Published August 6, 1990 | Version v1
Journal article Metadata-only

Magnetic reconnection of plasma toroids with cohelicity and counterhelicity

Creators

  • 1. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)
  • 2. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (USA)

Description

Magnetic reconnection phenomena are investigated taking into account all three vector components of the magnetic field in a laboratory experiment. Two toroidal magnetized plasmas carrying identical toroidal currents and poloidal field configurations are made to collide, thereby inducing magnetic reconnection. The direction of the toroidal field plays an important role in the merging process. It is found that plasmas of antiparallel helicity merge much faster than those of parallel helicity. It is also found that the reconnection rate is proportional to the initial relative velocity of the two plasma tori, suggesting that magnetic reconnection, in the present experiment, is a forced phenomenon

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
65
Journal Issue
6
Series
Phys. Rev. Lett.
Journal Page Range
721-724
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTA

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
United States
INIS RN
22010714
Subject category
S30: DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; S70: PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Resource subtype / Literary indicator
Numerical Data
Descriptors DEI
COLLISIONS; EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; HELICITY; LABORATORIES; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETIC FLUX; MAGNETIC RECONNECTION; MAGNETIZATION; PLASMA; PLASMA DRIFT; RELAXATION; SOLAR FLARES; THERMONUCLEAR REACTIONS; TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION; VECTORS; VELOCITY
Descriptors DEC
ANNULAR SPACE; CLOSED CONFIGURATIONS; CONFIGURATION; DATA; EARTH ATMOSPHERE; INFORMATION; MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS; MAGNETIC MOMENTS; MAGNETIC PROPERTIES; NUCLEAR REACTIONS; NUCLEOSYNTHESIS; NUMERICAL DATA; PARTICLE PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; SOLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR FLARES; SYNTHESIS; TENSORS