Numerical comparison between a gyrofluid and gyrokinetic model investigating collisionless magnetic reconnection
- IPP-Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstr. 1, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany)
- Dipartimento Energia, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)
- Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)
The first detailed comparison between gyrokinetic and gyrofluid simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection has been carried out. Both the linear and nonlinear evolution of the collisionless tearing mode have been analyzed. In the linear regime, we have found a good agreement between the two approaches over the whole spectrum of linearly unstable wave numbers, both in the drift kinetic limit and for finite ion temperature. Nonlinearly, focusing on the small-Δ′ regime, with Δ′ indicating the standard tearing stability parameter, we have compared relevant observables such as the evolution and saturation of the island width, as well as the island oscillation frequency in the saturated phase. The results are basically the same, with small discrepancies only in the value of the saturated island width for moderately high values of Δ′. Therefore, in the regimes investigated here, the gyrofluid approach can describe the collisionless reconnection process as well as the more complete gyrokinetic model.
- OSTI ID:
- 22304142
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2014 EURATOM; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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