Slowing of Magnetic Reconnection Concurrent with Weakening Plasma Inflows and Increasing Collisionality in Strongly Driven Laser-Plasma Experiments
Author(s)
Fox, W.; Stoeckl, C.; Li, Chikang; Zylstra, Alex Bennett; Seguin, Fredrick Hampton; Frenje, Johan A.; Rosenberg, Michael Jonathan; Petrasso, Richard D.; ... Show more Show less
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An evolution of magnetic reconnection behavior, from fast jets to the slowing of reconnection and the establishment of a stable current sheet, has been observed in strongly driven, β ≲ 20 laser-produced plasma experiments. This process has been inferred to occur alongside a slowing of plasma inflows carrying the oppositely directed magnetic fields as well as the evolution of plasma conditions from collisionless to collisional. High-resolution proton radiography has revealed unprecedented detail of the forced interaction of magnetic fields and super-Alfvénic electron jets (V[subscript jet] ~ 20V[subscript A]) ejected from the reconnection region, indicating that two-fluid or collisionless magnetic reconnection occurs early in time. The absence of jets and the persistence of strong, stable magnetic fields at late times indicates that the reconnection process slows down, while plasma flows stagnate and plasma conditions evolve to a cooler, denser, more collisional state. These results demonstrate that powerful initial plasma flows are not sufficient to force a complete reconnection of magnetic fields, even in the strongly driven regime.
Date issued
2015-05Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Plasma Science and Fusion CenterJournal
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Rosenberg, M. J., C. K. Li, W. Fox, A. B. Zylstra, C. Stoeckl, F. H. Seguin, J. A. Frenje, and R. D. Petrasso. “Slowing of Magnetic Reconnection Concurrent with Weakening Plasma Inflows and Increasing Collisionality in Strongly Driven Laser-Plasma Experiments.” Physical Review Letters 114, no. 20 (May 2015). © 2015 American Physical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0031-9007
1079-7114