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Comparison of Secondary Islands in Collisional Reconnection to Hall Reconnection

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506 (United States)
Large-scale resistive Hall-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the transition from Sweet-Parker (collisional) to Hall (collisionless) magnetic reconnection are presented; the first to separate secondary islands from collisionless effects. Three main results are described. There exists a regime with secondary islands but without collisionless effects, and the reconnection rate is faster than Sweet-Parker, but significantly slower than Hall reconnection. This implies that secondary islands do not cause the fastest reconnection rates. The onset of Hall reconnection ejects secondary islands from the vicinity of the X line, implying that energy is released more rapidly during Hall reconnection. Coronal applications are discussed.
OSTI ID:
21410460
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 105; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English