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Volume 53 Supplement 6

Special Issue: Magnetic Reconnection in Space and Laboratory Plasmas

Magnetic reconnection in large-scale cosmic plasmas

Earth, Planets and Space volume 53, pages 677–681 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

X-ray emitting hot plasmas of a temperature 2–12 keV, associated with galaxy clusters, constitute the most dominant form of baryons in the universe. The plasma is thought to be magnetized at least to 0.1–1 nT, although the β value is relatively high at 10–100. The plasma is confined by gravity of each cluster in a stable manner, but the member galaxies are moving through it with an approximately transonic speed. Therefore, the plasma must be in a magnetohydrodynamically turbulent condition, where frequent magnetic reconnection is expected to take place. Mainly based on observations with the ASCA X-ray Observatory, evidence for such magnetic reconnection is accumulating.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Kazuo Makishima

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  1. Kazuo Makishima
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Correspondence to Kazuo Makishima.

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Makishima, K. Magnetic reconnection in large-scale cosmic plasmas. Earth Planet Sp 53, 677–681 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03353288

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03353288

Keywords

  • Dark Matter
  • Magnetic Reconnection
  • Spiral Galaxy
  • Galaxy Cluster
  • Stellar Mass