Introduction to Magnetic Reconnection

Understand

We review the basic concepts of magnetic reconnection and propose a general framework for the astrophysical reconnection at large scales.

• Magnetic reconnection is the rearrangement of magnetic field topology.
• The conventional Sweet-Parker scheme and some of its extensions presume a non-turbulent medium and generally produce very slow reconnection or an unstable configuration.
• However, the assumption of laminar flow is unrealistic in astrophysics since, even in an initially quiet environment, magnetic reconnection by itself can drive turbulence.