New experimental design to study 3D driven magnetic reconnection

What is it about?

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental energy dissipation mechanism in plasmas. Existing experiments are designed to verify 2D models of this process. However, a more complete understanding of reconnection requires experiments that verify more expansive 3D models of reconnection. We have designed a tabletop experiment to drive the 3D mode of torsional spine reconnection about an isolated magnetic null point.

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Why is it important?

No existing experiment can drive a 3D reconnection mode about an isolated magnetic null point. This small-scale apparatus may also have practical applications in other technology fields.