Structure of reconnection boundary layers in incompressible MHD

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA08p08621· OSTI ID:5736819

Sonnerup, B U.Oe.; Wang, D J ^[1]

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1. Dartmouth Coll., Hanover, NH (United States)

The incompressible MHD equations with nonvanishing viscosity and resistivity are simplified by use of the boundary layer approximation to describe the flow and magnetic field in the exit flow regions of magnetic field reconnection configurations when the reconnection rate is small. The conditions are derived under which self-similar solutions exist of the resulting boundary layer equations. For the case of zero viscosity and resistivity, the equations describing such self-similar layers are then solved in terms of quadratures, and the resulting flow and field configurations are described. Symmetric solutions, relevant, for example, to reconnection in the geomagnetic tail, as well as asymmetric solutions, relevant to reconnection at the earth's magnetopause, are found to exist. The nature of the external solutions to which the boundary layer solutions should be matched is discussed briefly, but the actual matching, which is to occur at Alfven-wave characteristic curves in the boundary layer solutions, is not carried out. Finally, it is argued that the solutions obtained may also be used to describe the structure of the intense vortex layers observed to occur at magnetic separatrices in computer simulations and in certain analytical models of the reconnection process.

• OSTI ID: 5736819
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 92:A8; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ENERGY TRANSFER
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
HYDRODYNAMICS
INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW
INTERACTIONS
LAYERS
MAGNETIC BAYS
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETIC SURFACES
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOTAIL
MASS TRANSFER
MECHANICS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
VISCOSITY
VORTICES