Momentum Transport by Current-Driven Reconnection

ORAL

Abstract

Radial transport of poloidal and toroidal angular momentum is rapid during a global reconnection event in the MST reversed field pinch experiment. Theoretical explanation has evolved for transport from Maxwell and Reynolds stresses from multiple nonlinearly coupled tearing modes. Comparing stresses from multimode computation with those for a single mode shows that nonlinear coupling (multiple reconnections) greatly enhances transport. Measurement of stresses in MST (edge and core) supports, but does not yet completely confirm, this explanation. In the edge, Reynolds and Maxwell stresses are very large and oppositely directed, with the difference of order of the measured inertial (acceleration) term. These results raise the possibility that current-driven instability (reconnection) could be active in astrophysical accretion disks, for which flow-driven instability is the leading explanation. Thus, we have begun computation of transport from current-driven instability in disks.

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Authors

  • S.C. Prager

    University of Wisconsin - Madison, Center for Magnetic Self Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Wisconsin, Madison

  • A.F. Almagri

    University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin Madison

  • D.J. Den Hartog

    University of Wisconsin-Madison and Center for Magnetic Self-Organization, University of Wisconsin - Madison

  • F. Ebrahimi

    University of Wisconsin and Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Lab and Astrophysical Plasmas

  • G. Fiksel

    University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • A. Kuritsyn

  • M.C. Miller

    University of Wisconsin - Madison and the CMSO

  • V.V. Mirnov

  • J.S. Sarff

    University of Wisconsin, and Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, UW-Madison, CMSO, University of Wisconsin, Madison, MST and CMSO at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • David Brower

    University of Wisconsin - Madison, Center for Magnetic Self Organization in Lab and Astrophysical Plasmas, University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA

  • Weixing Ding

    Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA

  • D. Craig

    Wheaton College