Statistical Properties of Multiscale Magnetic Reconnection and the FLARE Project

ORAL

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection is widely recognized as a fundamental plasma process underlying many explosive and energetic phenomena observed throughout the Universe, including laboratory fusion experiments. These plasmas are characterized by their high Lundquist numbers, $S$, and large normalized system sizes, $\lambda$. Different cross-scale coupling mechanisms occur during reconnection and can be organized in phase diagrams [Ji & Daughton PoP 2011; Ji et al. submitted 2021]. Statistical properties of these phases are of crucial importance in determining the energetic consequences of magnetic reconnection, such as the non-thermal acceleration of electrons. This presentation summarizes recent progress in quantifying statistical properties by analyzing magnetotail reconnection data [Bergstedt et al. GRL 2020], and theoretically predicting the effect of a guide field on plasmoid size distributions [Majeski et al. submitted 2021]. The upcoming multiscale experiment FLARE (Facility for LAboratory Reconnection Experiments) will be a DoE collaborative user facility and will provide the first experimental access to these multiscale phases. The status and plan for FLARE will be reported.

*We acknowledge support by the DoE under contract No. DE-AC0209CH11466 and Princeton University. The FLARE device was constructed with the support by NSF Major Research Instruments program and by Princeton University.

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Publication: K. Bergstedt, H. Ji, J. Jara-Almonte, J. Yoo, R.E. Ergun, and L.-J. Chen, "Statistical properties of magnetic structures and energy dissipation during turbulent reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail", Geophys. Res. Lett. 47 (2020); H. Ji, W. Daughton, J. Jara-Almonte, A. Le, A. Stanier, and J. Yoo, "Magnetic Reconnection in the era of Exascale Computing and Multiscale Experiments", submitted to Nat. Rev. Phys. (2021); S. Majeski, H. Ji, J. Jara-Almonte, and J. Yoo, "Guide Field Effects on the Distribution of Plasmoids in Multiple Scale Reconnection", submitted to Phys. Plasmas (2021).

Presenters

  • Hantao Ji

    • Princeton University

Authors

  • Hantao Ji

    • Princeton University

  • Jongsoo Yoo

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton University

  • Jonathan M Jara-Almonte

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton University

  • Kendra A Bergstedt

    • Princeton University

  • Stephen P Majeski

    • Princeton University

  • Sayak Bose

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton University

  • Andrew D Alt

    • Princeton University

  • Aaron Goodman

    • Princeton University
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • William R Fox

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), USA
    • Princeton University

  • Yang Ren

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton University

  • Masaaki Yamada

    • Princeton University
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University

  • Amitava Bhattacharjee

    • Princeton University

  • William S Daughton

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Adam J Stanier

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Ari Le

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • Los Alamos Natl Lab