Magnetic reconnection with a 0.1 rate: Effective resistivity in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics
Abstract
Relativistic magnetic reconnection is thought to power various multi-wavelength emission signatures from neutron stars and black holes. Relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamics (RRMHD) offers the simplest model of reconnection. However, a small uniform resistivity underestimates the reconnection rate compared to first-principles kinetic models. By employing an effective resistivity based on kinetic models - which connects the reconnection electric field to the charge-starved current density - we show that RRMHD can reproduce the increased reconnection rate of kinetic models, both in local current sheets and in global black hole magnetospheres.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Publication date
- 5 January 2026
- Document type
- Preprint