On the peak level of tearing instability in an ion-scale current sheet: The effects of ion temperature anisotropy

• Published in: Planetary and space science Vol. 59; no. 7; pp. 510 - 516
• Main Authors: Tanaka, K.G., Fujimoto, M., Shinohara, I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2011
• Subjects: Anisotropy; Collisionless magnetic reconnection; Current sheets; Flux; Instability; Ion temperature; Ion temperature anisotropy; Lobes; Particle-in-cell simulation; Space plasma; Stability; Tearing; Wavelengths; Collisionless magnetic reconnection; Instability; Space plasma; Particle-in-cell simulation; Ion temperature anisotropy
• ISSN: 0032-0633; 1873-5088
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2010.04.014

We have systematically surveyed the effects of the ion temperature anisotropy on the peak reconnected flux level of the tearing instability excited in a thick current sheet (its half-thickness D equal to the ion inertial length). A series of two- and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) simulations have been performed for a magnetotail-like situation, where the ion perpendicular temperature is fixed to balance the magnetic pressure of the lobe while the ion parallel temperature can be varied to give rise to the temperature anisotropy α i= T i,perp/ T i,para. Focusing on the behavior of the fastest growing mode (wavelength λ=12 D), the results are summarized as follows: (1) The peak levels are larger when the initial α i is larger and lobe reconnection is obtained only when α i>1.5. (2) 3-D effects do speed-up the reconnection process but do not change the peak level substantially. (3) The time-scale of gas pressure build-up at the center of magnetic islands relative to the time-scale of reconnected flux growth is identified to be the key issue in determining the peak level. Based on these results for the fastest growing mode with λ=12 D, discussion is given on the larger-scale development, that is, what happens when longer wavelength modes are allowed to develop.