Magnetic reconnection studies with wire ablation plasmas

We have found that arrays of fine wires driven by pulsed current (1 MA, 300 ns pulse length) can be used to study magnetic reconnection. A pair of parallel wires produce an X-point magnetic topology between them. The wires continuously evolve plasma from their expanding surfaces and when the driving voltage reverses, the current in the surface plasma reverses and it is repelled from the wire cores, producing a reconnection flow. These aluminum plasmas at a temperature of 30 - 100 eV and 10$^{18}$ /cm$^{3}$ density radiate strongly in soft X-rays, and XUV imaging shows the development of the X-point magnetic null into an extended current sheet. These experimental results will be presented.