Progress in Laboratory 3D Torisional Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection is a well known phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas and occurs in the solar corona and Earth's magnetotail. The most commonly studied type of reconnection in the lab is the 2D X-type. However, astrophysical plasmas have complex 3D magnetic structures which result in 3D reconnection events. This work is focused on a particular type of 3D reconnection called the torsional magnetic reconnection (TMR). TMR is one potential mechanism for coronal mass ejections and has been investigated theoretically and computationally since the early 2000s. Besides astrophysical cases, 3D reconnction also has potential application to space propulsion and inertial fusion, if the phenomenon can be produced in the lab. This talk presents the background on TMR and the current efforts to produce laboratory TMR between the University of Alabama in Huntsville and SpaceWave LLC under funding from the US Department of Energy.