TY - JOUR
T1 - Magnetic reconnection in partially ionized plasmas
AU - Ni, Lei
AU - Ji, Hantao
AU - Murphy, Nicholas A.
AU - Jara-Almonte, Jonathan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/4/1
Y1 - 2020/4/1
N2 - Magnetic reconnection has been intensively studied in fully ionized plasmas. However, plasmas are often partially ionized in astrophysical environments. The interactions between the neutral particles and ionized plasmas might strongly affect the reconnection mechanisms. We review magnetic reconnection in partially ionized plasmas in different environments from theoretical, numerical, observational and experimental points of view.We focus on mechanisms which make magnetic reconnection fast enough to compare with observations, especially on the reconnection events in the low solar atmosphere. The heating mechanisms and the related observational evidence of the reconnection process in the partially ionized low solar atmosphere are also discussed. We describe magnetic reconnection in weakly ionized astrophysical environments, including the interstellar medium and protostellar discs. We present recent achievements about fast reconnection in laboratory experiments for partially ionized plasmas.
AB - Magnetic reconnection has been intensively studied in fully ionized plasmas. However, plasmas are often partially ionized in astrophysical environments. The interactions between the neutral particles and ionized plasmas might strongly affect the reconnection mechanisms. We review magnetic reconnection in partially ionized plasmas in different environments from theoretical, numerical, observational and experimental points of view.We focus on mechanisms which make magnetic reconnection fast enough to compare with observations, especially on the reconnection events in the low solar atmosphere. The heating mechanisms and the related observational evidence of the reconnection process in the partially ionized low solar atmosphere are also discussed. We describe magnetic reconnection in weakly ionized astrophysical environments, including the interstellar medium and protostellar discs. We present recent achievements about fast reconnection in laboratory experiments for partially ionized plasmas.
KW - Experiment
KW - Magnetic reconnection
KW - Partially ionized plasmas
KW - Simulation
KW - Theory
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U2 - 10.1098/rspa.2019.0867
DO - 10.1098/rspa.2019.0867
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32398944
AN - SCOPUS:85084914498
SN - 1364-5021
VL - 476
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
IS - 2236
M1 - 20190867
ER -