Plasma Physics Online Seminar: Plasmoid Instability in Magnetic Reconnection and Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence (Yi-Min Huang)

The ubiquitous thin current sheets in high-Lundquist-number space and astrophysical plasmas are known to be unstable to the plasmoid instability, which disrupts current sheets to form smaller structures such as flux ropes and secondary current sheets. The plasmoid instability thus plays a significant role in magnetic reconnection and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. In this talk, I will discuss the role of the plasmoid instability in triggering the transition from slow to fast reconnection. Then I will talk about the interplay between plasmoid instability and MHD turbulence, including self-generated 3D turbulent reconnection mediated by the plasmoid instability, as well as more recent results on plasmoid-mediated energy cascade in MHD turbulence. Finally, I will also present some evidence of the plasmoid instability in solar observations, investigated in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, which is made possible by the Max Planck Princeton Center.