Figure 1: MRX apparatus and two-fluid reconnection.
From: Conversion of magnetic energy in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma
(a) MRX apparatus and the reconnection layer. Each flux core (darkened sections) contains both toroidal field (TF) and poloidal field (PF) coils. The distance between the surfaces of the two flux cores is 42 cm. After a poloidal magnetic field is created by the PF coil currents, an inductive plasma discharge is created around each flux core by pulsing the TF currents in the coils16. After the annular plasmas are created, the PF coil current can be increased or decreased to drive different modes of reconnection. For decreasing PF current, the poloidal flux in the common plasma is pulled back towards the X-point (pull mode); this mode was used for the present experiment. (b) Flow of electrons (red broken lines) and ions (blue) in the reconnection plane together with reconnecting field line components projected in the reconnection plane. The green marks are out-of-plane field component18,19. (c) Corresponding 3D schematic picture of the reconnection field lines.
