Ion heating and magnetic flux pile-up in a magnetic reconnection experiment with super-Alfvénic plasma inflows
- Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)
- Sorbonne Univ., Paris (France)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
- Northwest Inst. of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an (China)
This work presents a magnetic reconnection experiment in which the kinetic, magnetic and thermal properties of the plasma each play an important role in the overall energy balance and structure of the generated reconnection layer. Magnetic reconnection occurs during the interaction of continuous and steady flows of super-Alfvénic, magnetized, aluminum plasma, which collide in a geometry with two-dimensional symmetry, producing a stable and long-lasting reconnection layer. Optical Thomson scattering measurements show that when the layer forms, ions inside the layer are more strongly heated than electrons, reaching temperatures of Ti~$$ \overline{Z}\ $$Te≳300 eV – much greater than can be expected from strong shock and viscous heating alone. Later in time, as the plasma density in the layer increases, the electron and ion temperatures are found to equilibrate, and a constant plasma temperature is achieved through a balance of the heating mechanisms and radiative losses of the plasma. Conclusively, measurements from Faraday rotation polarimetry also indicate the presence of significant magnetic field pile-up occurring at the boundary of the reconnection region, which is consistent with the super-Alfvénic velocity of the inflows
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Programs (DP); USDOE Office of Legacy Management (LM), Office of Field Operations
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0003764; F03-02NA00057; NA-0003764; SC-0001063
- OSTI ID:
- 1499656
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1432579
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 4; ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Interactions of magnetized plasma flows in pulsed-power driven experiments
|
journal | December 2019 |
Lower-hybrid drift instability and macroscopic flow of colliding magnetized plasmas
|
journal | October 2018 |
Lower-Hybrid Drift Instability and Macroscopic Flow of Colliding Magnetized Plasmas | text | January 2018 |
Interactions of magnetized plasma flows in pulsed-power driven experiments | text | January 2019 |
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