Magnetic flux generation near an O-line in collisionless reconnection--- A new dynamo process
- Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775 (United States)
Magnetic reconnection in a current sheet with electron gyroradius scale is studied by a full particle simulation, in which the ion-electron mass ratio is set to be {ital m}{sub {ital i}}/{ital m}{sub {ital e}}=10{minus}1836. A new dynamo process has been found in which magnetic flux emerges outward from the magnetic O-line in the magnetic island formed by reconnection. The generation of new flux is associated with plasma compression in the magnetic island. The generated new flux is estimated to be {similar_to}{ital B}{sub 0}{rho}{sub {ital e}}, independent of the ion-electron mass ratio, where {ital B}{sub 0} is the magnetic field far away from the current sheet, and {rho}{sub {ital e}} is the electron gyroradius based on {ital B}{sub 0} and the electron thermal velocity. The plasma inertia and momentum transport due to the off-diagonal elements of plasma pressure tensor can lead to E{center_dot}J{lt}0 near the magnetic O-line, which makes the dynamo process possible. It is also found that the characteristic time scales of the reconnection process have a power-law dependence on the ion-electron mass ratio. {copyright} {ital 1995} {ital American} {ital Institute} {ital of} {ital Physics}.
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG06-86ER13530
- OSTI ID:
- 124255
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 2, Issue 10; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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