空间等离子体压力各向异性对磁场重联的影响

基于二维时变可压缩磁流体动力学模拟,数值研究了等离子体压力各向异性对磁场重联的影响,发现一个小的压力各向异性(P_⊥=1.02P_//)即可大大加速磁场重联的发展,这可能是由于磁镜不稳定性与撕裂模不稳定性共同起作用.在P_⊥P_//的情况下,撕裂模受到抑制,电流片中不能形成大型磁岛.      

三维非线性撕裂模耦合和快速磁场重联

基于三维不可压缩电阻性ＭＨＤ方程，在长柱形位型下，数值研究了电阻撕裂模不稳定性所引起的磁场重联过程。研究结果表明，撕裂模的非线性相互作用和耦合，将产生许多模式的强裂解稳和导致快速的磁场重联。这一过程的进一步发展，导致具有螺旋形结构，不同模式的磁岛磁力线重叠，从而引起较大区域内的磁场各态经历和磁力线随机走向，形成撕裂模端动。     

日冕冲浪形成的磁流体动力学模拟

应用二维时变可压缩磁流体动力学模拟,数值研究了双极-单极磁场中电阻撕裂模不稳定性引起的磁场重联过程,用于模拟日冕冲浪的形成.结果表明,在包含有三区——双极场、电流片和单极场的磁静力平衡初态下,双极场和单极场中的磁力线将会直接重联,磁场演变成鞭状(whip)结构.由弯曲磁力线支撑的等离子体团向上运动到最高位置后,逐渐下落和弥散.等离子体团上升速度可达到0.10v_A(v_A为双极场中的Alfv'én速度).模拟结果证实日冕冲浪的形成可能与双极-单极场中的磁场重联密切相关.      

各向异性等离子体中磁场重联的混合模拟研究

应用二维三分量混合模拟方法数值研究了各向异性等离子体中的磁场重联过程．计算结果表明，当等离子体垂直于磁场方向的压强大于平行方向的压强时(P⊥／P∥＝1．5)，等离子体不稳定性的增长率会大大增强，重联速度也会加快；当等离子体垂直方向的压强小于平行方向的压强时(P⊥／P∥＝0．6)，会出现火蛇管不稳定性，将抑制撕裂模不稳定性和磁场重联过程．     

近地磁尾准无碰撞磁重联事件

综合分析了ClusterⅡ－C1飞船在2001年9月15日飞越地球磁尾等离子体片区的热离子和磁场观测资料。结果表明，约在0340－0440UT时间期间，资料多次呈现出较强的尾向离子流（VXGSM＜0），明显的南向磁场分量（BZGSM＜0），以及明显的晨－昏向磁场分量BYGSM等特征。由此可以推断，在磁尾等离子体片中，在径向方向XGSE＞－18．6Re范围内，可能发生了多次磁重联事件，整个事件持续期约1h。磁重联事件的观测特征与准无（或半）碰撞磁重联理论的基本图像符合一致，因此这些事件应当是准无碰撞磁重联事件。     

行星际磁场北向时磁层顶区磁场重联的全球模式

在对背阳面磁层顶区局域磁场重联模拟的基础上提出了一个行星际磁场北向时磁层顶磁场重联的全球模式。行星际磁场北向时碰层顶磁场重联导致近地尾瓣的能量被输送到远磁尾,太阳风能量不在磁尾储存,向阳面磁层顶变厚,磁层受到一系列扰动。      

晨昏电场对磁亚暴触发的影响

本文讨论了晨昏电场存在时磁尾等离子体片内撕裂模不稳定性的激发和增长问题。得到的结果可以用来解释晨昏电场对磁亚暴的触发以及加快等离子体片贮存能量的耗散等现象。我们推导了存在电场漂移时的撕裂模方程,并在均匀电流片模型下求解了该方程的解析解。结果表明触发不稳定性所允许的临界电流片宽度与电场大小近似成正比,这表明考虑晨昏电场效应后磁亚暴更易被激发。此外对于厚度相同的电流片来说,长波撕裂模的增长率也随晨昏电场的加强而增大。      

磁尾等离子体片对流对亚暴的影响

采用2(1/2)维全粒子电磁模拟方法研究了等离子体片中稳态对流及局地爆发高速流对磁层亚暴触发过程的影响.研究发现,地向瞬时局地高速流可触发磁场重联,导致储存于磁尾磁场能量的快速释放.但是,等离子体片稳态对流可抑制磁尾磁场重联过程.此项研究结果表明,局地爆发高速流能够触发磁层亚暴;而行星际磁场(IMF)持续南向时的稳态磁层对流期间,不易发生亚暴.      

