Spontaneous fast reconnection model in three dimensions

Ugai, M.; Kondoh, K.; Shimizu, T.

doi:10.1063/1.1883181

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…At this point, note that the study shown in this paper is basically different from the 3D studies reported by Ugai and collegues (Ugai et al, 2004(Ugai et al, , 2005. In the studies reported by Ugai, since the initial resistive disturbance is strongly localized in the sheet current direction, it directly results in a "single" 3D fast magnetic reconnection.…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Three-dimensional non-linear instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection

2009

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Three-dimensional instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection is studied using MHD (magnetohydro-dynamic) simulation. Previous two-dimensional MHD studies have demonstrated that, if a current-driven anomalous resistivity is assumed, two-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection occurs and two-dimensional largescale magnetic loops, i.e., plasmoids, are ejected from the reconnection region. In most two-dimensional MHD studies, the structure of the current sheet is initially one-dimensinal. On the other hand, in recent space plasma observations, fully three-dimensional magnetic loops frequently appear even in the almost one-dimensional current sheet. This suggests that the classical two-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection may be unstable to any three-dimensional perturbation, resulting in three-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection. In this paper, we show that a three-dimensional resistive perturbation destabilizes two-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection and results in three-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection. The resulting three-dimensional fast reconnection repeatedly ejects three-dimensional magnetic loops downstream. The obtained numerical results are similar to the pulsating downflows observed in solar flares. According to the Fourier analysis of the ejected magnetic loops, the time evolution of this three-dimensional instability is fully non-linear.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Three-dimensional non-linear instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection

2009

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“…The initial resistive disturbance employed by Ugai et al (2004Ugai et al ( , 2005 is basically different from one employed here because α 2 in Ugai's 3D studies was much larger. Accordingly, in Ugai's 3D studies, the resulting fast magnetic reconnection directly became 3D, while the resulting fast magnetic reconnection shown in this paper is expected to be approximately 2D.…”

Section: Procedures Of Simulationmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The MHD simulation procedures are basically the same as that of Ugai et al (2004Ugai et al ( , 2005, excepting the 3D setup of the initial resistive disturbance. The disturbance is set as follows, to initiate a tearing instability in the current sheet during 0 < T < 4.…”

Section: Procedures Of Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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MHD study of three-dimensional spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection for cross-tail plasma inflows in magnetotail

2016

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The 3D instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection process is studied with magnetohydrodynamic simulations, where 2D model of the spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection process is destabilized in three dimensions. In this 3D instability, the spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection process is intermittently and randomly caused in 3D. In this paper, as a typical event study, a single 3D fast magnetic reconnection process often observed in the 3D instability is studied in detail. As a remarkable feature, it is reported that, when the 3D fast magnetic reconnection process starts, plasma inflows along the magnetic neutral line are observed, which are driven by plasma static pressure gradient along the neutral line. The plasma inflow speed reaches about 15 in the upstream field region. The unmagnetized inflow tends to prevent the 3D reconnection process; nevertheless, the 3D reconnection process is intermittently maintained. Such high-speed plasma inflows along the neutral line may be observed as dawn-dusk flows in space satellite observations of magnetotail's bursty bulk flows.

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“…This model predicts that the fast reconnection mechanism spontaneously develops from inside the system by the selfconsistent interaction between plasma microscopic processes and macroscopic reconnection flows (Ugai, 1984(Ugai, , 1986. The previous MHD simulations have demonstrated that the spontaneous fast reconnection model works quite effectively even in three dimensional situations (Ugai and Kondoh, 2001;Ugai et al, 2004Ugai et al, , 2005. Once the fast reconnection builds up, an Alfvénic fast flow is caused, and if the fast flow is obstructed, the reconnected field lines are piled up, and a magnetic loop is formed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Three dimensional configuration of earthward fast plasma flow in the near-Earth plasma sheet

2009

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The earthward short-term (1-min. order) fast flow event (Flow Burst) and the long-term (10-min. order) fast flow event (Bursty Bulk Flow) observed in the near-Earth plasma sheet are examined using three dimensional MHD simulations on the basis of spontaneous fast reconnection model. It is well known that these fast flow events are closely related to the magnetic substorms. On the other hand, it is considered that these fast flow events are caused by the magnetic reconnection in the near-Earth magnetotail. The time profiles of plasma quantities in these events observed by in-situ satellites are quite different in each event. Above Flow Burst and Bursty Bulk Flow events are often examined separately due to the large difference in time scale. In this paper, these differences are interpreted by the three-dimensional position of satellite relative to the X-line and the reconnection jet channel, and the simulation results are directly compared with the results of in-situ satellite observations using the virtual satellites located in simulation domain.

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Spontaneous fast reconnection model in three dimensions

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

Three-dimensional non-linear instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection

Three-dimensional non-linear instability of spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection

MHD study of three-dimensional spontaneous fast magnetic reconnection for cross-tail plasma inflows in magnetotail

Three dimensional configuration of earthward fast plasma flow in the near-Earth plasma sheet

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