Abstract
It has been shown that twisted magnetic flux tubes reconnect in a number of different ways: either bouncing, tunneling, slingshotting, or merging. Here we present an analytical theory to predict under what conditions the bounce, tunnel, and slingshot will occur. This theory calculates the energy of the reconnected state relative to that of the initial state, subject to the restriction that helicity is conserved during the interaction. Comparison of this energy change for each of these interactions then indicates which is most energetically favorable. In addition to providing potentially important predictive capabilities, for example, for solar or magnetospheric flux-tube reconnection, this also provides an intuitive explanation for why the tunnel interaction occurs.
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