Time: 2012-05-16 13:00:00
Speaker: Dr. Alessandro Biancalani [Max Planck Institut fuer Plasmaphysik]
Place: Rm. 413, Bld. 11#, Yuquan Campus
Abstract: Title:Nonlinear growth acceleration in gyrofluid simulations of collisionless reconnection
Speaker:Dr. Alessandro Biancalani
Abstract:
Collisionless magnetic reconnection is investigated in the framework of a gyrofluid plasma model. This is the relevant regime of high-temperature plasmas, where reconnection is made possible by electron inertia and has higher growth rates than resistive reconnection. Reconnecting modes in the so called large Delta prime regime are considered, evolving in a background 3D slab model, where modes with different helicities can interact, and high spatial resolution is affordable. The presence of a strong guide field is assumed. Strong acceleration of growth is found at the onset to nonlinearity, and strong, turbulent bursts of turbulent relaxation are found at later phases, while at all times the energy functional is well conserved. Finite Larmor radius effects are discussed and the dependence of the nonlinear growth rate on beta is studied.