The Multiscale Physics of Magnetic Reconnection

Physics

Scientific paper

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7514 Energetic Particles (2114), 7519 Flares, 7526 Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7835), 7845 Particle Acceleration

Scientific paper

The release of magnetic energy in a large-scale system requires the formation of narrow boundary layers where the frozen-in condition is violated and the magnetic field reconnects. The structure of these boundary layers has been explored with in situ satellite observations in the Earth's magnetosphere, laboratory experiments and computer simulations. In the collisionless environment of the Earth's magnetosphere there is now substantial evidence for the distinct electron and ion inertial scale structure of the dissipation region that has been predicted by theory. In the case of the solar corona it has been proposed that the onset of fast reconnection occurs as the width of Sweet-Parker current layer falls below the ion inertial scale and there is some indirect observational support for this hypothesis. A critical question is whether the release of energy in flares occurs at a single, large-scale x-line or in a turbulent environment with many interacting islands. The efficient production of energetic electrons and ions in impulsive flares seems to favor the turbulent model as do some observations of structure formation during flare energy release. Understanding the mechanisms for island formation and the ultimate size spectrum of magnetic islands in a turbulent reconnection model remain key issues.

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