Three-dimensional plasmoid-mediated reconnection and turbulence in Hall magnetohydrodynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Huang, Yi-Min, Bhattacharjee, Amitava
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Huang, Yi-Min
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
author_facet Huang, Yi-Min
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
contents Plasmoid instability accelerates reconnection in collisional plasmas by transforming a laminar reconnection layer into numerous plasmoids connected by secondary current sheets in two dimensions (2D) and by fostering self-generated turbulent reconnection in three dimensions (3D). In large-scale astrophysical and space systems, plasmoid instability likely initiates in the collisional regime but may transition into the collisionless regime as the fragmentation of the current sheet progresses toward kinetic scales. Hall MHD models are widely regarded as a simplified yet effective representation of the transition from collisional to collisionless reconnection. However, plasmoid instability in 2D Hall MHD simulations often leads to a single-X-line reconnection configuration, which significantly differs from fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulation results. This study shows that single-X-line reconnection is less likely to occur in 3D compared to 2D. Moreover, depending on the Lundquist number and the ratio between the system size and the kinetic scale, Hall MHD can also realize 3D self-generated turbulent reconnection. We analyze the features of the self-generated turbulent state, including the energy power spectra and the scale dependence of turbulent eddy anisotropy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_19285
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Three-dimensional plasmoid-mediated reconnection and turbulence in Hall magnetohydrodynamics
Huang, Yi-Min
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
Plasma Physics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Space Physics
Plasmoid instability accelerates reconnection in collisional plasmas by transforming a laminar reconnection layer into numerous plasmoids connected by secondary current sheets in two dimensions (2D) and by fostering self-generated turbulent reconnection in three dimensions (3D). In large-scale astrophysical and space systems, plasmoid instability likely initiates in the collisional regime but may transition into the collisionless regime as the fragmentation of the current sheet progresses toward kinetic scales. Hall MHD models are widely regarded as a simplified yet effective representation of the transition from collisional to collisionless reconnection. However, plasmoid instability in 2D Hall MHD simulations often leads to a single-X-line reconnection configuration, which significantly differs from fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulation results. This study shows that single-X-line reconnection is less likely to occur in 3D compared to 2D. Moreover, depending on the Lundquist number and the ratio between the system size and the kinetic scale, Hall MHD can also realize 3D self-generated turbulent reconnection. We analyze the features of the self-generated turbulent state, including the energy power spectra and the scale dependence of turbulent eddy anisotropy.
title Three-dimensional plasmoid-mediated reconnection and turbulence in Hall magnetohydrodynamics
topic Plasma Physics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.19285