HR: 14:10h
AN: SH43A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Identification of a Two-scale Diffusion Layer during Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Plasma*
AU: * Yamada, M
EM: myamada@pppl.gov
AF: Center for Magnetic Self-organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States
AU: Ren, Y
EM: yren2@wisc.edu
AF: University of Wisconsin, 1150 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706, United States
AU: Ji, H
EM: hji@pppl.gov
AF: Center for Magnetic Self-organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States
AU: Gerhardt, S
EM: sgerhard@pppl.gov
AF: Center for Magnetic Self-organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States
AU: Dorfman, S
EM: sdorfman@pppl.gov
AF: Center for Magnetic Self-organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States
AU: McGeehan, B
EM: bmcgeeha@pppl.gov
AF: Center for Magnetic Self-organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, James Forrestal Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States
AB: The recent 2D numerical simulations for magnetic reconnection layer, predict a two-scale diffusion layer in which an electron diffusion layer of the width of the ion skin depth resides inside of the ion diffusion layer of the ion skin depth width. In the reconnecting current sheet [1] in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX), the electron diffusion region is verified and found that demagnetized electrons are accelerated in the outflow direction [2]. The measured width of the electron diffusion region scales with the electron skin depth (~8c/ωpe) and the electron outflow scales with the electron Alfv'en velocity (0.11VA). While the electron outflow seems to slow down by enhanced dissipation in the electron diffusion region, the total electron outflow flux remains independent of the width of the electron diffusion region. This result is in good agreement with the recent numerical simulation data. The ion outflow cannel is shown to be much broader than the electrons, which is also consistent with numerical simulations. The experimental results are compared with the recent 2-D numerical simulations [3] and magnetosphere data. *Research Supported by DoE, NSF and NASA. 1. M. Yamada, Y. Ren, H. Ji et al, Phys. Plasmas, v.13 052119 (2006) 2. Y. Ren et al, to be submitted for publication (2007) 3. S. Dorfman , W. Daughton et al, to be submitted (2007)
UR: http://mrx.pppl.gov/
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 4485 Self-organization
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7526)
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting