scholarly journals 2D and 3D turbulent magnetic reconnection

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
A. Lazarian ◽  
G. Kowal ◽  
E. Vishniac ◽  
K. Kulpa-Dubel ◽  
K. Otmianowska-Mazur

AbstractA magnetic field embedded in a perfectly conducting fluid preserves its topology for all times. Although ionized astrophysical objects, like stars and galactic disks, are almost perfectly conducting, they show indications of changes in topology, magnetic reconnection, on dynamical time scales. Reconnection can be observed directly in the solar corona, but can also be inferred from the existence of large scale dynamo activity inside stellar interiors. Solar flares and gamma ray busts are usually associated with magnetic reconnection. Previous work has concentrated on showing how reconnection can be rapid in plasmas with very small collision rates. Here we present numerical evidence, based on three dimensional simulations, that reconnection in a turbulent fluid occurs at a speed comparable to the rms velocity of the turbulence, regardless of the value of the resistivity. In particular, this is true for turbulent pressures much weaker than the magnetic field pressure so that the magnetic field lines are only slightly bent by the turbulence. These results are consistent with the proposal by Lazarian & Vishniac (1999) that reconnection is controlled by the stochastic diffusion of magnetic field lines, which produces a broad outflow of plasma from the reconnection zone. This work implies that reconnection in a turbulent fluid typically takes place in approximately a single eddy turnover time, with broad implications for dynamo activity and particle acceleration throughout the universe. In contrast, the reconnection in 2D configurations in the presence of turbulence depends on resistivity, i.e. is slow.

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Akbari ◽  
M. Hosseinpour ◽  
M. A. Mohammadi

In a three-dimensional non-null magnetic reconnection, the process of magnetic reconnection takes place in the absence of a null point where the magnetic field vanishes. By randomly injecting a population of 10 000 protons, the trajectory and energy distribution of accelerated protons are investigated in the presence of magnetic and electric fields of a particular model of non-null magnetic reconnection with the typical parameters for the solar corona. The results show that protons are accelerated along the magnetic field lines away from the non-null point only at azimuthal angles where the magnitude of the electric field is strongest and therefore particles obtain kinetic energies of the order of thousands of MeV and even higher. Moreover, the energy distribution of the population depends strongly on the amplitude of the electric and magnetic fields. Comparison shows that a non-null magnetic reconnection is more efficient in accelerating protons to very high GeV energies than a null-point reconnection.


2014 ◽  
Vol 757 ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Oleg Zikanov

AbstractMixed convection in a horizontal duct with imposed transverse horizontal magnetic field is studied using direct numerical simulations (DNS) and linear stability analysis. The duct’s walls are electrically insulated and thermally insulated with the exception of the bottom wall, at which constant-rate heating is applied. The focus of the study is on flows at high Hartmann ($\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\mathit{Ha}\le 800$) and Grashof ($\mathit{Gr}\le 10^9$) numbers. It is found that, while conventional turbulence is fully suppressed, the natural convection mechanism leads to the development of large-scale coherent structures. Two types of flows are found. One is the ‘low-$\mathit{Gr}$’ regime, in which the structures are rolls aligned with the magnetic field and velocity and temperature fields are nearly uniform along the magnetic field lines outside of the boundary layers. Another is the ‘high-$\mathit{Gr}$’ regime, in which the convection appears as a combination of similar rolls oriented along the magnetic field lines and streamwise-oriented rolls. In this case, velocity and temperature distributions are anisotropic, but three-dimensional.


Data ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Evgeny Mikhailov ◽  
Daniela Boneva ◽  
Maria Pashentseva

A wide range of astrophysical objects, such as the Sun, galaxies, stars, planets, accretion discs etc., have large-scale magnetic fields. Their generation is often based on the dynamo mechanism, which is connected with joint action of the alpha-effect and differential rotation. They compete with the turbulent diffusion. If the dynamo is intensive enough, the magnetic field grows, else it decays. The magnetic field evolution is described by Steenbeck—Krause—Raedler equations, which are quite difficult to be solved. So, for different objects, specific two-dimensional models are used. As for thin discs (this shape corresponds to galaxies and accretion discs), usually, no-z approximation is used. Some of the partial derivatives are changed by the algebraic expressions, and the solenoidality condition is taken into account as well. The field generation is restricted by the equipartition value and saturates if the field becomes comparable with it. From the point of view of mathematical physics, they can be characterized as stable points of the equations. The field can come to these values monotonously or have oscillations. It depends on the type of the stability of these points, whether it is a node or focus. Here, we study the stability of such points and give examples for astrophysical applications.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Howes ◽  
Sofiane Bourouaine

Plasma turbulence occurs ubiquitously in space and astrophysical plasmas, mediating the nonlinear transfer of energy from large-scale electromagnetic fields and plasma flows to small scales at which the energy may be ultimately converted to plasma heat. But plasma turbulence also generically leads to a tangling of the magnetic field that threads through the plasma. The resulting wander of the magnetic field lines may significantly impact a number of important physical processes, including the propagation of cosmic rays and energetic particles, confinement in magnetic fusion devices and the fundamental processes of turbulence, magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration. The various potential impacts of magnetic field line wander are reviewed in detail, and a number of important theoretical considerations are identified that may influence the development and saturation of magnetic field line wander in astrophysical plasma turbulence. The results of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence of sub-ion length scales are evaluated to understand the development and saturation of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum and of the magnetic field line wander. It is found that turbulent space and astrophysical plasmas are generally expected to contain a stochastic magnetic field due to the tangling of the field by strong plasma turbulence. Future work will explore how the saturated magnetic field line wander varies as a function of the amplitude of the plasma turbulence and the ratio of the thermal to magnetic pressure, known as the plasma beta.


