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Title: Electromagnetic instability of thin reconnection layers: Comparison of three-dimensional simulations with MRX observations

Abstract

In this study, the influence of current-aligned instabilities on magnetic reconnection in weakly collisional regimes is investigated using experimental observations from Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) [M. Yamada et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 1936 (1997)] and large-scale fully kinetic simulations. In the simulations as well as in the experiment, the dominant instability is localized near the center of the reconnection layer, produces large perturbations of the magnetic field, and is characterized by the wavenumber that is a geometric mean between electron and ion gyroradii k~(ρeρi)-1/2. However, both the simulations and the experimental observations suggest the instability is not the dominant reconnection mechanism under parameters typical of MRX.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. SciberQuest, Inc., Del Mar, CA (United States)
  2. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  3. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
OSTI Identifier:
1565007
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231; AC02-09CH11466; AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 20; Journal Issue: 6; 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

Citation Formats

Roytershteyn, V., Dorfman, S., Daughton, W., Ji, H., Yamada, M., and Karimabadi, H. Electromagnetic instability of thin reconnection layers: Comparison of three-dimensional simulations with MRX observations. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4811371.
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Roytershteyn, V., Dorfman, S., Daughton, W., Ji, H., Yamada, M., & Karimabadi, H. Electromagnetic instability of thin reconnection layers: Comparison of three-dimensional simulations with MRX observations. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811371
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Roytershteyn, V., Dorfman, S., Daughton, W., Ji, H., Yamada, M., and Karimabadi, H. Fri . "Electromagnetic instability of thin reconnection layers: Comparison of three-dimensional simulations with MRX observations". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811371. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1565007.
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@article{osti_1565007,
title = {Electromagnetic instability of thin reconnection layers: Comparison of three-dimensional simulations with MRX observations},
author = {Roytershteyn, V. and Dorfman, S. and Daughton, W. and Ji, H. and Yamada, M. and Karimabadi, H.},
abstractNote = {In this study, the influence of current-aligned instabilities on magnetic reconnection in weakly collisional regimes is investigated using experimental observations from Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) [M. Yamada et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 1936 (1997)] and large-scale fully kinetic simulations. In the simulations as well as in the experiment, the dominant instability is localized near the center of the reconnection layer, produces large perturbations of the magnetic field, and is characterized by the wavenumber that is a geometric mean between electron and ion gyroradii k~(ρeρi)-1/2. However, both the simulations and the experimental observations suggest the instability is not the dominant reconnection mechanism under parameters typical of MRX.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4811371},
journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
number = 6,
volume = 20,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Fri Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811371
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Cited by: 27 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1 FIG. 1: Collisionless simulation with $m$$i$/$m$$e$ = 900. Shown is an isosurface of constant density on the low-$β$ side of the current sheet, colored by the magnitude of current density |$J$|. Instabilities of the central current sheet and very strong LHDI activity along low-$β$ separatrices are clearly visible. Simulation parametersmore » are specified in the text.« less
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Interplay between Kelvin–Helmholtz and lower-hybrid drift instabilities
    journal, November 2019

    • Dargent, Jérémy; Lavorenti, Federico; Califano, Francesco
    • Journal of Plasma Physics, Vol. 85, Issue 6
    • DOI: 10.1017/s0022377819000758

    Electron‐Scale Magnetic Structure Observed Adjacent to an Electron Diffusion Region at the Dayside Magnetopause
    journal, December 2019

    • Hoilijoki, S.; Ergun, R. E.; Schwartz, S. J.
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019ja027192

    Magnetic Reconnection in Three Dimensions: Observations of Electromagnetic Drift Waves in the Adjacent Current Sheet
    journal, December 2019

    • Ergun, R. E.; Hoilijoki, S.; Ahmadi, N.
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019ja027228

    Magnetic Reconnection in Three Dimensions: Modeling and Analysis of Electromagnetic Drift Waves in the Adjacent Current Sheet
    journal, December 2019

    • Ergun, R. E.; Hoilijoki, S.; Ahmadi, N.
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019ja027275

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