Turbulent magnetic reconnection in 2D and 3D

Understand

Magnetic field embedded in a perfectly conducting fluid preserves its topology for all time.

• Although ionized astrophysical objects, like stars and galactic disks, are almost perfectly conducting, they show indications of changes in topology, `magnetic reconnection', on dynamical time scales.
• Reconnection can be observed directly in the solar corona, but can also be inferred from the existence of large scale dynamo activity inside stellar interiors.
• Solar flares and gamma ray busts are usually associated with magnetic reconnection.