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Effects of guide field on quick magnetic reconnection triggering
Author(s) -
Tanaka K. G.,
Shinohara I.,
Fujimoto M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl021191
Subject(s) - current sheet , physics , magnetic reconnection , instability , magnetic field , astrophysics , computational physics , mechanics , magnetohydrodynamics , quantum mechanics
Influence of the guide field on quick magnetic reconnection triggering (QMRT) is investigated by three‐dimensional (3‐D) full‐particle simulations with the mass ratio of 400. Here two runs with different current sheet thickness (D = 0.35 and 0.5, D: the current sheet half thickness normalized by the ion inertial length) are performed with a constant guide field of B 0y = 0.75B 0x (B 0x : asymptotic magnitude of reconnecting component). QMRT has been found in a null guide‐field case of D = 0.5 ∼ 0.875 and is quick because reconnection onset is directly coupled to the most quickly growing mode in the system, the lower‐hybrid drift instability (LHDI) ( I. Shinohara and M. Fujimoto, Quick triggering of magnetic reconnection in an ion‐scale current sheet, submitted to Physical Review Letters , 2004, hereinafter referred to as Shinohara and Fujimoto, submitted manuscript, 2004). In contrast D = 0.5 with B 0y = 0.75B 0x is too thick to be subject to QMRT. Recovery of QMRT is found at D = 0.35, accompanying a single X‐line formation with slight delay from the LHDI saturation.