Experimental study of two-fluid effects on magnetic reconnection in a laboratory plasma with variable collisionality

• DOI: 10.1063/1.2203950
• Publication Date: 2006-05-26T22:13:50Z
• Authors: Masaaki Yamada; Yang Ren; Hantao Ji; Joshua Breslau; Stefan Gerhardt; Russell Kulsrud; Aleksey Kuritsyn
• Keywords: Collisionality; Current sheet

This article describes the recent findings on two-fluid effects magnetic reconnection in plasmas with variable collisionality experiment (MRX) [M. Yamada et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 1936 (1997)]. The MRX device has been upgraded to accommodate a variety of operation modes and high energy density experiments by increasing its capacitor bank extending discharge duration. As our experimental regime moved from collisional collision-free, have become more evident. It is observed that two-dimensional profile neutral sheet changed significantly rectangular shape familiar Sweet-Parker type double wedge as reduced rate increases. evolution research magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) analysis presented illuminate physics Hall MHD collision-free layer. In particular, clear verification an out-of-plane quadrupole field, characteristic signature MHD, made sheet, where width comparable ion skin depth. important note effect, which occurs due laminar flows electrons plane, together presence low frequency turbulence, often three-dimensional structures. These observations striking similarities magnetospheric measurements region, component detected fluctuations.