各向异性等离子体多重电流片的演化

应用二维三维量磁流体动力学方程组模拟，数值研究了压力各向异性等离子体周期多重电流片的演化，发现在β＜＜1时，微弱的各向异性仅仅使电流片中磁场重联的速度加快，而当β≈1（即热压与磁压相当时，微弱的垂直各向异性不仅大大加速了磁场重联的速度，还使重联位置发生显著变化。初始反对称的磁场重联位形逐步转化为对称的磁场位形，进而再演化为与初始反相的反对称磁场位形，场向各向异性和强的垂直各向异性都导致不稳定性增长率成倍增加。但在场各向异下磁场位形基本不变，只在电流片中心出现不规则扰动，同样参数下向向异性等离子体多重电流片中磁场重联形成的磁岛比各向同性多层电流要小。     

磁云边界层中的复合重联喷流观测分析

太阳风中的磁场重联通常与行星际日冕物质抛射有关.本文分析了1995年10月18日WIND飞船观测到的一例磁云前边界层中的复合重联喷流事件.该复合排空区由相邻两个不同方向的喷流构成，这两个喷流分别经过Walén关系的证认，符合行星际磁场重联排空区等离子体喷流的特征.结果表明，在磁云前端可能存在众多重联点，从而将磁云本体的磁场剥离，形成比单一重联喷流区更复杂的三维边界层结构.磁云边界层中可能发生多点多次重联，从而不表现出单点重联的排空区特征，这可能是行星际磁场重联排空区较少在ICME前端被观测到的原因之一.      

A fast tearing mode instability driven by agyrotropic electron pressure

The collisionless plasma environment at the current sheet of the Earth’s magnetotail is subjected to fast dynamic evolutions such as tearing instability. By considering agyrotropic pressure for electron and ion components of a collisionless plasma, we analytically investigate the dynamics of tearing mode instability, in which, breaking the frozen-in condition can either be provided by the electron inertia or by agyrotropic electron pressure. A set of linearized Hall-Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations describes the evolution of tearing mode in a sheared force-free field. The presented scaling analysis shows that if the plasma-β$\beta$ exceeds a specified value, then the main mechanism of magnetic reconnection process is the nongyrotropic electron pressure. In this regime, the role played by agyrotropic ion pressure inside the reconnection layer is out of significance. Therefore, the electron-MHD framework, adequately, describes the dynamics of tearing instability with a growth rate which is much faster compared to the cases with a dominated bulk inertia or a gyrotropic plasma pressure.     

Reconnection in multiple current sheet configurations in the solar corona

We investigate magnetic reconnection in a multiple current sheet configuration by means of three-dimensional resistive MHD simulations. This configuration might be of interest in the solar corona context, e.g. for coronal helmet streamers. We present results of our simulations of the linear and nonlinear development of the tearing mode instability. In particular, we highlight the changes in magnetic topology and the resulting plasma dynamics. Our results indicate that reconnection in complex coronal neighboring magnetic flux systems efficiently converts magnetic field energy into thermal energy and leads to small-scale tongue outflows rather than large-scale coronal mass ejections.     

Magnetic reconnection in solar flares and corresponding radio bursts

The 2D MHD model of the flare magnetic reconnection shows that a reconnection activity, changes of the magnetic field topology and generation of waves are connected. It is found that after the phase of a quasi-stationary reconnection in the extended current sheet above the flare arcade the tearing mode instability produces the plasmoids which then can interact and generate MHD waves. Results of particle-in-cell simulations of the tearing processes, which accelerate electrons, are mentioned. Then all these processes are discussed from the point of view of possible radio emissions. While shocks can contribute to the type II radio burst, the superthermal electrons trapped in plasmoids can generate so called drifting pulsating structures. Furthermore, regions with the MHD turbulence may manifest themselves as the lace or dm-spike bursts.     

