Related papers: Magnetic reconnection: from MHD to QED
Simulations of relativistic plasmas traditionally focus on the dynamics of two-species mixtures of charged particles under the influence of external magnetic fields and those generated by particle currents. However, the extreme conditions…
Magnetic reconnection, topological change in magnetic fields, is a fundamental process in magnetized plasmas. It is associated with energy release in regions of magnetic field annihilation, but this is only one facet of this process.…
Relativistic magnetic reconnection is one of the most fundamental mechanisms considered responsible for the acceleration of relativistic particles in astrophysical jets and magnetospheres of compact objects. Understanding the properties of…
Magnetic reconnection in relativistic plasmas -- where the magnetization $\sigma\gg1$ -- is regarded as an efficient particle accelerator, capable of explaining the most dramatic astrophysical flares. We employ two-dimensional (2D)…
The energy production through thermo-nuclear fusion requires the confinement of the plasma into a bounded domain. In most of the cases, such configurations are obtained by using strong magnetic fields. Several models exist for describing…
3D Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) resistive simulations have highlighted the significance of ubiquitous turbulence to drive fast reconnection. It has been demonstrated that particle acceleration via reconnection in 3D magnetized flows, where…
Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous plasma phenomenon that plays a critical role in particle heating and energization. During reconnection, the topology of magnetic field rearranges, depositing energy into the surrounding plasma through…
A recently published, new analysis of current sheets updated the classic Harris 1D static solution by considering multiple classes of charged particle trajectories in a generalized dynamic current sheet. It used a 1D PIC simulation to…
Recent progress in understanding the physics of magnetic reconnection is conveniently summarized in terms of a phase diagram which organizes the essential dynamics for a wide variety of applications in heliophysics, laboratory and…
We investigate the competition of magnetic reconnections in self-generated and external magnetic fields in laser-produced plasmas. The temporal evolution of plasma structures measured with self-emission imaging shows the vertical expansions…
We describe a versatile pulsed-power driven platform for magnetic reconnection experiments, based on exploding wire arrays driven in parallel [Suttle, L. G. et al. PRL, 116, 225001]. This platform produces inherently magnetised plasma flows…
We have carried out a 3D ideal-MHD (Magnetohydrodynamic) simulation to study the evolution of laser generated plasma plume in a moderate external magnetic field (0.13 T) oriented perpendicular to the flow direction of the plasma plume. The…
Using 3D particle-in-cell simulation, we characterize energy conversion, as a function of guide magnetic field, in a thin current sheet in semirelativistic plasma, with relativistic electrons and subrelativistic protons. There, magnetic…
Magnetic reconnection is an important source of energetic particles in systems ranging from astrophysics to the laboratory. The large separation of spatiotemporal scales involved makes it critical to determine the minimum physical model…
Magnetic reconnection is a pivotal mechanisms in the energization and heating of cosmic plasmas, yet the exact process of energy transfer during these events remain elusive. Traditional models, which focus on acoustic and…
Experiments with interacting high-velocity flows of laser plasma can help answer the fundamental questions in plasma physics and improve the understanding of the mechanisms behind astrophysical phenomena, such as formation of collisionless…
Magnetic reconnection in the relativistic regime has been proposed as an important process for the efficient production of nonthermal particles and high-energy emissions. Using fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate how…
We study the role of the guide field in relativistic magnetic reconnection in a Harris current sheet of pair ($e^{\pm}$) plasmas, using linear theories and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Two-dimensional PIC simulations exhibit the…
Context. Converging flows with strong magnetic fields of different polarity can accelerate particles through magnetic reconnection. If the particle mean free path is longer than the reconnection layer is thick, but much shorter than the…
I review a new rapidly growing area of high-energy plasma astrophysics --- radiative magnetic reconnection, i.e., a reconnection regime where radiation reaction influences reconnection dynamics, energetics, and nonthermal particle…