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Self-Feeding Turbulent Magnetic Reconnection on Macroscopic Scales

Giovanni Lapenta
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 235001 – Published 9 June 2008
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Abstract

Within a MHD approach we find magnetic reconnection to progress in two entirely different ways. The first is well known: the laminar Sweet-Parker process. But a second, completely different and chaotic reconnection process is possible. This regime has properties of immediate practical relevance: (i) it is much faster, developing on scales of the order of the Alfvén time, and (ii) the areas of reconnection become distributed chaotically over a macroscopic region. The onset of the faster process is the formation of closed-circulation patterns where the jets going out of the reconnection regions turn around and force their way back in, carrying along copious amounts of magnetic flux.

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  • Received 11 January 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.235001

©2008 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Different routes for reconnection

Published 14 July 2008

Magnetic field lines in moving plasmas can break and reform, releasing large amounts of energy. Simulations suggest this happens in a two stage process—one slow and smooth, the other rapid and chaotic.

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Authors & Affiliations

Giovanni Lapenta

  • Centrum voor Plasma-Astrofysica, Departement Wiskunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium

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Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 23 — 13 June 2008

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