scholarly journals Theory of magnetic reconnection in solar and astrophysical plasmas

2012 ◽  
Vol 370 (1970) ◽  
pp. 3169-3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Pontin
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Astrophysical Plasmas ◽  
Current State ◽  
Fundamental Process ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Theoretical Results

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in a plasma that facilitates the release of energy stored in the magnetic field by permitting a change in the magnetic topology. In this paper, we present a review of the current state of understanding of magnetic reconnection. We discuss theoretical results regarding the formation of current sheets in complex three-dimensional magnetic fields and describe the fundamental differences between reconnection in two and three dimensions. We go on to outline recent developments in modelling of reconnection with kinetic theory, as well as in the magnetohydrodynamic framework where a number of new three-dimensional reconnection regimes have been identified. We discuss evidence from observations and simulations of Solar System plasmas that support this theory and summarize some prominent locations in which this new reconnection theory is relevant in astrophysical plasmas.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional magnetic reconnection in astrophysical plasmas

2021 ◽  
Vol 477 (2249) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Li ◽  
Eric Priest ◽  
Ruilong Guo
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Solar Flares ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Particle Energy ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Astrophysical Plasmas ◽  
Fundamental Process

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in laboratory, magnetospheric, solar and astrophysical plasmas, whereby magnetic energy is converted into heat, bulk kinetic energy and fast particle energy. Its nature in two dimensions is much better understood than that in three dimensions, where its character is completely different and has many diverse aspects that are currently being explored. Here, we focus on the magnetohydrodynamics of three-dimensional reconnection in the plasma environment of the Solar System, especially solar flares. The theory of reconnection at null points, separators and quasi-separators is described, together with accounts of numerical simulations and observations of these three types of reconnection. The distinction between separator and quasi-separator reconnection is a theoretical one that is unimportant for the observations of energy release. A new paradigm for solar flares, in which three-dimensional reconnection plays a central role, is proposed.

scholarly journals 2D and 3D turbulent magnetic reconnection

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
A. Lazarian ◽  
G. Kowal ◽  
E. Vishniac ◽  
K. Kulpa-Dubel ◽  
K. Otmianowska-Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Turbulent Fluid ◽  
Astrophysical Objects ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
The Magnetic Field

AbstractA magnetic field embedded in a perfectly conducting fluid preserves its topology for all times. Although ionized astrophysical objects, like stars and galactic disks, are almost perfectly conducting, they show indications of changes in topology, magnetic reconnection, on dynamical time scales. Reconnection can be observed directly in the solar corona, but can also be inferred from the existence of large scale dynamo activity inside stellar interiors. Solar flares and gamma ray busts are usually associated with magnetic reconnection. Previous work has concentrated on showing how reconnection can be rapid in plasmas with very small collision rates. Here we present numerical evidence, based on three dimensional simulations, that reconnection in a turbulent fluid occurs at a speed comparable to the rms velocity of the turbulence, regardless of the value of the resistivity. In particular, this is true for turbulent pressures much weaker than the magnetic field pressure so that the magnetic field lines are only slightly bent by the turbulence. These results are consistent with the proposal by Lazarian & Vishniac (1999) that reconnection is controlled by the stochastic diffusion of magnetic field lines, which produces a broad outflow of plasma from the reconnection zone. This work implies that reconnection in a turbulent fluid typically takes place in approximately a single eddy turnover time, with broad implications for dynamo activity and particle acceleration throughout the universe. In contrast, the reconnection in 2D configurations in the presence of turbulence depends on resistivity, i.e. is slow.

Compressible magnetoconvection in three dimensions: planforms and nonlinear behaviour

1995 ◽  
Vol 305 ◽  
pp. 281-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Matthews ◽  
M. R. E. Proctor ◽  
N. O. Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Shear Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Nonlinear Behaviour ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Horizontal Shear ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Convection in a compressible fiuid with an imposed vertical magnetic field is studied numerically in a three-dimensional Cartesian geometry with periodic lateral boundary conditions. Attention is restricted to the mildly nonlinear regime, with parameters chosen first so that convection at onset is steady, and then so that it is oscillatory.Steady convection occurs in the form of two-dimensional rolls when the magnetic field is weak. These rolls can become unstable to a mean horizontal shear flow, which in two dimensions leads to a pulsating wave in which the direction of the mean flow reverses. In three dimensions a new pattern is found in which the alignment of the rolls and the shear flow alternates.If the magnetic field is sufficiently strong, squares or hexagons are stable at the onset of convection. Both the squares and the hexagons have an asymmetrical topology, with upflow in plumes and downflow in sheets. For the squares this involves a resonance between rolls aligned with the box and rolls aligned digonally to the box. The preference for three-dimensional flow when the field is strong is a consequence of the compressibility of the layer- for Boussinesq magnetoconvection rolls are always preferred over squares at onset.In the regime where convection is oscillatory, the preferred planform for moderate fields is found to be alternating rolls - standing waves in both horizontal directions which are out of phase. For stronger fields, both alternating rolls and two-dimensional travelling rolls are stable. As the amplitude of convection is increased, either by dcereasing the magnetic field strength or by increasing the temperature contrast, the regular planform structure seen at onset is soon destroyed by secondary instabilities.

