On the most typical structure of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection

Abstract

Motivated by the problem of magnetic reconnection in turbulent astrophysical plasmas with a strong magnetic field, in particular, in solar flares, we have calculated the probability of occurrence of various topological structures of three-dimensional reconnection at the null point of a random magnetic field. We have established that the peculiar nonaxisymmetric structure with six asymptotic directions, the six-tailed structure, also called the improper radial null, plays a dominant role. All the remaining structures, in particular, the axisymmetric ones (the proper radial nulls), occur with a much lower probability. The fundamental feature of the six-tailed structure is that at large distances it is approximately reduced to the classical two-dimensional X-type structure.