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Generalization of the Harris current sheet model for non-relativistic, relativistic and pair plasmas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2008

M. BALIKHIN  and
M. GEDALIN
M. BALIKHIN
Affiliation:
ACSE, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
M. GEDALIN
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Abstract

Reconnection is believed to be responsible for plasma acceleration in a large number of space and astrophysical objects. Onset of reconnection is usually related to instabilities of current sheet equilibria. Analytical self-consistent models of an equilibrium current sheet (Harris equilibrium) are known for non-relativistic plasmas and some special cases of relativistic plasmas. We develop a description of generalized Harris equilibria in collisionless non-relativistic and relativistic plasmas. Possible shapes of the magnetic field are analyzed.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 74 , Issue 6 , December 2008 , pp. 749 - 763
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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