HR: 08:38h
AN: SM21C-03    [Abstracts]
TI: The Kelvin-Helmhotz instability and thin current sheets in the MHD and Hall MHD formalisms
AU: * Chacon, L
EM: chacon@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, M.S. K717, Los Aalmos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Knoll, D
EM: nol@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, M.S. K717, Los Aalmos, NM 87545 United States
AB: Sheared magnetic fields and sheared flows co-exist in many space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas. In such situations the evolution of the Kelvin-Helmhotz instability (KHI) can have a significant impact on the topology of the magnetic field. In particular, it can result in current sheet thinning [2,3], which may allow Hall scales to become relevant and result in fast reconnection rates [1]. There are a number of interesting applications of this phenomena in the magnetosphere. We will discuss some of our recent work in this area [1,2,3] with special focus on Hall MHD effects on the KHI [1]. As an example, we will discuss the parameter regime in which the 2-D parallel KHI can evolve for sub-Alfvenic flows [1]. This may have important implication for dayside reconnection in the magnetopause. [1] Chacon, Knoll, and Finn, Phys. Lett. A, vol. 308, 2003 [2] Knoll and Chacon, PRL, vol. 88, 2002 [3] Brackbill and Knoll, PRL, vol. 86, 2001
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 7526 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7835)
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7526)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005