Physics
Scientific paper
Jan 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994jgr....99...35c&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 99, no. A1, p. 35-42
Physics
33
Collisionless Plasmas, Magnetic Field Reconnection, Momentum Transfer, Plasma Dynamics, Plasma Pressure, Computerized Simulation, Kinetic Energy, Time Dependence, Two Dimensional Models
Scientific paper
Plasma dynamics and momentum transport near an X line during time-dependent magnetic reconnection in a collisionless plasma are investigated based on two-dimensional particle simulations. We find that a weakly skewed velocity distribution is formed near the magnetic X line, leading to the presence of off-diagonal elements of the plasma pressure tensor. Let the reconnection electric field be in the y direction. The gradients of the off-diagonal elements of the pressure tensor can provide a transport of the y momentum. During the normal magnetic reconnection, the momentum transport associated with the off-diagonal terms of the pressure tensor mediates a transfer of the y momentum from the region near the X line to regions outside the X line. A period of 'reverse magnetic reconnection,' during which the plasma kinetic energy is converted into magnetic energy, is also observed in the simulation. When reverse reconnection occurs, the gradients of the off-diagonal pressure tensor elements can mediate a transfer of y momentum into the X line. It is found that the inertial term also plays a significant role in the force balance near the magnetic X line. An explanation for the origin of the off-diagonal pressure terms is also given in this paper.
Cai H. J.
Ding Da-Qing
Lee Clarence L.
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