Vortices, Reconnection and Turbulence in High Electron-Beta Plasmas

在太空和实验室中，动能大大超过磁能的等离子体很常见。这样的等离子体可以对流磁场并产生零点，在零点附近，离子首先变得不磁化，然后是电子。这个项目的重点是详细研究这些等离子体的过渡状态。项目内的实验将涉及三个主题：1)非线性磁涡流产生的三维零点重连；2)电子惯性尺度长度以下的电流片等小尺度结构；3)磁湍流和异常电子输运。

Plasmas in which the kinetic energy exceeds the magnetic energy by a significant factor are common in space and in the laboratory. Such plasmas can convect magnetic fields and create null points in whose vicinity first the ions become unmagnetized, then the electrons. This project focuses on the detailed study of the transition regime of these plasmas. Experiments within the project will address three topics: 1) reconnection at three-dimensional null points produced by nonlinear magnetic vortices; 2) small-scale structures such as current sheets below the electron inertial scale length; and 3) magnetic turbulence and anomalous electron transport.