Two-dimensional magnetic reconnection model for incompressible plasmas

A modified two-dimensional magnetic reconnection model is presented which focuses on the role of electrostatic field generated by charge separation in magnetic reconnection, and the E cross B drift causing the Alfvenic outflows. This reconnection model reveals that the reconnection rate described in Sweet-Parker model is strongly dependent on the ratio of the electron mass and the ion mass, and the effective local resistivity normalized by the Spitzer resistivity is proportional to the square of the ratio of the ion skin depth to the width of the current sheet. The relativistic effect and creation of electron-positron pairs in high temperature plasmas can enhance the reconnection rate. The excitation of electromagnetic waves is necessary for dissipation of magnetic energy. (authors)