[1] Recently, Cassak and Shay (2007) applied a generalized Sweet‐Parker analysis to derive scaling laws for gross properties of asymmetric magnetic reconnection, including the reconnection rate, outflow speed, and outflow density. This study presents the first comprehensive test of this scaling theory using fully electromagnetic particle‐in‐cell simulations of antiparallel asymmetric magnetic r...

We argue that magnetic reconnection plays the determining role in many of the various manifestations of solar activity. In particular, it is the trigger mechanism for the most energetic of solar events, coronal mass ejections and eruptive flares. We propose that in order to obtain explosive eruptions, magnetic reconnection in the corona must have an “on-off” nature, and show that reconnection i...

We demonstrate the existence of a new steady-state magnetic reconnection configuration which lies at the boundary of the basins of attraction between the Sweet-Parker and Hall reconnection configurations. The solution is linearly unstable to small perturbations and its identification required a novel iterative numerical technique. The eigenmodes of the unstable solution are localized near the X...

The present study involves a novel computational technique, regarding simultaneous use of the pseudo particle method, Poisson integral method and a special-purpose computer originally designed for molecular dynamics simulations (MDGRAPE-3). In the present calculations, the dynamics of two colliding vortex rings have been studied using the vortex method. The present acceleration technique allows...

This article describes the recent findings on two-fluid effects on magnetic reconnection in plasmas with variable collisionality in the magnetic reconnection experiment MRX M. Yamada et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 1936 1997 . The MRX device has been upgraded to accommodate a variety of reconnection operation modes and high energy density experiments by increasing its capacitor bank energy and extendi...

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We study magnetic reconnection in electron-positron plasma using a collisionless two-fluid model with isotropic pressure, in which only the inertial term of the generalized Ohm's law is present. Our simulations indicate that the inertial term alone from Ohm's law is not sufficient to give reconnection. We contrast this result with other simulations where the Hall term is present (i.e., the ion/...

A three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation in a large system demonstrates that a kink mode significantly contributes to a fast reconnection by providing magnetic dissipation through anomalous resistivity. The anomalous resistivity is generated due to the electron heating in the thin electron current sheet. It is interesting that, although the kink mode broadens the width of the current she...

Supported by a kinetic simulation, we derive an exclusion energy parameter E_{X} providing a lower kinetic energy bound for an electron to cross from one inflow region to the other during magnetic reconnection. As by a Maxwell demon, only high-energy electrons are permitted to cross the inner reconnection region, setting the electron distribution function observed along the low-density side sep...

The change of helicity for magnetic reconnection is calculated with the help of a kinematic model. The results connrm the approximate conservation of magnetic helicity for reconnection in an almost ideal plasma as e. g. the solar corona. Diierent examples show the contributions of twist or linkage of ux tubes to the total helicity change in the process. However, they also show that helicity may...