The Jovian magnetotail

This paper will review the present state of knowledge of plasma, magnetic field and plasma wave characteristics of the Jovian magnetotail, near Jupiter and to distances as great as 9,000 Jupiter radii, and from both the large and small scale perspectives. Our knowledge of Jupiter's tail, especially the distant tail, comes primarily from data from five experiments onboard Voyager 2, some of which will be presented. The Jovian tail has many unusual properties, such as the large scale sausage-string shape of its outer boundary, but shares some important properties with earth's magnetotail, such as a central current sheet and a surrounding region resembling a plasma sheet consisting of hot ions (E > 28 keV). This new interpretation of the existence of a “plasma sheet” clears up the dilemma of the so-called core regions, which we will discuss. There is a significant flow of plasma of solar wind origin in the distant tail lobes having (tailward) speeds and densities suggestive of boundary layer plasma. We will discuss tail size, estimated magnetic flux content, degree of field helicity, magnetic turbulence (in near vs. far tail regions), and evidence for the tearing away of the tail (probably by field reconnection) at the time of an interplanetary magnetic sector boundary passage.     

The role of magnetic field shear in solar flares

We present observational results and their physical implications garnered from the deliberations of the FBS Magnetic Shear Study Group on magnetic field shear in relation to flares. The observed character of magnetic shear and its involvement in the buildup and release of flare energy are reviewed and illustrated with emphasis on recent results from the Marshall Space Flight Center vector magnetograph. It is pointed out that the magnetic field in active regions can become sheared by several processes, including shear flow in the photosphere, flux emergence, magnetic reconnection, and flux submergence. Modeling studies of the buildup of stored magnetic energy by shearing are reported which show ample energy storage for flares. Observational evidence is presented that flares are triggered when the field shear reaches a critical degree, in qualitative agreement with some theoretical analyses of sheared force-free fields. Finally, a scenario is outlined for the class of flares resulting from large-scale magnetic shear; the overall instability driving the energy release results from positive feedback between reconnection and eruption of the sheared field.     

Reconnection active layers

The analysis presented shows that the classical model of non-linear magnetic field line reconnection changes considerably in the presence of sheared magnetic fields and/or high tangential plasma flow components. This shear excites large amplitude Alfvén waves on both sides of the reconnection layer where the magnetic field is rotated to a common direction within the layer. In addition two slow shock (or rarefaction) waves within the reconnection layer are necessary to account for the remaining shear in plasma flow. The detailed structures of such reconnection layers with implications for magnetopause reconnection events are discussed.     

Comparative study of plasma wave activity in the plasma sheet boundary and near Earth plasma sheet

The general structure of low frequency wave activity in the Earth's plasma sheet and its boundary layer is studied on the basis of the measurements made by ‘Prognoz-8’ satellite in the northern night and morning parts of the magnetotail. Pronounced wave activity is permanently observed in the high latitude parts of the plasma sheet boundary layer. The level of perturbations diminishes when a spacecraft moves towards tail lobes and drops rather sharply when it moves to the central plasma sheet. The peaks near the low hybrid resonance frequency (correlating with the local strength of the magnetic field) are evident in the electric field fluctuations spectra. A plasma instability of low hybrid type driven by transverse current is though to be the possible candidate for the excitation of these waves. Wave activity in tail lobes is related mainly to the isolated hot and cold plasma streams.     

ISEE-1 and -2 observations of magnetotail flux ropes: FTEs in the plasma sheet?

ISEE-1 and 2 observations from about 20 Re down the near-Earth magnetotail indicate the presence of magnetic flux ropes in the neutral sheet. Magnetic and electric field and fast plasma data show that these structures convect across the spacecraft at speeds of 200–600-km/s, and have scale sizes of roughly 3–5-Re. The rope axis orientation is approximately cross-tail. Their magnetic structure is similar to Venus ionospheric flux ropes, and to flux transfer events at the dayside magnetopause. These structures may arise from patchy reconnection or tearing mode reconnection within the plasma sheet.     

Study of three dimensional structure of the fast convection flow in the plasma sheet by MHD simulations on the basis of spontaneous fast reconnection model

Three dimensional structure of the fast convection flow in the plasma sheet is examined using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations on the basis of spontaneous fast reconnection model. The fast flow observed in the near-Earth magnetotail is one of the key phenomena in order to understand the causal relationship between magnetic substorm and magnetic reconnection. In this paper, we focus on this earthward fast flow in the near-Earth magnetotail. Our previous studies have shown that the fast reconnection produces the Alfvénic fast reconnection outflow and drastic magnetic field dipolarization in the finite extent. In this paper, the results of our simulations are compared with those of the in-situ observations in the geomagnetotail. They have consistent temporal profiles of the plasma quantities. It is suggested that the fast convection flows are caused by spontaneous fast reconnection.