Turbulent reconnection allows fast magnetic reconnection of astrophysical
magnetic fields. This entails numerous astrophysical implications and opens new
ways to approach long standing problems. I briefly discuss a model of turbulent
reconnection within which the stochasticity of 3D magnetic field enables rapid
reconnection through both allowing multiple reconnection events to take place
simultaneously and by restricting the extension of current sheets. In fully
ionized gas the model in Lazarian and Vishniac 99 predicts reconnection rates
that depend only on the intensity of turbulence. In partially ionized gas a
modification of the original model in Lazarian, Vishniac and Cho 04 predicts
the reconnection rates that, apart from the turbulence intensity depend on the
degree of ionization. In both cases the reconnection may be slow and fast
depending on the level of turbulence in the system. As the result, the
reconnection gets bursty, which provides a possible explanation to Solar flares
and possibly to gamma ray busts. The implications of the turbulent reconnection
model have not been yet studied in sufficient detail. I discuss first order
Fermi acceleration of cosmic ray that takes place as the oppositely directed
magnetic fluxes move together. This acceleration would work in conjunction with
the second order Fermi acceleration that is caused by turbulence in the
reconnection region. In partially ionized gas the stochastic reconnection
enables fast removal of magnetic flux from star forming molecular clouds.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, invited review for "Magnetic Fields in the
Universe: from laboratory and stars to Primordial Structure
