Unsteady,
“bursty reconnection” : Tearing mode instability
fragments
magnetic field into magnetic islands, which form
magnetically
neutral O and X-points.
- Tearing mode growth rate: t_G,tear =
[t_diff * t_A]^1/2
- diffusive time scale: t_diff= L^2/eta
(2L=width of current sheet, eta=magnetic
diffusivity)