Plasmoid formation and strong radiative cooling in a driven magnetic reconnection experiment
File(s)Datta_PRL_2024_Z_recon_accepted.pdf (7.76 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We present the first experimental study of plasmoid formation in a magnetic reconnection layer undergoing rapid radiative cooling, a regime relevant to extreme astrophysical plasmas. Two exploding aluminum wire arrays, driven by the Z machine, generate a reconnection layer (S_{L}≈120) in which the cooling rate far exceeds the hydrodynamic transit rate (τ_{hydro}/τ_{cool}>100). The reconnection layer generates a transient burst of >1 keV x-ray emission, consistent with the formation and subsequent rapid cooling of the layer. Time-gated x-ray images show fast-moving (up to 50 km s^{-1}) hotspots in the layer, consistent with the presence of plasmoids in 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations. X-ray spectroscopy shows that these hotspots generate the majority of Al K-shell emission (around 1.6 keV) prior to the onset of cooling, and exhibit temperatures (170 eV) much greater than that of the plasma inflows and the rest of the reconnection layer, thus providing insight into the generation of high-energy radiation in radiatively cooled reconnection events.
Date Issued
2024-04-12
Date Acceptance
2024-03-05
Citation
Physical Review Letters, 2024, 132 (15)
ISSN
0031-9007
Publisher
American Physical Society
Journal / Book Title
Physical Review Letters
Volume
132
Issue
15
Copyright Statement
© 2024 American Physical Society. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Sponsor
U.S Department of Energy
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38683000
Grant Number
83228-10968
Subjects
01 Mathematical Sciences
02 Physical Sciences
09 Engineering
General Physics
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
155102
Date Publish Online
2024-04-11