Abstract
Several laboratory experiments on magnetic field line reconnection are briefly reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the double inverse pinch device (DIPD) in which magnetic flux is built up during a quiescent reconnection phase and then abruptly transferred during an impulsive reconnection phase. Scaling estimates show that this impulsive phase corresponds to a solar release of 1030 ergs in 102 seconds with the production of GeV potentials. The trigger for the impulsive “flare” is a conduction mode instability (ion-acoustic) which abruptly changes the resistance of the neutral point region when the reconnection current density reaches a critical value.
Some results are presented from another reconnection device which has exactly antiparallel fields at the boundaries. This flat plate device develops one x-type neutral point rather than tearing into many neutral points. The reconnection rate is more quiescent than in the DIPD. A mild conduction mode instability occurs. The results suggest that regions with “flattened” boundary fields may not be as conducive to flares as regions with more curved fields.
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Baum, P.J., Bratenahl, A. Laboratory solar flare experiments. Sol Phys 47, 331–344 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00152272
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00152272