System Size Dependence of Collisionless Reconnection Rate
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866917423688450048 |
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| author | Huang, Yi-Min Bessho, Naoki Chen, Li-Jen Karpen, Judith T. Bhattacharjee, Amitava |
| author_facet | Huang, Yi-Min Bessho, Naoki Chen, Li-Jen Karpen, Judith T. Bhattacharjee, Amitava |
| contents | It is a widely accepted paradigm that collisionless magnetic reconnection proceeds at a universal fast rate of $\sim0.1$ when normalized to a properly defined reconnecting magnetic field and Alfvén speed, effectively independent of the macroscopic system size. This conclusion, derived primarily from kinetic simulations of classical Harris current sheets with kinetic-scale thickness, stands in contrast to results from forced reconnection and island coalescence, where the rate significantly depends on the system size. Here, we reconcile this disparity by performing a rigorous scaling study using both particle-in-cell and Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We demonstrate that when the global magnetic configuration is self-consistently preserved by scaling the initial current sheet thickness proportionally with the system size, the ``universal'' fast rate disappears. Instead, the reconnection rate decreases as the system size increases. These results indicate that dependence on macroscopic scales is not peculiar to specific geometries but is a fundamental property of collisionless reconnection, effectively unifying the Harris sheet with other configurations exhibiting size-dependence. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_18787 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | System Size Dependence of Collisionless Reconnection Rate Huang, Yi-Min Bessho, Naoki Chen, Li-Jen Karpen, Judith T. Bhattacharjee, Amitava Plasma Physics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics It is a widely accepted paradigm that collisionless magnetic reconnection proceeds at a universal fast rate of $\sim0.1$ when normalized to a properly defined reconnecting magnetic field and Alfvén speed, effectively independent of the macroscopic system size. This conclusion, derived primarily from kinetic simulations of classical Harris current sheets with kinetic-scale thickness, stands in contrast to results from forced reconnection and island coalescence, where the rate significantly depends on the system size. Here, we reconcile this disparity by performing a rigorous scaling study using both particle-in-cell and Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We demonstrate that when the global magnetic configuration is self-consistently preserved by scaling the initial current sheet thickness proportionally with the system size, the ``universal'' fast rate disappears. Instead, the reconnection rate decreases as the system size increases. These results indicate that dependence on macroscopic scales is not peculiar to specific geometries but is a fundamental property of collisionless reconnection, effectively unifying the Harris sheet with other configurations exhibiting size-dependence. |
| title | System Size Dependence of Collisionless Reconnection Rate |
| topic | Plasma Physics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.18787 |