controlled, two-dimensional laboratory magnetohydrodynamic plasma. The observations are found to be both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with a generalized Sweet-Parker model which incorporates compressibility, downstream pressure, and the effective resistivity. The latter is significantly enhanced over its classical values in the collisionless limit. This generalized Sweet-Parker model also applies to the case in which an unidirectional, sizable third magnetic component is present.

Research Organization:
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER) (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH03073
OSTI ID:
3001
Report Number(s):
PPPL-3336; TRN: US0101388
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1 Jan 1999
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English