Related papers: Steady state reconnection at a single 3D magnetic …
The nature of the evolution of the magnetic field, and of current sheet formation, at three-dimensional (3D) magnetic null points is investigated. A kinematic example is presented which demonstrates that for certain evolutions of a 3D null…
Context: The majority of studies on stressed 3D magnetic null points consider magnetic reconnection driven by an external perturbation, but the formation of a genuine current sheet equilibrium remains poorly understood. This problem has…
Context. We investigate the dynamical evolution of the reconnection process at an initially linear 3D null point that is stressed by a localised shear motion across the spine axis. The fan plane is not rotationally symmetric and this allows…
The aim of this paper is to investigate the properties of magnetic reconnection at a 3D null point, with respect to their dependence on the symmetry of the magnetic field around the null. In particular we examine the rate of flux transport…
Starting from an exact, steady-state, force-free solution of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations, we investigate how resistive current layers are induced by perturbing line-tied three-dimensional magnetic equilibria. This is achieved by…
Fast reconnection in magnetically dominated plasmas is widely invoked in models of dissipation in pulsar winds, gamma-ray flares in the Crab nebula, and to explain the radio nanoshots of pulsars. When current sheets evolve reaching a…
The behaviour of magnetic perturbations of an initially potential three-dimensional equilibrium magnetic null point are investigated. The basic components which constitute a typical disturbance are taken to be rotations and shears, in line…
Asymmetric current sheets are likely to be prevalent in both astrophysical and laboratory plasmas with complex three dimensional (3D) magnetic topologies. This work presents kinematic analytical models for spine and fan reconnection at a…
In this paper we study current accumulations in 3D "tilted" nulls formed by a folding of the spine and fan. A non-zero component of current parallel to the fan is required such that the null's fan plane and spine are not perpendicular. Our…
The manner in which the rate of magnetic reconnection scales with the Lundquist number in realistic three-dimensional (3D) geometries is still an unsolved problem. It has been demonstrated that in 2D rapid non-linear tearing allows the…
Magnetic reconnection, a plasma process converting magnetic energy to particle kinetic energy, is often invoked to explain magnetic energy releases powering high-energy flares in astrophysical sources including pulsar wind nebulae and black…
Three-dimensional null points are present in abundance in the solar corona, and the same is likely to be true in other astrophysical environments. Recent studies suggest that reconnection at such 3D nulls may play an important role in the…
The performed magnetohydrodynamic simulation examines the importance of magnetofluid evolution which naturally leads to current sheets in the presence of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic nulls. Initial magnetic field is constructed by…
We provide a valid magnetohydrostatic equilibrium from the collapse of a 2D X-point in the presence of a finite plasma pressure, in which the current density is not simply concentrated in an infinitesimally thin, one-dimensional current…
Here we detail the dynamic evolution of localised reconnection regions about three-dimensional (3D) magnetic null points by using numerical simulation. We demonstrate for the first time that reconnection triggered by the localised collapse…
Context: The strong electric fields associated with magnetic reconnection in solar flares are a plausible mechanism to accelerate populations of high energy, non-thermal particles. One such reconnection scenario occurs at a 3D magnetic null…
The nature of current sheet formation in the vicinity of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic null points is investigated. The particular focus is upon the effect of the compressibility of the plasma on the qualitative and quantitative…
Recent advances in theory and computational experiments have shown the need to refine the previous categorisation of magnetic reconnection at three-dimensional null points -- points at which the magnetic field vanishes. We propose here a…
Simulations suggest collisionless steady-state magnetic reconnection of Harris-type current sheets proceeds with a rate of order 0.1, independent of dissipation mechanism. We argue this long-standing puzzle is a result of constraints at the…
Null collapse is an implosive process whereby MHD waves focus their energy in the vicinity of a null point, forming a current sheet and initiating magnetic reconnection. We consider, for the first time, the case of collapsing 3D magnetic…