Experimental studies of magnetic reconnection

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.873430· OSTI ID:344900

Brown, M R ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1397 (United States)

Laboratory magnetic reconnection experiments have been performed for nearly 20 years. Elegant experiments by Stenzel and Gekelman [R. L. Stenzel and W. Gekelman, Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 42}, 1055 (1979); W. Gekelman and R. L. Stenzel, Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 54}, 2414 (1985)] focused on the measurement of field quantities with a single movable probe in a highly reproducible plasma. Observations included a very thin current sheet (on the order of c/{omega}{sub pe}), accelerated electrons, and whistler waves. The argon ions were unmagnetized in these experiments. Recent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) experiments by Yamada and Ono have used merging plasmoids [M. Yamada, Y. Ono, A. Hayakawa, M. Katsurai, and F. W. Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 65}, 721 (1990); Y. Ono, M. Yamada, T. Akao, T. Tajima, and R. Matsumoto, Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 76}, 3328 (1996)] and have measured three dimensional effects and ion acceleration. We have observed correlations between magnetic reconnection and energetic ion flow events with merging force free spheromaks at the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX) [T. W. Kornack, P. K. Sollins, and M. R. Brown, Phys. Rev. E {bold 58}, R36 (1998)]. The reconnection layer is measured with linear and two dimensional probe arrays and ion flow is directly measured with a retarding grid energy analyzer. Flow has been measured both in the plane of the reconnection layer and out of the plane. The outflow velocity is nearly Alfv{acute e}nic in the reconnection plane and the scale of the magnetic structures is consistent with collisionless reconnection theories (on the order of c/{omega}{sub pi}). Results from the two dimensional array show the formation of magnetic islands correlated with super-Alfv{acute e}nic ions accelerated normal to the layer. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 344900
• Report Number(s): CONF-981127--
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 6; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
ALFVEN WAVES
MAGNETIC ISLANDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
SOLAR FLARES
WHISTLERS