Role of ion acoustic instability in magnetic reconnection
Abstract
We report on a first-principles numerical study of magnetic reconnection in plasmas with different initial ion-to-electron temperature ratios. In cases where this ratio is significantly below unity, we observe intense wave activity in the diffusion region, driven by the ion-acoustic instability. Our analysis shows that the dominant macroscopic effect of this instability is to drive substantial ion heating. In contrast to earlier studies reporting significant anomalous resistivity, we find that anomalous contributions due to the ion-acoustic instability are minimal. These results shed light on the dynamical impact of this instability on reconnection processes, offering new insights into the fundamental physics governing collisionless reconnection.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Magnetic confinement fusion research
Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
Plasma Diagnostics and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Plasma Physics
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Volume
- 92
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 1 February 2026
- Language
- EN