Dynamic non-null magnetic reconnection in three dimensions - II. Composite solutions

TL;DR

This paper develops a model for three-dimensional magnetic reconnection with non-null magnetic fields, showing a wide variety of steady reconnection solutions and analyzing the effects of superimposed flows on magnetic flux evolution.

Contribution

It extends previous work by superimposing ideal solutions onto non-ideal ones, revealing diverse steady reconnection solutions in three dimensions.

Findings

Superimposing ideal flows affects magnetic flux evolution.

Three-dimensional reconnection solutions are more diverse than in 2D.

Implications for magnetic flux dynamics in plasma physics.

Abstract

In this series of papers we examine magnetic reconnection in a domain where the magnetic field does not vanish and the non-ideal region is localised in space. In a previous paper we presented a technique for obtaining analytical solutions to the stationary resistive MHD equations in such a situation and examined specific examples of non-ideal reconnective solutions. Here we further develop the model, noting that certain ideal solutions may be superimposed onto the fundamental non-ideal solutions and examining the effect of imposing various such flows. Significant implications are found for the evolution of magnetic flux in the reconnection process. It is shown that, in contrast to the two-dimensional case, in three-dimensions there is a very wide variety of physically different steady reconnection solutions.