CENTRA Seminar - Magnetic Reconnection in Poyinting Dominated Plasma and Effects of Turbulence - 12 dezembro 2013

Magnetic Reconnection in Poyinting Dominated Plasma and Effects of Turbulence

Makoto Takamoto

Max-Planck Inst., Heidelberg

Abstract / Resumo 

In this presentation, I illustrate my recent results of the evolution of a current sheet in a Poynting dominated plasma. We model the relativistic current sheet with cold background plasma using the relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamic approximation, and solve its temporal evolution numerically. 2-dimensional numerical results show that the initially induced plasmoid triggers a secondary tearing instability. We find the plasmoid-chain greatly enhances the reconnection rate, which becomes independent of the Lundquist number, when this exceeds a critical value. Since magnetic reconnection is expected to play an important role in various high energy astrophysical phenomena, our results can be used for explaining the physical mechanism of them. I also give some comments on their 3-dimensional extension.

Meeting room on the 2nd floor of the Physics Department building

Watch it live on:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/centra---ist-seminars (also available on CENTRA TV webpage)
Talks' slides: TBA

Recorder Seminar: TBA

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