One of the few non-MHD treatments of the standard reconnection model; here we see a two-fluid approach. Surprise! The results differ radically from previous ones in the ideal MHD approximation, thus presumably invalidating them all - perhaps a majority of the cartoons in this Archive flushed away?
Actually what is shown here is a diagram of the results, rather than the actual cartoon. The Archivist prefers this because of the vivid colors. Note that the ion temperatures exceed the electron temperatures, a result that not only invalidates the ideal MHD predecessors to this calculation, but invalidates the calculation itself! That is because we observe electrons to get the bulk of the energy in the process. Presumably this would be revealed if one could do a full kinetic simulation. One could speculate that the inclusion of fast electrons (as observed via their bremsstrahlung) might change the global structure of the process via their non-fluid character.
IC stands for "ion cooling," SS for "slow shock," CF for "conduction front," and RD for "rotational discontinuity."
September 15, 2010