HR: 08:25h
AN: SM11B-02 INVITED [Abstracts]
TI: Laboratory Studies of Magnetic Reconnection and the Physics of Two-Fluids MHD
AU: * Yamada, M
EM: myamada@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Ji, H
EM: hji@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Gerhard, S
EM: sgerhard@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Kulsrud, R
EM: rmk@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Inomoto, M
EM: minomoto@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Kuritsyn, A
EM: akuritsyn@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AU: Ren, Y
EM: yren@pppl.gov
AF: PPPL, Princeton U, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
United States
AB:
The recent advances in laboratory reconnection physics, along with the surge of space physics data from satellites, have made
cross-discipline research very useful for obtaining new physics insights of its key processes [1]. The recent rapid advance
of numerical simulation has also played an important role in bridging between laboratory data and space-astrophysical
observations [2]. In laboratory experiments, plasma parameters can be measured in multiple (can be more than 100) locations
to investigate both local and global reconnection phenomena simultaneously. MRX (Magnetic Reconnection Experiment), together
with other laboratory experiments, is dedicated to the study of reconnection physics in a controlled manner [1,3]. Many
import findings to date include 1) the measured reconnection rate decreases notably with presence of guide field, 2)
resistivity is classical in the collisional regime but is strongly enhanced at low collisionality, 3) the presence of
electromagnetic turbulence in the lower-hybrid frequency range during fast reconnection, and 4) first clear measurements of
the predicted quadrupole out-of-plane magnetic field. Recently the two-fluids MHD physics issues for reconnection dynamics
have been intensively investigated in both 2-D and 3-D geometries in laboratory plasmas. The results from dedicated
laboratory experiments depict many striking commonalities with observations in the magnetosphere sheath [3,4]. The recent
experimental verification of Hall MHD effects in a neutral sheath of the width of the ion skin depth depicts a great example
[5]. This paper provides a brief review of primary results from laboratory experiments which address two-fluid physics issues
for magnetic reconnection together with comparison of the laboratory data with recent space observations.
Refs:
1. M. Yamada, Earth Planets Space v.53, 539 (2001) and reference there in,
2. M.A. Shay and J.F. Drake, Geophys. Res. Lett. 25, 3759 (1998)
3. M. Yamada et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 1781 (2000)
4. F. Mozer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 89, 15002-1 (2002)
5. Y. Ren et al., Phys. Rev. Letts. V.95 05503 (2005): Work supported by DOE, NASA, and NSF
UR: http://mrx.pppl.gov/
DE: 7500 SOLAR PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTRONOMY
DE: 7526 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7835)
DE: 7836 MHD waves and instabilities (2149, 2752, 6050)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005