Simulation of Fast Magnetic Reconnection using a Two-Fluid Model of Collisionless Pair Plasma without Anomalous Resistivity
This work provides a first demonstration of fast reconnection in a fluid model without ad hoc resistivity, potentially impacting plasma physics and astrophysical reconnection studies.
The authors demonstrate fast magnetic reconnection in a two-fluid model of collisionless pair plasma without anomalous resistivity, achieving reconnection rates comparable to observations for a broad range of isotropization rates.
For the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate fast magnetic reconnection near a magnetic null point in a fluid model of collisionless pair plasma without resorting to the contrivance of anomalous resistivity. In particular, we demonstrate that fast reconnection occurs in an anisotropic adiabatic two-fluid model of collisionless pair plasma with relaxation toward isotropy for a broad range of isotropization rates. For very rapid isotropization we see fast reconnection, but instabilities eventually arise that cause numerical error and cast doubt on the simulated behavior.