Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Sep 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011georl..3818106h&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 38, Issue 18, CiteID L18106
Physics
Plasma Physics
Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetotail, Space Plasma Physics: Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7526), Space Plasma Physics: Shock Waves (4455)
Scientific paper
Space plasma usually exhibits temperature or pressure anisotropy with two distinct components, p$\parallel$ and p$\perp$, denoting the pressure parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field, respectively. This paper presents the first result of two-dimensional (∂/∂y = 0) magnetic reconnection with single X-line in anisotropic plasma based on gyrotropic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The field-line reconnection is initiated by imposing a localized resistivity on the Harris-type current sheet with a guide magnetic field By. It is shown that the observational feature of a slow shock (SS) followed by a contact discontinuity (CD) near the central sheet, across which the magnetic field is decreased and the pressure anisotropy is changed from p$\parallel$ > p$\perp$ to p$\parallel$ ≈ p$\perp$, as identified by Hoshino et al. (2000) in the Geotail data, may be reproduced in our simulations. For the initial equilibrium with relatively large pressure anisotropy of p$\parallel$ $\gg$ p$\perp$, the steady reconnection layer may consist of SS followed by rotational discontinuity (RD) with both upstream and downstream states of SS being super-Alfvénic which is similar to the anomalous SS-RD compound structure found in the solar wind and magnetosphere. While for the cases of p$\perp$ > p$\parallel$, the reconnection layer may consist of RD followed by SS and the reconnection rate is larger as compared to the cases of p$\parallel$ ≥ p$\perp$.
Hau Lin-Ni
Hoshino Masahiro
Hung Chih-Chien
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