Identification of the Electron Diffusion Region during Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Plasma

Yang Ren, Masaaki Yamada, Hantao Ji, Stefan Gerhardt, and Russell Kulsrud

Princeton University. Plasma Physics Laboratory.

关键词: Diffusion;    Magnetic Fields;    70 Plasma Physics And Fusion Technology;    Magnetic Reconnection;    Magnetic Reconnection;   

RP-ID  :  PPPL-4328
RP-ID  :  DE-ACO2-76CHO3073
RP-ID  :  958416

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

We report the first identification of the electron diffusion region, where demagnetized electrons are accelerated to super-Alfvenic speed, in a reconnecting laboratory plasma. The electron diffusion region is determined from measurements of the out-of-plane quadrupole magnetic field in the neutral sheet in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment. The width of the electron diffusion region scales with the electron skin depth (∼ 5.5-7.5c=ωpi) and the peak electron outflow velocity scales with the electron Alfven velocity (∼ 0.12 - 0.16VeA), independent of ion mass.