Detection of Microinstabilities in the Out-of-Plane Direction of Low-Beta Magnetic Reconnection Driven by Lasers

Magnetic reconnection, the process whereby changes in magnetic topology allow for the rapid conversion of magnetic potential energy into particle kinetic energy, has been studied extensively through simulations, space observations, and laboratory experiments. Many of these studies have focused on the 2D dynamics of reconnection; however, there is increasing interest in 3D effects. These effects include microinstabilities that may modify reconnection dynamics and the possible mechanisms for energy dissipation. While these effects remain difficult to study numerically due to the large scale-separations between the reconnection dynamics and instabilities, such effects are possible to study in the laboratory. In a low-beta magnetic reconnection experiment using a laser-driven capacitor coil we recently observed the formation of bursts of ion and electron acoustic waves in the reconnection outflow direction [S. Zhang et al., Nat. Phys., 2023]. Building on this, we conducted a follow-up experiment at the OMEGA laser facility to investigate wave activity in the out-of-plane direction, where instabilities are expected. We observe strong oscillatory electron drifts, suggesting the development of instabilities in the reconnection exhaust. Candidate instabilities and their implications for reconnection dynamics will be discussed.