scholarly journals 3D Magnetic Reconnection

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S271) ◽  
pp. 227-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare E. Parnell ◽  
Rhona C. Maclean ◽  
Andrew L. Haynes ◽  
Klaus Galsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Energy State ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
Magnetohydrodynamic Models ◽  
The Magnetic Field

AbstractMagnetic reconnection is an important process that is prevalent in a wide range of astrophysical bodies. It is the mechanism that permits magnetic fields to relax to a lower energy state through the global restructuring of the magnetic field and is thus associated with a range of dynamic phenomena such as solar flares and CMEs. The characteristics of three-dimensional reconnection are reviewed revealing how much more diverse it is than reconnection in two dimensions. For instance, three-dimensional reconnection can occur both in the vicinity of null points, as well as in the absence of them. It occurs continuously and continually throughout a diffusion volume, as opposed to at a single point, as it does in two dimensions. This means that in three-dimensions field lines do not reconnect in pairs of lines making the visualisation and interpretation of three-dimensional reconnection difficult.By considering particular numerical 3D magnetohydrodynamic models of reconnection, we consider how magnetic reconnection can lead to complex magnetic topologies and current sheet formation. Indeed, it has been found that even simple interactions, such as the emergence of a flux tube, can naturally give rise to ‘turbulent-like’ reconnection regions.

Proton acceleration in three-dimensional non-null magnetic reconnection

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Akbari ◽  
M. Hosseinpour ◽  
M. A. Mohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Energy Distribution ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Null Point ◽  
Proton Acceleration ◽  
Electric And Magnetic Fields ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
The Magnetic Field

In a three-dimensional non-null magnetic reconnection, the process of magnetic reconnection takes place in the absence of a null point where the magnetic field vanishes. By randomly injecting a population of 10 000 protons, the trajectory and energy distribution of accelerated protons are investigated in the presence of magnetic and electric fields of a particular model of non-null magnetic reconnection with the typical parameters for the solar corona. The results show that protons are accelerated along the magnetic field lines away from the non-null point only at azimuthal angles where the magnitude of the electric field is strongest and therefore particles obtain kinetic energies of the order of thousands of MeV and even higher. Moreover, the energy distribution of the population depends strongly on the amplitude of the electric and magnetic fields. Comparison shows that a non-null magnetic reconnection is more efficient in accelerating protons to very high GeV energies than a null-point reconnection.

Test particle acceleration in resistive torsional fan magnetic reconnection using laboratory plasma parameters

2021 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.L. Chesny ◽  
N.B. Orange ◽  
K.W. Hatfield
Keyword(s):  
Particle Acceleration ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Laboratory Plasma ◽  
Plasma Parameters ◽  
Astrophysical Plasmas ◽  
Magnetic Field Topology ◽  
Reconnection Region ◽  
Fundamental Process ◽  
Technology Applications

Particle acceleration via magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in astrophysical plasmas. Experimental architectures are able to confirm a wide variety of particle dynamics following the two-dimensional Sweet–Parker model, but are limited in their reproduction of the fan-spine magnetic field topology about three-dimensional (3-D) null points. Specifically, there is not yet an experiment featuring driven 3-D torsional magnetic reconnection. To move in this direction, this paper expands on recent work toward the design of an experimental infrastructure for inducing 3-D torsional fan reconnection by predicting feasible particle acceleration profiles. Solutions to the steady-state, kinematic, resistive magnetohydrodynamic equations are used to numerically calculate particle trajectories from a localized resistivity profile using well-understood laboratory plasma parameters. We confine a thin, 10 eV helium sheath following the snowplough model into the region of this localized resistivity and find that it is accelerated to energies of ${\approx }2$ keV. This sheath is rapidly accelerated and focused along the spine axis propagating a few centimetres from the reconnection region. These dynamics suggest a novel architecture that may hold promise for future experiments studying solar coronal particle acceleration and for technology applications such as spacecraft propulsion.

scholarly journals Determining whether the squashing factor, Q, would be a good indicator of reconnection in a resistive MHD experiment devoid of null points

2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A92
Author(s):  
J. Reid ◽  
C. E. Parnell ◽  
A. W. Hood ◽  
P. K. Browning
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Coronal Loop ◽  
Ohmic Heating ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient Condition ◽  
Geometric Measure ◽  
Self Consistent ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The squashing factor of a magnetic field, Q, is commonly used as an indicator of magnetic reconnection, but few studies seek to evaluate how reliable it is in comparison with other possible reconnection indicators. By using a full, self-consistent, three-dimensional, resistive magnetohydrodynamic experiment of interacting magnetic strands constituting a coronal loop, Q and several different quantities are determined. Each is then compared with the necessary and sufficient condition for reconnection, namely the integral along a field line of the component of the electric field parallel to the magnetic field. Among the reconnection indicators explored, we find the squashing factor less successful when compared with alternatives, such as Ohmic heating. In a reconnecting magnetic field devoid of null points, our work suggests that Q, being a geometric measure of the magnetic field, is not a reliable indicator of the onset or a diagnostic of the location of magnetic reconnection in some configurations.

