Hybrid simulations of 2D asymmetric magnetic reconnection

Details Hybrid simulations of 2D asymmetric magnetic reconnection Hybrid simulations of 2D asymmetric magnetic reconnection

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsm31b1527a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SM31B-1527

Physics

[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2724] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetopause And Boundary Layers, [2753] Magnetospheric Physics / Numerical Modeling

Scientific paper

Magnetic reconnection is an important plasma phenomenon converting magnetic energy into heat and kinetic energy. It plays a key role in many astrophysical systems as well as laboratory plasma physics. In astrophysical systems, the main constraints concern the time scale on which the magnetic energy is released (the so-called reconnection rate) and on the collisionless nature of space plasmas. The Hall model gives some qualitative understanding of collisionless reconnection but has predominantly been studied in symmetric current sheets. However, asymmetric current sheets (i.e. sheets separating plasmas with different characteristics such as density, temperature, magnetic field) are often more realistic. How the well-known features of Hall reconnection are modified when asymmetries are involved ? We present a study where 2D Hybrid simulations have been used to probe the reconnection features in current sheets separating two plasmas of different densities and temperatures, the magnetic field being symmetric. The direct application of this study concerns the magnetopause reconnection. We show how the mixing of two plasmas of different densities is responsible for the modifications of some well-known symmetric features, such as the density depletion layers on the separatrices and the formation of an asymmetric outflow.

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