Magnetic Reconnection by a Self-Retreating X Line

Journal Article · Fri Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.101.205004· OSTI ID:21179914

Oka, M; Nishikawa, K -I ^[1]; Fujimoto, M; Nakamura, T K. M.; Shinohara, I ^[2]

---

1. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama 35805 (United States)
2. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara (Japan)

Particle-in-cell simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection are performed to study asymmetric reconnection in which an outflow is blocked by a hard wall while leaving sufficiently large room for the outflow of the opposite direction. This condition leads to a slow, roughly constant motion of the diffusion region away from the wall, the so-called 'X-line retreat'. The typical retreat speed is {approx}0.1 times the Alfven speed. At the diffusion region, ion flow pattern shows strong asymmetry and the ion stagnation point and the X line are not collocated. A surprise, however, is that the reconnection rate remains the same unaffected by the retreat motion.

• OSTI ID: 21179914
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 101, Issue 20; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.205004; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASYMMETRY
IONS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
SIMULATION
STAGNATION POINT