Laboratory Verification of Electron-Scale Reconnection Regions Modulated by a Three-Dimensional Instability
Abstract
We report that during magnetic reconnection in collisionless space plasma, the electron fluid decouples from the magnetic field within narrow current layers, and theoretical models for this process can be distinguished in terms of their predicted current layer widths. From theory, the off-diagonal stress in the electron pressure tensor is related to the thermal noncircular orbit motion of electrons around the magnetic field lines. This stress becomes significant when the width of the reconnecting current layer approaches the small characteristic length scale of the electron motion. To aid in situ spacecraft and numerical investigations of reconnection, the structure of the electron diffusion region is here investigated using the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment. In agreement with the closely matched kinetic simulations, laboratory observations reveal the presence of electron-scale current layer widths. Although the layers are modulated by a current-driven instability, three-dimensional simulations demonstrate that it is the off-diagonal stress that is responsible for breaking the frozen-in condition of the electron fluid.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[2];
[3];
[1];
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1845255
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1804907; OSTI ID: 1856161
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-20-24836; LA-UR-21-21878
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-9380; TRN: US2302424
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; SC0019153; SC0013032; SC0010463; 80NSSC18K1231; SC0018266; AC02-05CH11231; DE‐SC0019153; DE‐SC0013032; DOE DE‐SC0010463; DE‐SC0018266
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 126; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-9380
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Citation Formats
Greess, S., Egedal, J., Stanier, A., Daughton, W., Olson, J., Lê, A., Myers, R., Millet‐Ayala, A., Clark, M., Wallace, J., Endrizzi, D., and Forest, C. Laboratory Verification of Electron-Scale Reconnection Regions Modulated by a Three-Dimensional Instability. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1029/2021ja029316.
Greess, S., Egedal, J., Stanier, A., Daughton, W., Olson, J., Lê, A., Myers, R., Millet‐Ayala, A., Clark, M., Wallace, J., Endrizzi, D., & Forest, C. Laboratory Verification of Electron-Scale Reconnection Regions Modulated by a Three-Dimensional Instability. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021ja029316
Greess, S., Egedal, J., Stanier, A., Daughton, W., Olson, J., Lê, A., Myers, R., Millet‐Ayala, A., Clark, M., Wallace, J., Endrizzi, D., and Forest, C. Thu .
"Laboratory Verification of Electron-Scale Reconnection Regions Modulated by a Three-Dimensional Instability". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021ja029316. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1845255.
@article{osti_1845255,
title = {Laboratory Verification of Electron-Scale Reconnection Regions Modulated by a Three-Dimensional Instability},
author = {Greess, S. and Egedal, J. and Stanier, A. and Daughton, W. and Olson, J. and Lê, A. and Myers, R. and Millet‐Ayala, A. and Clark, M. and Wallace, J. and Endrizzi, D. and Forest, C.},
abstractNote = {We report that during magnetic reconnection in collisionless space plasma, the electron fluid decouples from the magnetic field within narrow current layers, and theoretical models for this process can be distinguished in terms of their predicted current layer widths. From theory, the off-diagonal stress in the electron pressure tensor is related to the thermal noncircular orbit motion of electrons around the magnetic field lines. This stress becomes significant when the width of the reconnecting current layer approaches the small characteristic length scale of the electron motion. To aid in situ spacecraft and numerical investigations of reconnection, the structure of the electron diffusion region is here investigated using the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment. In agreement with the closely matched kinetic simulations, laboratory observations reveal the presence of electron-scale current layer widths. Although the layers are modulated by a current-driven instability, three-dimensional simulations demonstrate that it is the off-diagonal stress that is responsible for breaking the frozen-in condition of the electron fluid.},
doi = {10.1029/2021ja029316},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics},
number = 7,
volume = 126,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Thu Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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