Physical mechanism of reconnection onset in space plasmas

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection plays a crucial role in large dissipative events in space plasmas, such as solar flares and geomagnetic substorms, but there has been much confusion regarding reconnection onset responsible for the explosive events. The main theme of the present paper is to propose a new physical concept on reconnection onset and to clarify physical mechanism responsible for flares and substorms. Reconnection rate can be defined as inductive electric field along X neutral line, so it is proposed that large-scale reconnection can occur when ambient reconnection (inductive) electric fields effectively penetrate into X line. In the solar corona or geomagnetic tail without effective Coulomb collision, reconnection electric fields are shielded (cut off) around X line, so reconnection cannot occur and magnetic energy can be stored in the form of current sheets. It is demonstrated that when plasmas become effectively collisional and dissipative around X line, shielding of reconnection electric fields around X line is violated, and reconnection drastically grows to eventually cause the (Petschek-like) fast reconnection mechanism responsible for flares and substorms.