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Stability of tearing modes in presence of a velocity flow

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6537537

Tearing modes, driven by plasma resistivity, collisional or collisionless, are one of the possible mechanisms leading to reconnection of initially antiparallel magnetic field lines. The theory of stability of a neutral sheet configuration with respect to tearing modes was developed including the presence of a plasma velocity flow and velocity gradients across the sheet. Consideration of the effects of a velocity flow are of noticeable importance, as the magnetic configurations which are encountered in space and where reconnection processes may occurare all accompanied by velocity flows. This is, for example, the case for the neutral sheet in the earth's magnetotail, the magnetopause boundary, and the boundaries between different sectors of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Research Organization:
SEE CODE- 1908825 Laboratorio di Ricerce e Technologia per lo Studio del Plasma nello Spazio, Frescati (Italy)
OSTI ID:
6537537
Report Number(s):
N-78-14735; LPS-77-13
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English