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A laboratory study of asymmetric magnetic reconnection in strongly driven plasmas

Author

Listed:
  • M.J. Rosenberg

    (Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • C.K. Li

    (Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • W. Fox

    (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)

  • I. Igumenshchev

    (Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester)

  • F.H. Séguin

    (Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • R.P.J. Town

    (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

  • J.A. Frenje

    (Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • C. Stoeckl

    (Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester)

  • V. Glebov

    (Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester)

  • R.D. Petrasso

    (Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection, the annihilation and rearrangement of magnetic fields in a plasma, is a universal phenomenon that frequently occurs when plasmas carrying oppositely directed field lines collide. In most natural circumstances, the collision is asymmetric (the two plasmas having different properties), but laboratory research to date has been limited to symmetric configurations. In addition, the regime of strongly driven magnetic reconnection, where the ram pressure of the plasma dominates the magnetic pressure, as in several astrophysical environments, has also received little experimental attention. Thus, we have designed the experiments to probe reconnection in asymmetric, strongly driven, laser-generated plasmas. Here we show that, in this strongly driven system, the rate of magnetic flux annihilation is dictated by the relative flow velocities of the opposing plasmas and is insensitive to initial asymmetries. In addition, out-of-plane magnetic fields that arise from asymmetries in the three-dimensional plasma geometry have minimal impact on the reconnection rate, due to the strong flows.

Suggested Citation

  • M.J. Rosenberg & C.K. Li & W. Fox & I. Igumenshchev & F.H. Séguin & R.P.J. Town & J.A. Frenje & C. Stoeckl & V. Glebov & R.D. Petrasso, 2015. "A laboratory study of asymmetric magnetic reconnection in strongly driven plasmas," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-9, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms7190
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7190
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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Bolaños & Andrey Sladkov & Roch Smets & Sophia N. Chen & Alain Grisollet & Evgeny Filippov & Jose-Luis Henares & Viorel Nastasa & Sergey Pikuz & Raphël Riquier & Maria Safronova & Alexandre Seve, 2022. "Laboratory evidence of magnetic reconnection hampered in obliquely interacting flux tubes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.

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