{
  "id": "0903.0542",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2009-03-03T14:30:31.000Z",
  "updated": "2009-03-03T14:30:31.000Z",
  "title": "Formation of Plasmoid Chains in Magnetic Reconnection",
  "authors": [
    "R. Samtaney",
    "N. F. Loureiro",
    "D. A. Uzdensky",
    "A. A. Schekochihin",
    "S. C. Cowley"
  ],
  "comment": "submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.SR",
    "physics.plasm-ph",
    "physics.space-ph"
  ],
  "abstract": "A detailed numerical study of magnetic reconnection in resistive MHD for very large, previously inaccessible, Lundquist numbers ($10^4\\le S\\le 10^8$) is reported. Large-aspect-ratio Sweet-Parker current sheets are shown to be unstable to super-Alfv\\'enically fast formation of plasmoid (magnetic-island) chains. The plasmoid number scales as $S^{3/8}$ and the instability growth rate in the linear stage as $S^{1/4}$, in agreement with the theory by Loureiro et al. [Phys. Plasmas {\\bf 14}, 100703 (2007)]. In the nonlinear regime, plasmoids continue to grow faster than they are ejected and completely disrupt the reconnection layer. These results suggest that high-Lundquist-number reconnection is inherently time-dependent and hence call for a substantial revision of the standard Sweet-Parker quasi-stationary picture for $S>10^4$.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2009-03-03T14:30:31.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "52.35.Vd",
      "52.35.Py",
      "94.30.cp",
      "96.60.Iv"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "magnetic reconnection",
      "plasmoid chains",
      "large-aspect-ratio sweet-parker current sheets",
      "standard sweet-parker quasi-stationary picture",
      "instability growth rate"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.105004",
      "journal": "Physical Review Letters",
      "year": 2009,
      "month": "Sep",
      "volume": 103,
      "number": 10,
      "pages": 105004
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 0,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 814629,
      "adsabs": "2009PhRvL.103j5004S"
    }
  }
}