Particle-in-cell simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection with a non-uniform guide field
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 (United States)
Results are presented of a first study of collisionless magnetic reconnection starting from a recently found exact nonlinear force-free Vlasov–Maxwell equilibrium. The initial state has a Harris sheet magnetic field profile in one direction and a non-uniform guide field in a second direction, resulting in a spatially constant magnetic field strength as well as a constant initial plasma density and plasma pressure. It is found that the reconnection process initially resembles guide field reconnection, but that a gradual transition to anti-parallel reconnection happens as the system evolves. The time evolution of a number of plasma parameters is investigated, and the results are compared with simulations starting from a Harris sheet equilibrium and a Harris sheet plus constant guide field equilibrium.
- OSTI ID:
- 22599034
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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