HR: 1340h
AN: SM53B-0407    [Abstracts]
TI: Hall Magnetic Reconnection: Guide Field Dependence
AU: Rudakov, L
EM: rudakovl@wam.umd.edu
AF: Berkely Scholars, Inc., 1102 Edmonston Road, Beltsville, MD 20733 United States
AU: * Huba, J
EM: huba@ppd.nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Plasma Physics Division, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AB: Two (2D) and three (3D) dimensional Hall magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are used to study the dependence of a guide field on magnetic reconnection. The 2D simulations are run until a steady state is achieved for $B_{\rm gf}/B_0$ = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 where $B_{\rm gf}$ is the guide field and $B_0$ is the reversed field. It is found that the reconnection rate and plasma energization are reduced for increasing guide field strength. This is caused by a ${\bf J} \times {\bf B}$ force associated with Hall currents and the guide field that reduce the inflow and outflow velocities. However, the reconnection rate and plasma energization are only reduced by a factor of 2 for $B_{\rm gf} = 5\,B_0$. Additionally, the quadrupole field associated with Hall reconnection is eliminated for $B_{\rm gf} \simeq B_0/3$. The 3D simulations demonstrate asymmetric development of a reconnection line [similar to the no guide field case reported by Huba and Rudakov (2002)], as well as the development of a (braided) magnetic flux tube. Applications to magnetospheric plasmas are discussed. \medskip \noindent Huba, J.D. and L.I. Rudakov, Phys. Plasmas {\bf 9}, 4435 (2002). \medskip \noindent Research supported by NASA and ONR.
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection
DE: 7843 Numerical simulation studies
DE: 2700 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting