The formation and stability of Petschek reconnection
Abstract
A combined analytical and numerical study of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamics is carried out by using different explicit spatial variations of the resistivity. A special emphasis on the existence of stable/unstable Petschek's solutions is taken, comparing with the recent analytical model given by Forbes et al. [Phys. Plasmas 20, 052902 (2013)]. Our results show good quantitative agreement between the analytical theory and the numerical solutions for a Petschek-type solution to within an accuracy of about 10% or better. Our simulations also show that if the resistivity profile is relatively flat near the X-point, one of two possible asymmetric solutions will occur. Which solution occurs depends on small random perturbations of the initial conditions. The existence of two possible asymmetric solutions, in a system which is otherwise symmetric, constitutes an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking.
Citation
Baty , H , Forbes , T G & Priest , E R 2014 , ' The formation and stability of Petschek reconnection ' , Physics of Plasmas , vol. 21 , no. 11 . https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4901918
Publication
Physics of Plasmas
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1070-664XType
Journal article
Description
E. R. Priest is grateful to the Leverhulme Trust. T. G. Forbes received support from NASA grant NNX-10AC04G to the University of New Hampshire. H. Baty acknowledges support by French National Research Agency (ANR) through Grant ANR-13-JS05-0003-01 (Project EMPERE).Collections
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