Can turbulent reconnection be fast in 2D?

AbstractTurbulent reconnection is studied by means of two-dimensional (2D) compressible magnetohydrodynamical numerical calculations. The process of homogeneous turbulence is set up by adding two-dimensional random forcing implemented in the spectral space at small wave numbers with no correlation between velocity and forcing. We apply the initial Harris current sheet configuration together with a density profile calculated from the numerical equilibrium of magnetic and gas pressures. We assume that there is no external driving of the reconnection. The reconnection develops as a result of the initial vector potential perturbation. We use open boundary conditions. Our main goal is to find the dependencies of reconnection rate on the uniform resistivity. We present that the reconnection speed depends on the Lindquist number in 2D in the case of low as well as high resolution. When we apply more powerful turbulence the reconnection is faster, however the speed of reconnection is smaller than in the case of our three-dimensional numerical simulations.

Can turbulent reconnection be fast in 2D? Conferences