Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: In this letter, it is demonstrated using two-fluid simulations that low-β magnetic reconnection remains fast, regardless of the presence of fast dispersive waves, which have been previously suggested to play a critical role. To understand these results, a discrete model is constructed that offers scaling relationships for the reconnection rate and dissipation region (DR) thickness in terms of the upstream magnetic field and DR length. We verify these scalings numerically and show how the DR self-adjusts to process magnetic flux at the same rate that it is supplied to a larger region where two-fluid effects become important. The rate is therefore independent of the DR physics and is in good agreement with kinetic results.
Source: Physics of Plasmas
DOI: 10.1063/1.4905629
Institution: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2741713300