Onset of Fast Magnetic Reconnection

Journal Article · Fri May 25 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.98.215001· OSTI ID:20951397

Cassak, P A; Drake, J F; Shay, M A; Eckhardt, B ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

We demonstrate the existence of a new steady-state magnetic reconnection configuration which lies at the boundary of the basins of attraction between the Sweet-Parker and Hall reconnection configurations. The solution is linearly unstable to small perturbations and its identification required a novel iterative numerical technique. The eigenmodes of the unstable solution are localized near the X line, suggesting that the onset of fast reconnection in a weakly collisional plasma is initiated locally at the X line as opposed to remotely at the boundaries.

• OSTI ID: 20951397
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 98; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
ITERATIVE METHODS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MATHEMATICAL SOLUTIONS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS