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Title: Study of energy conversion and partitioning in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma

Abstract

The most important feature of magnetic reconnection is that it energizes plasma particles by converting magnetic energy to particle energy, the exact mechanisms by which this happens are yet to be determined despite a long history of reconnection research. Recently, we have reported our results on the energy conversion and partitioning in a laboratory reconnection layer in a short communication [Yamada et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 4474 (2014)]. The present paper is a detailed elaboration of this report together with an additional dataset with different boundary sizes. Our experimental study of the reconnection layer is carried out in the two-fluid physics regime where ions and electrons move quite differently. We have observed that the conversion of magnetic energy occurs across a region significantly larger than the narrow electron diffusion region. A saddle shaped electrostatic potential profile exists in the reconnection plane, and ions are accelerated by the resulting electric field at the separatrices. These accelerated ions are then thermalized by re-magnetization in the downstream region. A quantitative inventory of the converted energy is presented in a reconnection layer with a well-defined, variable boundary. We also carried out a systematic study of the effects of boundary conditions on the energy inventory.more » This study concludes that about 50% of the inflowing magnetic energy is converted to particle energy, 2/3 of which is ultimately transferred to ions and 1/3 to electrons. When assisted by another set of magnetic reconnection experiment data and numerical simulations with different sizes of monitoring box, it is also observed that the observed features of energy conversion and partitioning do not depend on the size of monitoring boundary across the range of sizes tested from 1.5 to 4 ion skin depths.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]
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  1. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1254743
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1228246
Report Number(s):
PPPL-5101
Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X; PHPAEN
Grant/Contract Number:  
NNH11AQ45I; DE-AC0209CH11466; AC0209CH11466
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 22; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Astrophysics; Acceleration; Ion Heating; Reconnection

Citation Formats

Yamada, Masaaki, Yoo, Jongsoo, Jara-Almonte, Jonathan, Daughton, William, Ji, Hantao, Kulsrud, Russell M., and Myers, Clayton E. Study of energy conversion and partitioning in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4920960.
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Yamada, Masaaki, Yoo, Jongsoo, Jara-Almonte, Jonathan, Daughton, William, Ji, Hantao, Kulsrud, Russell M., & Myers, Clayton E. Study of energy conversion and partitioning in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4920960
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Yamada, Masaaki, Yoo, Jongsoo, Jara-Almonte, Jonathan, Daughton, William, Ji, Hantao, Kulsrud, Russell M., and Myers, Clayton E. Fri . "Study of energy conversion and partitioning in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4920960. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1254743.
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@article{osti_1254743,
title = {Study of energy conversion and partitioning in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma},
author = {Yamada, Masaaki and Yoo, Jongsoo and Jara-Almonte, Jonathan and Daughton, William and Ji, Hantao and Kulsrud, Russell M. and Myers, Clayton E.},
abstractNote = {The most important feature of magnetic reconnection is that it energizes plasma particles by converting magnetic energy to particle energy, the exact mechanisms by which this happens are yet to be determined despite a long history of reconnection research. Recently, we have reported our results on the energy conversion and partitioning in a laboratory reconnection layer in a short communication [Yamada et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 4474 (2014)]. The present paper is a detailed elaboration of this report together with an additional dataset with different boundary sizes. Our experimental study of the reconnection layer is carried out in the two-fluid physics regime where ions and electrons move quite differently. We have observed that the conversion of magnetic energy occurs across a region significantly larger than the narrow electron diffusion region. A saddle shaped electrostatic potential profile exists in the reconnection plane, and ions are accelerated by the resulting electric field at the separatrices. These accelerated ions are then thermalized by re-magnetization in the downstream region. A quantitative inventory of the converted energy is presented in a reconnection layer with a well-defined, variable boundary. We also carried out a systematic study of the effects of boundary conditions on the energy inventory. This study concludes that about 50% of the inflowing magnetic energy is converted to particle energy, 2/3 of which is ultimately transferred to ions and 1/3 to electrons. When assisted by another set of magnetic reconnection experiment data and numerical simulations with different sizes of monitoring box, it is also observed that the observed features of energy conversion and partitioning do not depend on the size of monitoring boundary across the range of sizes tested from 1.5 to 4 ion skin depths.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4920960},
journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
number = 5,
volume = 22,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Fri May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Understanding the dynamics and energetics of magnetic reconnection in a laboratory plasma: Review of recent progress on selected fronts
    journal, May 2016

    • Yamada, Masaaki; Yoo, Jongsoo; Myers, Clayton E.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 5
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4948721

    Two-stage bulk electron heating in the diffusion region of anti-parallel symmetric reconnection
    journal, October 2016

    • Le, A.; Egedal, J.; Daughton, W.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 10
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4964768

    An experimental platform for pulsed-power driven magnetic reconnection
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    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 5
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5016280

    Laboratory space physics: Investigating the physics of space plasmas in the laboratory
    journal, May 2018

    Energy transfer and electron energization in collisionless magnetic reconnection for different guide-field intensities
    journal, December 2018

    • Pucci, F.; Usami, S.; Ji, H.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5050992

    Perspectives on magnetic reconnection
    journal, December 2016

    • Zweibel, Ellen G.; Yamada, Masaaki
    • Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 472, Issue 2196
    • DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2016.0479
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