Particle simulation study of driven magnetic reconnection in a collisionless plasma

Journal Article · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Physics of Plasmas; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.870894· OSTI ID:6684599

Horiuchi, R; Sato, T ^[1]

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1. Theory and Computer Simulation Center, National Institute for Fusion Science, Nagoya 464-01 (Japan)

Driven magnetic reconnection in a collisionless plasma, collisionless driven reconnection,'' is investigated by means of two-and-one-half-dimensional particle simulation. Magnetic reconnection develops in two steps, i.e., slow reconnection, which takes place in the early stage of the compression when the current layer is compressed as thin as the orbit amplitude of an ion meandering motion (ion current layer), and subsequent fast reconnection, which takes place in the late stage when the electron current is concentrated into the narrow region with a spatial scale comparable to the orbit amplitude of an electron meandering motion (electron current layer). The global dynamic evolution of magnetic reconnection is controlled by the physics of the ion current layer. The maximum reconnection rate is roughly in proportion to the driving electric field. It is also found that both ion heating and electron heating take place in accordance with the formation of two current layers and the ion temperature becomes two or more times as high as the electron temperature.

• OSTI ID: 6684599
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas; (United States), Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas; (United States) Vol. 1:11; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700330 -- Plasma Kinetics
Transport
& Impurities-- (1992-)
700370* -- Plasma Fluid & MHD Properties-- (1992-)
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
ION TEMPERATURE
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOTAIL
MECHANICS
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA SIMULATION
SCALING LAWS
SIMULATION