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NASA NTRS · 20160010367

Suppression of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection in Asymmetric Current Sheets

Liu, Yi-Hsin·Hesse, Michael
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Abstract

Using fully kinetic simulations, we study the suppression of asymmetric reconnection in the limit where the diamagnetic drift speed >> Alfven speed and the magnetic shear angle is moderate. We demonstrate that the slippage between electrons and the magnetic flux mitigates the suppression and can even result in fast reconnection that lacks one of the outflow jets. Through comparing a case where the diamagnetic drift is supported by the temperature gradient with a companion case that has a density gradient instead, we identify a robust suppression mechanism. The drift of the x-line is slowed down locally by the asymmetric nature of the x-line, and then the x-line is run over and swallowed by the faster-moving following flux.

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Liu, Yi-Hsin, Hesse, Michael. 2016-06-29. Suppression of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection in Asymmetric Current Sheets. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20160010367

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