New regimes of magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas

Journal Article · Mon Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.893· OSTI ID:6854388

Hewett, D W; Francis, G E; Max, C E

An implicit particle-in-cell code has been used to study collisionless magnetic reconnection of a current sheet. The reconnection process is found to occur in three distinct stages: (1) early spontaneous reconnection fed by the free energy of an initial anisotropy in the electron component, (2) coalescence of the resulting small-scale filaments of electron current, accompanied by electron jetting; and (3) oscillatory flow of electrons through the magnetic X point, superposed on continuing nonlinear growth of ion-mediated reconnection. The time evolution of stage 3 is strongly dependent on M/sub i//m/sub e/.

• Research Organization: Physics Department and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California 94550
• OSTI ID: 6854388
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 61:7; ISSN PRLTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
KINETIC EQUATIONS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOTAIL
MECHANICS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA
PLASMA FILAMENT
PLASMA SHEET
PLASMA SIMULATION
SIMULATION