Magnetic Reconnection With a Fast Perpendicular Sheared Flow

Magnetic reconnection at the Earth\u27s low‐latitude magnetopause near the flank region is likely associated with a large sheared flow, being frequently quasi‐perpendicular to the antiparallel magnetic field components. The magnitude of a fast sheared flow can be super‐Alfvénic and even overcome the local fast mode speed. A scaling analysis implies a contradiction between the Walén relation and the balance of the total pressure for magnetic reconnection with a supercritical perpendicular sheared flow. This study uses one‐ and two‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to demonstrate that the traditional reconnection layer violates the Walén relation but still maintains the total pressure balance in such a configuration. The results show an expanded outflow region, consistent with the presence of divergent normal flow, and a significant decrease of the plasma density as well as the thermal pressure in the outflow region. In contrast, the magnitude of the magnetic field in the outflow region matches the value in the inflow region due to the total pressure balance, which is fundamentally different from the classical reconnection layer under sub‐Alfvénic perpendicular sheared flow conditions. In three‐dimensional geometry, the fast sheared flow without being stabilized by the magnetic field is expected to be Kelvin‐Helmholtz unstable. However, the three‐dimensional MHD simulation suggests that such structure can be KH stable. Although, the presence of surface waves modulates some two‐dimensional features, the major characteristics of the expanded outflow region are likely to be observed by in situ satellites

Achieving Fast Reconnection in Resistive MHD Models via Turbulent Means

Astrophysical fluids are generally turbulent and this preexisting turbulence must be taken into account for the models of magnetic reconnection which are attepmted to be applied to astrophysical, solar or heliospheric environments. In addition, reconnection itself induces turbulence which provides an important feedback on the reconnection process. In this paper we discuss both theoretical model and numerical evidence that magnetic reconnection gets fast in the approximation of resistive MHD. We consider the relation between the Lazarian & Vishniac turbulent reconnection theory and Lapenta's numerical experiments testifying of the spontaneous onset of turbulent reconnection in systems which are initially laminar.Comment: submitted to Nonlinear Processes in Geophysic

Scaling laws of resistive magnetohydrodynamic reconnection in the high-Lundquist-number, plasmoid-unstable regime

The Sweet-Parker layer in a system that exceeds a critical value of the Lundquist number ($S$) is unstable to the plasmoid instability. In this paper, a numerical scaling study has been done with an island coalescing system driven by a low level of random noise. In the early stage, a primary Sweet-Parker layer forms between the two coalescing islands. The primary Sweet-Parker layer breaks into multiple plasmoids and even thinner current sheets through multiple levels of cascading if the Lundquist number is greater than a critical value $S_{c}\simeq4\times10^{4}$. As a result of the plasmoid instability, the system realizes a fast nonlinear reconnection rate that is nearly independent of $S$, and is only weakly dependent on the level of noise. The number of plasmoids in the linear regime is found to scales as $S^{3/8}$, as predicted by an earlier asymptotic analysis (Loureiro \emph{et al.}, Phys. Plasmas \textbf{14}, 100703 (2007)). In the nonlinear regime, the number of plasmoids follows a steeper scaling, and is proportional to $S$. The thickness and length of current sheets are found to scale as $S^{-1}$, and the local current densities of current sheets scale as $S^{-1}$. Heuristic arguments are given in support of theses scaling relations.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Plasma

Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulent Mixing: From ISM to Clusters of Galaxies

Magnetic reconnection, or the ability of the magnetic field lines that are frozen in plasma to change their topology, is a fundamental problem of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). We briefly examine the problem starting with the well-known Sweet-Parker scheme, discuss effects of tearing modes, anomalous resistivity and the concept of hyperresistivity. We show that the field stochasticity by itself provides a way to enable fast reconnection even if, at the scale of individual turbulent wiggles, the reconnection happens at the slow Sweet-Parker rate. We show that fast reconnection allows efficient mixing of magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the local direction of magnetic field. While the idea of stochastic reconnection still requires numerical confirmation, our numerical simulations testify that mixing motions perpendicular to the local magnetic field are up to high degree hydrodynamical. This suggests that the turbulent heat transport should be similar to that in non-magnetized turbulent fluid, namely, should have a diffusion coefficient \sim LV_L, where V_L is the amplitude of the turbulent velocity and L is the scale of the turbulent motions. We present numerical simulations which support this conclusion. The application of this idea to thermal conductivity in clusters of galaxies shows that this mechanism may dominate the diffusion of heat and may be efficient enough to prevent cooling flow formation.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, invited talk at JENAM2002 - The Unsolved Universe:Challenges for the Future (v2: minor changes

Pulsed flows at the high-altitude cusp poleward boundary, and associated ionospheric convection and particle signatures, during a cluster - FAST - SuperDARN - sondrestrom conjunction under a southwest

Particle and magnetic field observations during a magnetic conjunction Cluster 1-FAST-Søndrestrøm within the field of view of SuperDARN radars on 21 January 2001 allow us to draw a detailed, comprehensive and self-consistent picture at three heights of signatures associated with transient reconnection under a steady south-westerly IMF (clock angle ≈130◦). Cluster 1 was outbound through the high altitude (∼12RE ) exterior northern cusp tailward of the bifurcation line (geomagnetic Bx>0) when a solar wind dynamic pressure release shifted the spacecraft into a boundary layer downstream of the cusp. The centerpiece of the investigation is a series of flow bursts observed there by the spacecraft, which were accompanied by strong field pertur- bations and tailward flow deflections. Analysis shows these to be Alfven waves. We interpret these flow events as being due to a sequence of reconnected flux tubes, with field-aligned currents in the associated Alfven waves carrying stresses to the underlying ionosphere, a view strengthened by the other observations. At the magnetic footprint of the region of Cluster flow bursts, FAST observed an ion energy- latitude disperison of the stepped cusp type, with individual cusp ion steps corresponding to individual flow bursts. Simultaneously, the SuperDARN Stokkseyri radar observed very strong poleward-moving radar auroral forms (PMRAFs) which were conjugate to the flow bursts at Cluster. FAST was traversing these PMRAFs when it observed the cusp ion steps. The Søndrestrøm radar observed pulsed ionospheric flows (PIFs) just poleward of the convection reversal boundary. As at Cluster, the flow was eastward (tailward), implying a coherent eastward (tailward) motion of the hypothesized open flux tubes. The joint Søndrestrøm and FAST observations indicate that the open/closed field line boundary was equatorward of the convection reversal boundary by ∼2 deg. The unprecedented accuracy of the conjunction argues strongly for the validity of the interpretation of the various signatures as resulting from transient reconnection. In particular, the cusp ion steps arise on this pass from this origin, in consonance with the original pulsating cusp model. The observations point to the need of extending current ideas on the response of the ionosphere to transient reconnection. Specifically, it argues in favor of re-establishing the high-latitude boundary layer downstream of the cusp as an active site of momentum transfer