Open AccessExperimental Test of the Sweet-Parker Model of Magnetic Reconnection
Author(s) -
Hantao Ji,
Masaaki Yamada,
Scott Hsu,
Russell M. Kulsrud
Publication year - 1997
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/293435
Subject(s) - magnetic reconnection , physics , compressibility , limit (mathematics) , plasma , electrical resistivity and conductivity , statistical physics , mechanics , condensed matter physics , nuclear physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , mathematical analysis
We report a quantitative experimental test of the Sweet-Parker model of magnetic reconnection in a controlled laboratory plasma. It is found that the observed reconnection rate cannot be explained by the Sweet-Parker model unless the model is generalized to incorporate compressibility, downstream pressure, and the effective resistivity. The latter is significantly enhanced over its classical values in the collisionless limit