Role of Z-pinches in magnetic reconnection in space plasmas

A widely accepted scenario of magnetic reconnection in collisionless space plasmas is the breakage of magnetic field lines in X-points. In laboratory, reconnection is commonly studied in pinches, current channels embedded into twisted magnetic fields. No model of magnetic reconnection in space plasmas considers both null-points and pinches as peers. We have performed a particle-in-cell simulation of magnetic reconnection in a three-dimensional configuration where null-points are present initially, and Z-pinches are formed during the simulation along the lines of spiral null-points. The non-spiral null-points are more stable than spiral ones, and no substantial energy dissipation is associated with them. On the contrary, turbulent magnetic reconnection in the pinches causes the magnetic energy to decay at a rate of ~1.5% per ion gyro period. Dissipation in similar structures is a likely scenario in space plasmas with large fraction of spiral null-points.

[1]  P. M. Morse,et al.  Electromagnetic Phenomena in Cosmical Physics , 2016 .

[2]  W. Matthaeus,et al.  Magnetic Reconnection and Intermittent Turbulence in the Solar Wind , 2014, 1403.4590.

[3]  S. Markidis,et al.  Electromagnetic energy conversion in downstream fronts from three dimensional kinetic reconnection , 2014, 1402.0082.

[4]  H. Karimabadi,et al.  Recent Evolution in the Theory of Magnetic Reconnection and Its Connection with Turbulence , 2013 .

[5]  S. Markidis,et al.  Energetics of kinetic reconnection in a three-dimensional null-point cluster. , 2013, Physical review letters.

[6]  A. Lazarian,et al.  Astrophysical Hydromagnetic Turbulence , 2013, 1307.5496.

[7]  M. Goldstein,et al.  SCALING OF THE ELECTRON DISSIPATION RANGE OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE , 2013, 1303.7394.

[8]  H. Karimabadi,et al.  Coherent structures, intermittent turbulence, and dissipation in high-temperature plasmas , 2013 .

[9]  AA. Nordlund,et al.  PARTICLE-IN-CELL SIMULATION OF ELECTRON ACCELERATION IN SOLAR CORONAL JETS , 2012, 1205.3486.

[10]  P. Browning,et al.  Solar particle acceleration at reconnecting 3D null points , 2012, 1201.4846.

[11]  D. Pontin,et al.  Current accumulation at an asymmetric 3D null point caused by generic shearing motions , 2011, 1108.3304.

[12]  William Daughton,et al.  Role of electron physics in the development of turbulent magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas , 2011 .

[13]  J. Drake,et al.  A current filamentation mechanism for breaking magnetic field lines during reconnection , 2011, Nature.

[14]  A. Klimas,et al.  New measure of the dissipation region in collisionless magnetic reconnection. , 2011, Physical review letters.

[15]  W. Matthaeus,et al.  EVIDENCE FOR INHOMOGENEOUS HEATING IN THE SOLAR WIND , 2010 .

[16]  P. Dmitruk,et al.  Statistics of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence , 2010 .

[17]  Stefano Markidis,et al.  Multi-scale simulations of plasma with iPIC3D , 2010, Math. Comput. Simul..

[18]  E. Priest,et al.  Three-dimensional null point reconnection regimes , 2009 .

[19]  E. Priest,et al.  3D Null Point Reconnection Regimes , 2009, 0910.3043.

[20]  T. Intrator,et al.  Experimental onset threshold and magnetic pressure pile-up for 3D reconnection , 2009 .

[21]  Thomas J. Dolan,et al.  Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy , 2008 .

[22]  C. Owen,et al.  In situ evidence of magnetic reconnection in turbulent plasma , 2007 .

[23]  T. Intrator,et al.  Effects of boundary conditions and flow on the kink instability in a cylindrical plasma column , 2007 .

[24]  M. Kivelson,et al.  In situ evidence for the structure of the magnetic null in a 3D reconnection event in the Earth's magnetotail , 2006, physics/0606014.

[25]  S. Gerhardt,et al.  Experimental study of two-fluid effects on magnetic reconnection in a laboratory plasma with variable collisionality , 2006 .

[26]  P. Browning,et al.  Particle acceleration at a three-dimensional reconnection site in the solar corona , 2005 .

[27]  G. Gloeckler.  Ubiquitous Suprathermal Tails on the Solar Wind and Pickup Ion Distributions , 2003 .

[28]  Joachim Birn,et al.  Magnetic Reconnection in Plasmas , 2002 .

[29]  M. Porkolab,et al.  Plasma generation and confinement in a toroidal magnetic cusp , 2000 .

[30]  Å. Nordlund,et al.  Heating and activity of the solar corona: 3. Dynamics of a low beta plasma with three‐dimensional null points , 1997 .

[31]  G. Gloeckler,et al.  Neon-20, oxygen-16, and helium-4 densities, temperatures, and suprathermal tails in the solar wind determined with WIND/MASS , 1996 .

[32]  J. Finn,et al.  Three-dimensional kinematic reconnection in the presence of field nulls and closed field lines , 1990 .

[33]  J. M. Greene.  Geometrical properties of three‐dimensional reconnecting magnetic fields with nulls , 1988 .

[34]  M. Hesse,et al.  A theoretical foundation of general magnetic reconnection , 1988 .

[35]  A. Hundhausen,et al.  SOLAR WIND ELECTRONS: VELA 4 MEASUREMENTS. , 1968 .

[36]  B. Kadomtsev.  Hydromagnetic Stability of a Plasma , 1966 .

[37]  Harry E. Petschek,et al.  Magnetic Field Annihilation , 1963 .

[38]  P. Sweet.  The Neutral Point Theory of Solar Flares , 1958 .

[39]  Eugene N. Parker,et al.  Sweet's mechanism for merging magnetic fields in conducting fluids , 1957 .