[Table of Contents]

Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 8, 2401112 (2013)

Regular Articles

Initiation of Impulsively Fast Magnetic Reconnection Induced by Current Sheet Ejection
Michiaki INOMOTO, Shuji KAMIO, Akihiro KUWAHATA1), Takenori G. WATANABE, Kotaro YAMASAKI, Kazutake KADOWAKI, Taichi ITO1), Yasuhiro KAMINOU, Takuma YAMADA and Yasushi ONO
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
1)
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
(Received 26 November 2012 / Accepted 14 June 2013 / Published 26 September 2013)

Abstract

Fast magnetic reconnection mechanism triggered by current sheet ejection is studied in plasma merging laboratory experiment with a strong guide field. The current sheet is hardly compressed in the presence of the guide field and slow steady reconnection evolves in the early phase. It then transits to impulsively fast magnetic reconnection when the current sheet is ejected from the X point region. Behavior of the current sheet is investigated in detail by comparison with the fast reconnection case provided by anomalous resistivity.

Keywords

magnetic reconnection, current sheet, plasma merging, laboratory experiment

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.8.2401112

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This paper may be cited as follows:

Michiaki INOMOTO, Shuji KAMIO, Akihiro KUWAHATA, Takenori G. WATANABE, Kotaro YAMASAKI, Kazutake KADOWAKI, Taichi ITO, Yasuhiro KAMINOU, Takuma YAMADA and Yasushi ONO, Plasma Fusion Res. 8, 2401112 (2013).