Fast magnetic reconnection in laser-produced plasma bubbles

TL;DR

This paper explains the unexpectedly fast magnetic reconnection observed in laser-produced plasma bubbles through kinetic simulations, highlighting flux pile-up and collisionless mechanisms as key factors.

Contribution

It introduces a kinetic simulation-based explanation for rapid reconnection in driven plasma systems, emphasizing flux pile-up and two-fluid effects.

Findings

Reconnection rates are higher than classical predictions.

Flux pile-up facilitates fast reconnection.

Reconnection time is insensitive to system Alfven time.

Abstract

Recent experiments have observed magnetic reconnection in high-energy-density, laser-produced plasma bubbles, with reconnection rates observed to be much higher than can be explained by classical theory. Based on fully kinetic particle simulations we find that fast reconnection in these strongly driven systems can be explained by magnetic flux pile-up at the shoulder of the current sheet and subsequent fast reconnection via two-fluid, collisionless mechanisms. In the strong drive regime with two-fluid effects, we find that the ultimate reconnection time is insensitive to the nominal system Alfven time.