3D Numerical Simulation of Kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor Instability Leading to Fast Magnetic Reconnection

Wongwaitayakornkul, Pakorn; Li, Hui; Bellan, Paul M.

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab8e35

3D Numerical Simulation of Kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor Instability Leading to Fast Magnetic Reconnection

Journal Article · Mon May 18 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · The Astrophysical Journal. Letters (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab8e35· OSTI ID:1631735

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[3]

California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Caltech
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Fast magnetic reconnection involving non-MHD microscale physics is thought to underlie both solar eruptions and laboratory plasma current disruptions. While there is extensive research on both the MHD macroscale physics and the non-MHD microscale physics, the process by which large-scale MHD couples to the microscale physics is not well understood. An MHD instability cascade from a kink to a secondary Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the Caltech astrophysical jet laboratory experiment provides new insights into this coupling and motivates a 3D numerical simulation of this transition from large to small scale. A critical finding from the simulation is that the axial magnetic field inside the current-carrying dense plasma must exceed the field outside. In addition, the simulation verifies a theoretical prediction and experimental observation that, depending on the strength of the effective gravity produced by the primary kink instability, the secondary instability can be Rayleigh–Taylor or mini-kink. Finally, it is shown that the kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instability generates a localized electric field sufficiently strong to accelerate electrons to very high energy.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Air Force Office of Scientific Researtch (AFOSR); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-04ER54755

OSTI ID:: 1631735

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 23015846

Journal Information:: The Astrophysical Journal. Letters (Online), Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal. Letters (Online) Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 895; ISSN 2041-8213

Publisher:: Institute of Physics (IOP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (37)