scholarly journals Inverse energy transfer in decaying, three dimensional, nonhelical magnetic turbulence due to magnetic reconnection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallavi Bhat ◽  
Muni Zhou ◽  
Nuno F Loureiro
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Conserved Quantities ◽  
Magnetic Islands ◽  
Magnetic Turbulence ◽  
Dynamo Effect ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract It has been recently shown numerically that there exists an inverse transfer of magnetic energy in decaying, nonhelical, magnetically dominated, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in 3-dimensions (3D). We suggest that magnetic reconnection is the underlying physical mechanism responsible for this inverse transfer. In the two-dimensional (2D) case, the inverse transfer is easily inferred to be due to smaller magnetic islands merging to form larger ones via reconnection. We find that the scaling behaviour is similar between the 2D and the 3D cases, i.e., the magnetic energy evolves as t−1, and the magnetic power spectrum follows a slope of k−2. We show that on normalizing time by the magnetic reconnection timescale, the evolution curves of the magnetic field in systems with different Lundquist numbers collapse onto one another. Furthermore, transfer function plots show signatures of magnetic reconnection driving the inverse transfer. We also discuss the conserved quantities in the system and show that the behaviour of these quantities is similar between the 2D and 3D simulations, thus making the case that the dynamics in 3D could be approximately explained by what we understand in 2D. Lastly, we also conduct simulations where the magnetic field is subdominant to the flow. Here, too, we find an inverse transfer of magnetic energy in 3D. In these simulations, the magnetic energy evolves as t−1.4 and, interestingly, a dynamo effect is observed.

scholarly journals The development of magnetic field line wander by plasma turbulence

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Howes ◽  
Sofiane Bourouaine
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Field Line ◽  
Magnetic Field Line ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Plasma Turbulence ◽  
Alfven Wave ◽  
Astrophysical Plasmas ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Plasma turbulence occurs ubiquitously in space and astrophysical plasmas, mediating the nonlinear transfer of energy from large-scale electromagnetic fields and plasma flows to small scales at which the energy may be ultimately converted to plasma heat. But plasma turbulence also generically leads to a tangling of the magnetic field that threads through the plasma. The resulting wander of the magnetic field lines may significantly impact a number of important physical processes, including the propagation of cosmic rays and energetic particles, confinement in magnetic fusion devices and the fundamental processes of turbulence, magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration. The various potential impacts of magnetic field line wander are reviewed in detail, and a number of important theoretical considerations are identified that may influence the development and saturation of magnetic field line wander in astrophysical plasma turbulence. The results of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence of sub-ion length scales are evaluated to understand the development and saturation of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum and of the magnetic field line wander. It is found that turbulent space and astrophysical plasmas are generally expected to contain a stochastic magnetic field due to the tangling of the field by strong plasma turbulence. Future work will explore how the saturated magnetic field line wander varies as a function of the amplitude of the plasma turbulence and the ratio of the thermal to magnetic pressure, known as the plasma beta.

scholarly journals Magnetic Field Structure of Star Forming Regions: VLBI Spectral Line Results

1984 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 333-334
Author(s):  
J.A. Garcia-Barreto ◽  
B. F. Burke ◽  
M. J. Reid ◽  
J. M. Moran ◽  
A. D. Haschick
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Aperture Synthesis ◽  
Stokes Parameters ◽  
Hii Region ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Vlbi Observations ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Synthesis Experiment

Magnetic fields play a major role in the general dynamics of astronomical phenomena and particularly in the process of star formation. The magnetic field strength in galactic molecular clouds is of the order of few tens of μG. On a smaller scale, OH masers exhibit fields of the order of mG and these can probably be taken as representative of the magnetic field in the dense regions surrounding protostars. The OH molecule has been shown to emit highly circular and linearly polarized radiation. That it was indeed the action of the magnetic field that would give rise to the highly polarized spectrum of OH has been shown by the VLBI observations of Zeeman pairs of the 1720 and 6035 MHz by Lo et. al. and Moran et. al. VLBI observations of W3 (OH) revealed that the OH emission was coming from numerous discrete locations and that all spots fell within the continuum contours of the compact HII region. The most detailed VLBI aperture synthesis experiment of the 1665 MHz emission from W3 (OH) was carried out by Reid et. al. who found several Zeeman pairs and a characteristic maser clump size of 30 mas. In this work, we report the results of a 5 station VLBI aperture synthesis experiment of the 1665 MHz OH emission from W3 (OH) with full polarization information. We produced VLBI synthesis maps of all Stokes parameters of 16 spectral features that showed elliptical polarization. The magnitude and direction of the magnetic field have been obtained by the detection of 7 Zeeman pairs. The three dimensional orientation of the magnetic field can be obtained, following the theoretical arguments of Goldreich et. al., from the observation of π and σ components.

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