A catastrophe model for the onset of fast magnetic reconnection is presented that suggests why plasma systems with magnetic free energy remain apparently stable for long times and then suddenly release their energy. For a given set of plasma parameters there are generally two stable reconnection solutions: a slow (Sweet-Parker) solution and a fast (Alfvénic) Hall reconnection solution. Below a ...

Using the formulation of relativistic reconnection by Lyutikov & Uzdensky (2002) we estimate the upper possible rates of reconnection in pulsar winds using Bohm prescription for resistivity. We find that the velocity of plasma inflow into the reconnection layer may be relativistic, of the order of the speed of light in the plasma rest-frame. This in principle may allow efficient dissipation of ...

We examine the dynamics of turbulent reconnection in 2D and 3D reduced MHD by calculating the effective dissipation due to coupling between small–scale fluctuations and large–scale magnetic fields. Sweet–Parker type balance relations are then used to calculate the global reconnection rate. Two approaches are employed — quasi–linear closure and an eddy-damped fluid model. Results indicate that d...

Forbes & Lin derived simple equations to link the properties of magnetic reconnection in the corona to observed signatures of solar flares. We measured the photospheric magnetic fields and the flare ribbon separation speeds then applied these equations to derive two physical terms for the magnetic reconnection rates: the rate of magnetic flux change ’rec involved in magnetic reconnection in the...

The reconnection of magnetic field lines is one of the fundamental processes that lead to the eruptive release of stored magnetic energy in plasmas. A large number of observations and experiments, e.g., solar flares, geomagnetic substorms, the sawtooth instability in fusion experiments, and laboratory reconnection experiments, support this hypothesis. Magnetic reconnection is important for the ...

We examine the eeect of weak, small scale magnetic eld structure on the rate of reconnection in a strongly magnetized plasma. This aaects the rate of reconnection by reducing the transverse scale for reconnection ows, and by allowing many independent ux reconnection events to occur simultaneously. Allowing only for the rst eeect and using Goldreich and Sridhar's model of strong turbulence in a ...

Magnetic reconnection can be interpreted as a process in which the electromagnetic eld is frozen into a four-velocity eld in Minkowski space. For reconnec-tion to occur the four-velocity eld has to be a special type of stagnation ow. Prescribing this type of ow in a nite spatial domain allows the modelling of localized reconnection events and the investigation of examples of reconnection in reg...

Two-dimensional, incompressible, zero guide-field, nonlinear Hall-MHD ~magnetohydrodynamical! simulations are used to investigate the scaling of the rate of forced magnetic reconnection in the so-called Taylor problem. In this problem, a small-amplitude boundary perturbation is suddenly applied to a tearing stable, slab plasma equilibrium; the perturbation being such as to drive magnetic reconn...

INTRODUCTION Recurrence of atrial fibrillation after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) occurs frequently and may be associated with electrical reconnection of the pulmonary veins (PV). We investigated spatial distribution of electrical reconnection during re-do procedures in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who had previous successful acute electrical PVI with either single irrigated t...

Recent experiments have observed magnetic reconnection in high-energy-density, laser-produced plasma bubbles [1,2], with reconnection rates observed to be much higher than can be explained by classical theory. This is a novel regime for magnetic reconnection study, characterized by extremely high magnetic fields, high plasma beta and strong, supersonic plasma inflow. Reconnection in this regime...