Magnetic reconnection of plasma toroids with cohelicity and counterhelicity

Journal Article · Mon Aug 06 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.65.721· OSTI ID:6361287

Yamada, M; Ono, Y; Hayakawa, A; Katsurai, M ^[1]; Perkins, F W ^[2]

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1. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (USA)

Magnetic reconnection phenomena are investigated taking into account all three vector components of the magnetic field in a laboratory experiment. Two toroidal magnetized plasmas carrying identical toroidal currents and poloidal field configurations are made to collide, thereby inducing magnetic reconnection. The direction of the toroidal field plays an important role in the merging process. It is found that plasmas of antiparallel helicity merge much faster than those of parallel helicity. It is also found that the reconnection rate is proportional to the initial relative velocity of the two plasma tori, suggesting that magnetic reconnection, in the present experiment, is a forced phenomenon.

• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 6361287
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 65:6; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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