Abstract
We propose an analytic approach to the problem of collisionless magnetic reconnection formulated as a process of Alfvén eigenmodes' generation and dissipation. Alfvén eigenmodes are confined by the current sheet in the same way that quantum mechanical waves are confined by the tanh 2 potential. The dynamical time scale of reconnection is the system scale divided by the eigenvalue propagation velocity of the n=1 mode. The prediction of the n=1 mode shows good agreement with the in situ measurement of the reconnection-associated Hall fields.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 245003 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 102 |
Issue number | 24 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 19 2009 |