SPRG Seminars
May 3, 2011:
" Magnetic reconnection in Partially Ionized Gases "
Ellen Zweibel, U. Wisconsin
Magnetic reconnection is an important mechanism for converting magnetic energy to plasma energy and for altering the topology of the magnetic field. Many astrophysical and space plasmas have very low ionization fraction. We show that this leads to the steepening of magnetic neutral sheets, to three regimes of MHD reconnection, distinguished by strong, weak, and intermediate ion-neutral coupling, and to an enlarged parameter space for fast collisionless reconnection. Some aspects of the theory are now being tested in the laboratory.