Spectroscopic observation of simultaneous bi-directional reconnection outflows in a laboratory plasma

We report a precise, direct spectroscopic measurement of simultaneous bi-directional outflows from a reconnection event in a laboratory plasma. Outflow speeds are as Alfvenic and Abel analysis shows that the outflows are generated in the plasma core. A Sweet-Parker like analysis of outflow speed coupled with external measurements of reconnection electric field and assumption of Spitzer resistivity predict an aspect ratio of the reconnection layer and reconnection rate that are close to that measured in the experiment and in simulations. However, this analysis underestimates the absolute scale of the layer, indicating other than 2D resistive physics is at play. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4747345]