1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 227-238
Author(s):  
Carl Heiles

AbstractThere are almost no direct observational indicators of the magnetic field inside the local bubble. Just outside the bubble, the best tracers are stellar polarization and HI Zeeman splitting. These show that the local field does not follow the large-scale Galactic field. Here we discuss whether the deformation of the large-scale field by the local HI shells is consistent with the observations. We concentrate on the Loop 1 region, and find that the field lines are well-explained by this idea; in addition, the bright radio filaments of Radio Loop 1 delineate particular field lines that are “lit up” by an excess of relativistic electrons.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S259) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Kothes ◽  
Jo-Anne Brown

AbstractAs Supernova remnants expand, their shock waves are freezing in and compressing the magnetic field lines they encounter; consequently we can use Supernova remnants as magnifying glasses for their ambient magnetic fields. We will describe a simple model to determine emission, polarization, and rotation measure characteristics of adiabatically expanding Supernova remnants and how we can exploit this model to gain information about the large scale magnetic field in our Galaxy. We will give two examples: The SNR DA530, which is located high above the Galactic plane, reveals information about the magnetic field in the halo of our Galaxy. The SNR G182.4+4.3 is located close to the anti-centre of our Galaxy and reveals the most probable direction where the large-scale magnetic field is perpendicular to the line of sight. This may help to decide on the large-scale magnetic field configuration of our Galaxy. But more observations of SNRs are needed.


1981 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 373-391
Author(s):  
Gerhard Haerendel

Two processes are discussed which violate the frozen-in condition in a highly conducting plasma, reconnection and the auroral acceleration process. The first applies to situations in which . It plays an important role in the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field and controls energy input into as well as energetic particle release from the magnetosphere. Detailed in situ studies of the process on the dayside magnetopause reveal its transient and small-scale nature. The auroral acceleration process occurs in the low magnetosphere (β « 1) and accompanies sudden releases of magnetic shear stresses which exist in large-scale magnetospheric-ionospheric current circuits. The process is interpreted as a kind of breaking. The movements of the magnetospheric plasma which lead to a relief of the magnetic tensions occur in thin sheets and are decoupled along the magnetic field lines by parallel electric potential drops. It is this voltage that accelerates the primary auroral particles. The visible arcs are then traces of the magnetic breaking process at several 1000 km altitude.


1990 ◽  
Vol 138 ◽  
pp. 391-394
Author(s):  
A.E. Dudorov ◽  
V.N. Krivodubskij ◽  
A.A. Ruzmaikin ◽  
T.V. Ruzmaikina

The behaviour of the magnetic field during the formation and evolution of the Sun is investigated. It is shown that an internal poloidal magnetic field of the order of 104 − 105 G near the core of the Sun may be compatible with differential rotation and with torsional waves, travelling along the magnetic field lines (Dudorov et al., 1989).


Author(s):  
Andrew L Haynes ◽  
Clare E Parnell ◽  
Klaus Galsgaard ◽  
Eric R Priest

The heating of the solar corona is probably due to reconnection of the highly complex magnetic field that threads throughout its volume. We have run a numerical experiment of an elementary interaction between the magnetic field of two photospheric sources in an overlying field that represents a fundamental building block of the coronal heating process. The key to explaining where, how and how much energy is released during such an interaction is to calculate the resulting evolution of the magnetic skeleton. A skeleton is essentially the web of magnetic flux surfaces (called separatrix surfaces) that separate the coronal volume into topologically distinct parts. For the first time, the skeleton of the magnetic field in a three-dimensional numerical magnetohydrodynamic experiment is calculated and carefully analysed, as are the ways in which it bifurcates into different topologies. A change in topology normally changes the number of magnetic reconnection sites. In our experiment, the magnetic field evolves through a total of six distinct topologies. Initially, no magnetic flux joins the two sources. Then, a new type of bifurcation, called a global double-separator bifurcation , takes place. This bifurcation is probably one of the main ways in which new separators are created in the corona (separators are field lines at which three-dimensional reconnection takes place). This is the first of five bifurcations in which the skeleton becomes progressively more complex before simplifying. Surprisingly, for such a simple initial state, at the peak of complexity there are five separators and eight flux domains present.


2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Wiegelmann ◽  
J. Büchner

Abstract. We investigate the evolution of magnetic helicity under kinetic magnetic reconnection in thin current sheets. We use Harris sheet equilibria and superimpose an external magnetic guide field. Consequently, the classical 2D magnetic neutral line becomes a field line here, causing a B ≠ 0 reconnection. While without a guide field, the Hall effect leads to a quadrupolar structure in the perpendicular magnetic field and the helicity density, this effect vanishes in the B ≠ 0 reconnection. The reason is that electrons are magnetized in the guide field and the Hall current does not occur. While a B = 0 reconnection leads just to a bending of the field lines in the reconnection area, thus conserving the helicity, the initial helicity is reduced for a B ≠ 0 reconnection. The helicity reduction is, however, slower than the magnetic field dissipation. The simulations have been carried out by the numerical integration of the Vlasov-equation.


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