Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection is a powerful energy-conversion process that operates anywhere in the universe where there is a magnetized plasma. Results of magnetic reconnection can be spectacular and also harmful to technological systems and humans as they include auroras, geomagnetic storms, solar and stellar flares, beams of energetic particles and radio bursts. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of magnetic reconnection and relevant processes in space plasmas based on recent spacecraft observations and theoretical simulations and discusses its astrophysical context.

The book reviews the advancements of our understanding of magnetic reconnection in geospace realized by the recent unprecedentedly high temporal resolution measurements from MMS (Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission) and numerical simulations. The chapters review new discoveries on dynamics of reconnection at the smallest scales, down to the electron kinetic scale, on the diverse roles of waves and turbulence in magnetic reconnection, as well as new insights into the macroscale consequences of reconnection.

The book also provides broad context of magnetic reconnection not only in geospace, but also in different environments throughout the solar system and astrophysical plasmas, and in laboratory plasmas. Readers will find both up-to-date results of the dynamic research field and tutorial articles including the various methods of the spacecraft data analysis and simulation models.

Reprinted from the journal Space Science Reviews, Topical Collection: "Magnetic Reconnection: Explosive Energy Conversion in Space Plasmas"