Secondary Instability in 3D Magnetic Reconnection
Abstract
We consider the transition to turbulence in three dimensional reconnection of a magnetic neutral sheet. We find that the transition can occur via a three-step process. First, the sheet undergoes the usual tearing instability. Second, the tearing mode saturates to form a two-dimensional quasi-steady state. Third, this secondary equilibrium is itself unstable when it is perturbed by three-dimensional disturbances. Most of this paper is devoted to the analysis and simulation of the three-dimensional linear stability properties of the two-dimensional saturated tearing layer. The numerical simulations are performed with a semi-implicit, pseudospectral-Fourier collocation algorithm. We identify a three-dimensional secondary liner stability which grows on the ideal timescale. An examination of the modal energetics reveals that the largest energy transfer is from the mean field to the three-dimensional field, with the two-dimensional field acting as a catalyst.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA248630
Entities
People
- R. B. Dahlburg
- S. K. Antiochos
- T. A. Zang
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory