Abstract
Stimulated by important dynamic processes in space and fusion plasmas, the reconnection of magnetic fields in plasmas is investigated. A well-controlled large laboratory plasma is established, and direct observations of magnetic fields and particle distributions are performed. High speed computers are interfaced with the experiment so as to permit the analysis of multidimensional functions. These include the average magnetic field topology 〈 B ( r , t)〈 and the tensor correlation function 〈 B 1 B 2〉 ω, k of magnetic fluctuations, as well as the electron phase space distribution function ƒ( v , r , t). The observations show that the characteristic field topology of a neutral sheet is subject to a high level of magnetic turbulence consisting of low frequency whistler waves. These are excited by anisotropies in the electron distribution functions inside the current sheet, in particular by energetic electrons which run away in the electric field along the separator. The observed microinstabilities and kinetic processes cannot be described by classical fluid theories or MHD simulations but are important in determining the effective resistivity and reconnection rate.
Published Version
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