The guiding center approximation to charged particle motion Northrop, Theodore G. Annals of Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(61)90167-1	journal	July 1961
Use of artificial viscosity in multidimensional fluid dynamic calculations Wilkins, Mark L. Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9991(80)90161-8	journal	July 1980
Numerical simulation of turbulent mixing by Rayleigh-Taylor instability Youngs, David L. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, Vol. 12, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2789(84)90512-8	journal	July 1984
Magnetohydrodynamics of Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas Goedbloed, Hans; Keppens, Rony; Poedts, Stefaan https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316403679	book	February 2019
Experiments relevant to astrophysical jets Bellan, P. M. Journal of Plasma Physics, Vol. 84, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1017/S002237781800079X	journal	September 2018
Laboratory Measurement of Large‐Amplitude Whistler Pulses Generated by Fast Magnetic Reconnection Haw, Magnus A.; Seo, Byonghoon; Bellan, Paul M. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082621	journal	July 2019
Sweet's mechanism for merging magnetic fields in conducting fluids Parker, E. N. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 62, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ062i004p00509	journal	December 1957
Magnetic reconnection from a multiscale instability cascade Moser, Auna L.; Bellan, Paul M. Nature, Vol. 482, Issue 7385 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10827	journal	February 2012
Measurement of plasma diamagnetism by a coil located inside a conducting wall Li, X. B.; Cross, R. C. Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 65, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1144661	journal	August 1994
Finite-Resistivity Instabilities of a Sheet Pinch Furth, Harold P.; Killeen, John; Rosenbluth, Marshall N. Physics of Fluids, Vol. 6, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1706761	journal	January 1963
Hydromagnetic Instability in a Stellarator Kruskal, M. D.; Johnson, J. L.; Gottlieb, M. B. Physics of Fluids, Vol. 1, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1724359	journal	January 1958
The Hall fields and fast magnetic reconnection Drake, J. F.; Shay, M. A.; Swisdak, M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2901194	journal	January 2008
Plasma tubes becoming collimated as a result of magnetohydrodynamic pumping Yun, Gunsu S.; Bellan, Paul M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3437075	journal	June 2010
A hybrid Rayleigh-Taylor-current-driven coupled instability in a magnetohydrodynamically collimated cylindrical plasma with lateral gravity Zhai, Xiang; Bellan, Paul M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4943896	journal	March 2016
Extreme ultra-violet burst, particle heating, and whistler wave emission in fast magnetic reconnection induced by kink-driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability Chai, Kil-Byoung; Zhai, Xiang; Bellan, Paul M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944390	journal	March 2016
Experiments and models of MHD jets and their relevance to astrophysics and solar physics Bellan, Paul M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5009571	journal	May 2018
Hard x-ray bursts observed in association with Rayleigh-Taylor instigated current disruption in a solar-relevant lab experiment Marshall, R. S.; Flynn, M. J.; Bellan, P. M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5054927	journal	November 2018
Acceleration of charged particles to extremely large energies by a sub-Dreicer electric field Marshall, R. S.; Bellan, P. M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 26, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5081716	journal	April 2019
The electron canonical battery effect in magnetic reconnection: Completion of the electron canonical vorticity framework Yoon, Young Dae; Bellan, Paul M. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 26, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5122225	journal	October 2019
Determination of a macro- to micro-scale progression leading to a magnetized plasma disruption Seo, Byonghoon; Wongwaitayakornkul, Pakorn; Haw, Magnus A. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 27, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5140348	journal	February 2020
Three‐dimensional numerical simulation of turbulent mixing by Rayleigh–Taylor instability Youngs, David L. Physics of Fluids A: Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 3, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.858059	journal	May 1991
The Helical Kink Instability of Isolated, Twisted Magnetic Flux Tubes Linton, M. G.; Longcope, D. W.; Fisher, G. H. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 469 https://doi.org/10.1086/177842	journal	October 1996
Observational Evidence of the Kink Instability in Solar Filament Eruptions and Sigmoids Rust, D. M.; LaBonte, B. J. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 622, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1086/429379	journal	February 2005
Confined and Ejective Eruptions of Kink-unstable Flux Ropes Török, T.; Kliem, B. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 630, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1086/462412	journal	August 2005
Fast Magnetic Reconnection and Spontaneous Stochasticity Eyink, Gregory L.; Lazarian, A.; Vishniac, E. T. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 743, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/743/1/51	journal	November 2011
Kinetic AlfvÉN wave Instability Driven by Field-Aligned Currents in Solar Coronal Loops Chen, L.; Wu, D. J. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 754, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/754/2/123	journal	July 2012
Investigating the Dynamics and Density Evolution of Returning Plasma Blobs from the 2011 june 7 Eruption Carlyle, Jack; Williams, David R.; van Driel-Gesztelyi, Lidia The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 782, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/782/2/87	journal	January 2014
Three-Dimensional mhd Simulation of the Caltech Plasma jet Experiment: First Results Zhai, Xiang; Li, Hui; Bellan, Paul M. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 791, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/791/1/40	journal	July 2014
The instability of liquid surfaces when accelerated in a direction perpendicular to their planes. I Taylor, Geoffrey Ingram Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 201, Issue 1065, p. 192-196 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1950.0052	journal	March 1950
Some instabilities of a completely ionized plasma Kruskal, Martin DAvid; Schwarzschild, Martin Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 223, Issue 1154, p. 348-360 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1954.0120	journal	May 1954
An energy principle for hydromagnetic stability problems Bernstein, I. B.; Frieman, E. A.; Kruskal, Martin David Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 244, Issue 1236, p. 17-40 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1958.0023	journal	February 1958
Nonequilibrium Alfvénic Plasma Jets Associated with Spheromak Formation Kumar, Deepak; Bellan, Paul M. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.105003	journal	September 2009
Experimental Identification of the Kink Instability as a Poloidal Flux Amplification Mechanism for Coaxial Gun Spheromak Formation Hsu, S. C.; Bellan, P. M. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 90, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.215002	journal	May 2003
Onset and Saturation of the Kink Instability in a Current-Carrying Line-Tied Plasma Bergerson, W. F.; Forest, C. B.; Fiksel, G. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.015004	journal	January 2006
Magnetic reconnection Yamada, Masaaki; Kulsrud, Russell; Ji, Hantao Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 82, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.82.603	journal	March 2010
Apex Dips of Experimental Flux Ropes: Helix or Cusp? Wongwaitayakornkul, Pakorn; Haw, Magnus A.; Li, Hui The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 848, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa8990	journal	October 2017
Magnetic Rayleigh–Taylor Instability in an Experiment Simulating a Solar Loop Zhang, Yang; Wongwaitayakornkul, Pakorn; Bellan, Paul M. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 889, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab6b2d	journal	January 2020

Similar Records

A hybrid Rayleigh-Taylor-current-driven coupled instability in a magnetohydrodynamically collimated cylindrical plasma with lateral gravity

Journal Article · Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Physics of Plasmas · OSTI ID:22599026

Caltech Lab Experiments and the Insights They Provide Into Solar Corona Phenomena

Journal Article · Mon Jul 13 20:00:00 EDT 2020 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics · OSTI ID:1658618

A hybrid Rayleigh-Taylor-current-driven coupled instability in a magnetohydrodynamically collimated cylindrical plasma with lateral gravity

Journal Article · Mon Feb 29 19:00:00 EST 2016 · Physics of Plasmas · OSTI ID:1468770

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Experimental models
Laboratory astrophysics
Magnetohydrodynamical simulations
Magnetohydrodynamics
Plasma astrophysics

3D Numerical Simulation of Kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor Instability Leading to Fast Magnetic Reconnection

Citation Formats

References (37)

Similar Records

Related Subjects