Hall magnetic reconnection: Guide field dependence

Abstract

Two-dimensional Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations are used to study the dependence of a guide field on magnetic reconnection. The simulations are run until a steady state is achieved for Bgf∕B0=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 where Bgf is the guide field and B0 is the reversed field. It is found that the reconnection rate and plasma energization are reduced for increasing guide field strength. This is caused by a J×B force associated with Hall currents and the guide field that reduce the inflow and outflow velocities. However, the reconnection rate and plasma energization are only reduced by a factor of 2 for Bgf=5B0. Additionally, the quadrupole field associated with Hall reconnection is eliminated for Bgf≃B0∕3. Applications to magnetospheric plasmas are discussed.