Quantitative Study Of Guide Field Effects on Hall Reconnection In A Laboratory Plasma
Authors: T. D. Tharp, M. Yamada, H. Ji, E. Lawrence, S. Dorfman, C. Myers, and J. Yoo
Abstract:
The effect of guide field on magnetic reconnection is quantitatively studied by systematically
varying an applied guide field in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX). The quadrupole
field, a signature of two-fluid reconnection at zero guide field, is significantly altered by a finite guide
field. It is shown that the reconnection rate is significantly reduced with increasing guide field, and
this dependence is explained by a combination of local and global physics: locally, the in-plane Hall
currents are reduced, while globally guide field compression produces an increased pressure both
within and downstream of the reconnection region.
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Submitted to: Physicall Review Letters (April 2012)
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