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Ji H, Yoo J, Fox W, Yamada M, Argall M, Egedal J, Liu YH, Wilder R, Eriksson S, Daughton W, Bergstedt K, Bose S, Burch J, Torbert R, Ng J, Chen LJ. Laboratory Study of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2023; 219:76. [PMID: 38023292 PMCID: PMC10651714 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-023-01024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
A concise review is given on the past two decades' results from laboratory experiments on collisionless magnetic reconnection in direct relation with space measurements, especially by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Highlights include spatial structures of electromagnetic fields in ion and electron diffusion regions as a function of upstream symmetry and guide field strength, energy conversion and partitioning from magnetic field to ions and electrons including particle acceleration, electrostatic and electromagnetic kinetic plasma waves with various wavelengths, and plasmoid-mediated multiscale reconnection. Combined with the progress in theoretical, numerical, and observational studies, the physics foundation of fast reconnection in collisionless plasmas has been largely established, at least within the parameter ranges and spatial scales that were studied. Immediate and long-term future opportunities based on multiscale experiments and space missions supported by exascale computation are discussed, including dissipation by kinetic plasma waves, particle heating and acceleration, and multiscale physics across fluid and kinetic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Ji
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, 08544 New Jersey USA
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - J. Yoo
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - W. Fox
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - M. Yamada
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - M. Argall
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, 8 College Road, Durham, 03824 New Hampshire USA
| | - J. Egedal
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1150 University Avenue, Madison, 53706 Wisconsin USA
| | - Y.-H. Liu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 17 Fayerweather Hill Road, Hanover, 03755 New Hampshire USA
| | - R. Wilder
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 701 S. Nedderman Drive, Arlington, 76019 Texas USA
| | - S. Eriksson
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, 80303 Colorado USA
| | - W. Daughton
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, 87545 New Mexico USA
| | - K. Bergstedt
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, 08544 New Jersey USA
| | - S. Bose
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - J. Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, 78238 Texas USA
| | - R. Torbert
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, 8 College Road, Durham, 03824 New Hampshire USA
| | - J. Ng
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, 4296 Stadium Drive, College Park, 20742 Maryland USA
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 130, Greenbelt, 20771 Maryland USA
| | - L.-J. Chen
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 130, Greenbelt, 20771 Maryland USA
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Kline JL, Volegov PL. Toward 3D data visualization using virtual reality tools. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2021; 92:033528. [PMID: 33820072 DOI: 10.1063/5.0040468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) offers the opportunity to display data, instrumentation, and experimental setups in three dimensions and gives the user the ability to interact with the objects. This technology moves visualization beyond two-dimensional projections on a flat screen with a fixed field of view in which a keyboard or another similar controller is needed to change the view. Advances in both hardware and software for VR make it possible for the non-expert to develop visualization tools for scientific applications both for viewing and for sharing data or diagnostic hardware between users in three dimensions. This manuscript describes application development using two VR software tools, Unity gaming engine and A-frame, for visualizing data and high energy physics targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Kline
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - P L Volegov
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
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Gekelman W, DeHaas T, Prior C, Yeates A. Using topology to locate the position where fully three-dimensional reconnection occurs. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-020-03896-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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4
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Magnetic Reconnection: A Kinetic Treatment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1029/gm090p0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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5
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Moser AL, Bellan PM. Magnetic reconnection from a multiscale instability cascade. Nature 2012; 482:379-81. [DOI: 10.1038/nature10827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Accepted: 01/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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6
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Collette A, Gekelman W. Structure of an exploding laser-produced plasma. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2010; 105:195003. [PMID: 21231174 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.105.195003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We describe the first-ever volumetric, time-resolved measurements performed with a moving probe within an expanding dense plasma, embedded in a background magnetized plasma. High-resolution probe measurements of the magnetic field and floating potential in multiple 2D cut planes combined with a 1 Hz laser system reveal complex three-dimensional current systems within the expanding plasma. Static (ωreal=0) flutelike density striations are observed at the leading edge of the plasma, which are correlated to variations in the current layer at the edge of the expanding plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Collette
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
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Uritsky VM, Pouquet A, Rosenberg D, Mininni PD, Donovan EF. Structures in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: detection and scaling. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2010; 82:056326. [PMID: 21230595 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.82.056326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2010] [Revised: 09/29/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We present a systematic analysis of statistical properties of turbulent current and vorticity structures at a given time using cluster analysis. The data stem from numerical simulations of decaying three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the absence of an imposed uniform magnetic field; the magnetic Prandtl number is taken equal to unity, and we use a periodic box with grids of up to 1536³ points and with Taylor Reynolds numbers up to 1100. The initial conditions are either an X -point configuration embedded in three dimensions, the so-called Orszag-Tang vortex, or an Arn'old-Beltrami-Childress configuration with a fully helical velocity and magnetic field. In each case two snapshots are analyzed, separated by one turn-over time, starting just after the peak of dissipation. We show that the algorithm is able to select a large number of structures (in excess of 8000) for each snapshot and that the statistical properties of these clusters are remarkably similar for the two snapshots as well as for the two flows under study in terms of scaling laws for the cluster characteristics, with the structures in the vorticity and in the current behaving in the same way. We also study the effect of Reynolds number on cluster statistics, and we finally analyze the properties of these clusters in terms of their velocity-magnetic-field correlation. Self-organized criticality features have been identified in the dissipative range of scales. A different scaling arises in the inertial range, which cannot be identified for the moment with a known self-organized criticality class consistent with magnetohydrodynamics. We suggest that this range can be governed by turbulence dynamics as opposed to criticality and propose an interpretation of intermittency in terms of propagation of local instabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- V M Uritsky
- Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N1N4, Canada
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Lawrence EE, Gekelman W. Identification of a quasiseparatrix layer in a reconnecting laboratory magnetoplasma. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2009; 103:105002. [PMID: 19792321 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.103.105002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The concept of quasiseparatrix layers (QSLs) has emerged as a powerful tool to study the connectivity of magnetic field lines undergoing magnetic reconnection in solar flares. Although they have been used principally by the solar physics community until now, QSLs can be employed to shed light on all processes in which reconnection occurs. We present the first application of this theory to an experimental flux rope configuration. The three-dimensional data set acquired in this experiment makes the determination of the QSL possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E Lawrence
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
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Mininni PD, Pouquet A. Finite dissipation and intermittency in magnetohydrodynamics. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2009; 80:025401. [PMID: 19792189 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.80.025401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2009] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We present an analysis of data stemming from numerical simulations of decaying magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence up to grid resolution of 1536(3) points and up to Taylor Reynolds number of approximately 1200 . The initial conditions are such that the initial velocity and magnetic fields are helical and in equipartition, while their correlation is negligible. Analyzing the data at the peak of dissipation, we show that the dissipation in MHD seems to asymptote to a constant as the Reynolds number increases, thereby strengthening the possibility of fast reconnection events in the solar environment for very large Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, intermittency of MHD flows, as determined by the spectrum of anomalous exponents of structure functions of the velocity and the magnetic field, is stronger than that of fluids, confirming earlier results; however, we also find that there is a measurable difference between the exponents of the velocity and those of the magnetic field, reminiscent of recent solar wind observations. Finally, we discuss the spectral scaling laws that arise in this flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- P D Mininni
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Collette A, Gekelman W. Two-dimensional micron-step probe drive for laboratory plasma measurement. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2008; 79:083505. [PMID: 19044347 DOI: 10.1063/1.2972150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory measurement of small-scale ( approximately 1 mm) magnetic phenomena over an extended area is a challenge requiring precise diagnostics. We present a novel two dimensional magnetic probe platform capable of directly measuring the magnetic field over a 36 cm(2) region at spatial resolutions better than 1 mm. The platform is discussed in the context of an experiment at the Large Plasma Device facility at UCLA, designed to measure the magnetic interaction between two counterpropagating laser-produced plasmas. The use of a precise, repeatable positioning platform enables the recovery of information about the interaction using cross-correlation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Collette
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, 1000 Veteran Ave., Suite 15-70, California 90095, USA
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Ji H, Terry S, Yamada M, Kulsrud R, Kuritsyn A, Ren Y. Electromagnetic fluctuations during fast reconnection in a laboratory plasma. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2004; 92:115001. [PMID: 15089143 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.92.115001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Experimental evidence for a positive correlation is established between the magnitude of electromagnetic fluctuations up to the lower-hybrid frequency range and enhancement of reconnection rates in a well-controlled laboratory plasma. The fluctuations belong to the right-hand polarized whistler wave branch, propagating obliquely to the reconnecting magnetic field, with a phase velocity comparable to the relative drift velocity between electrons and ions. The measured short coherence lengths indicate their strongly nonlinear nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hantao Ji
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
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12
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Carter TA, Ji H, Trintchouk F, Yamada M, Kulsrud RM. Measurement of lower-hybrid drift turbulence in a reconnecting current sheet. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2002; 88:015001. [PMID: 11800958 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.88.015001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We present a detailed study of fluctuations in a laboratory current sheet undergoing magnetic reconnection. The measurements reveal the presence of lower-hybrid-frequency-range fluctuations on the edge of current sheets produced in the magnetic reconnection experiment (MRX). The measured fluctuation characteristics are consistent with theoretical predictions for the lower-hybrid drift instability (LHDI). Our observations suggest that the LHDI turbulence alone cannot explain the observed fast reconnection rate in MRX.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Carter
- Princeton University, Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
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Yamada M. Review of controlled laboratory experiments on physics of magnetic reconnection. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1998ja900169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Drake JF, Kleva RG, Mandt ME. Structure of thin current layers: Implications for magnetic reconnection. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1994; 73:1251-1254. [PMID: 10057663 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.73.1251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Gekelman W, Stenzel RL. Measurement and instability analysis of three-dimensional anisotropic electron distribution functions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1985; 54:2414-2417. [PMID: 10031336 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.54.2414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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