A current carrying flux tube will have a plasma column dominated by either a parallel or perpendicular magnetic fields. z-pinch, fluxtube whatever you want to call it. I dont care at this point. It is a column of plasma that is constricted by magnetic fields according to the right hand rule. This column travels in pairs as shown by numerous lab experiments and observations.
And
still you have not explained to us how the plasma suddenly decides to make these big flux tubes in your "theory" of electrons flowing "straight" and "gyrating around a field that still needs to be created" etc. etc.
A flux tube on the sun, filled with plasma will get currents flowing along it due to shearing motion (read the papers that MM quoted, especially the O&M paper with the circuits, where this is specifically said). Then the currents will add their toroidal magnetic fields to the guide field, and twist it into a rope.
The main field, however, was created below the surface of the Sun, through dynamo action. Naturally, it would be silly to assume that the flux tubes would be generated completely current less, so they will most likely have a little twist when they pop out of the surface of the Sun and become visible.
However, in the laboratory experiments, by e.g. Intrator et al. (Nature-physics, 2009) two flux tubes, thus a pair, are generated
on purpose, not out or necessity because, according to you, "this column travels in pairs" (whatever that may mean anyway).
The reason those magnetic fields are there is because the plasma is moving. The reason there are magnetic fields in that region of space is because there is a plasma there. You will not find flux tubes in a region of space where there is no plasma.
No, the magnetic field is generated BELOW the surface of the Sun. Unless you can show us specifically how these flux tubes are created in the atmosphere of the Sun, however, I already asked this question three or four times, and I only got an answer once, and that was nonsense. (described above by me).
A flux tube is a mathematical entity, you can easily have a flux tube in vacuum or in non-plasma gas.
Why is this important? Because it is necessary to know the correct setup for an experiment. This is the setup for reconnection in The Large Plasma Device.
This tells you why a reconnection happens. Its not a mystery.
What is "this" which "tells me why a reconnection happens?"
The thing that blows me away is how as soon as you get into space you say the mechanism completely changes.
But that is the problem, we DON'T say the mechanism completely changes. However, you have to look at the situation that you are looking at. In the lab it is easiest to create two flux ropes, with initial parallel field (as there is only one magnetic field generator). Then a voltage is applied and currents start to flow and two flux ropes are produced, which attract because of parallel currents. Then the two ropes get together and can touch and have
oppositely directed field at the touching point. And this can lead to reconnection (although also a bouncing phenomenon has been noted Intrator et al., 2009, without reconnection).
Now, zoom in at the site where reconnection happens. Oppositly directed field pushed/pulled to eachother.
Then go to the dayside magnetosphere, when the solar wind magnetic field turns south, the magnetosphere field points north, we have oppositely directed field and reconnetion happens. This time not because of currents attracting eachother, but because the solar wind pushes its field against that of the Earth.
Then go to the magnetotail, a region of oppositely directed field separated by a current sheet. Something pushed on the tail, current sheet thins, opposite fields are driven together and start to reconnect, expelling before-non-existent plasmoids down the tail.
So once you understand that reconnections happen only in flux tubes, and that a flux tube is a current carrying plasma feature, then the rest is obvious.
Oh yeah, so obvious. Naturally, everything above could be described as "flux tubes" in some sense, but in the tail the current is flowing
perpendicular to the field, in the solar wind there is NO current at all to start with, and only when the fields get ready to reconnect, then the processes start up for current flow along and perpendicular to the field.
Can you show me the PIC reconnection simulations that have been happening for decades?? If they had I suspect we would not be having this conversation.
I showed you that webpage at LAPD where they are starting a project to do PIC in parallel with plasma reconnection experiments. I was gratified that somebody was finally going to get to the bottom of this.
There are loads and loads of PIC papers on reconnection. You just have not taken the effort to look for them on ADS. Even better, as PIC can only describe small regions of space, because of computational limitations, efforts are now made to merge MDH (of various kinds) codes with PIC codes, where the MHD code describes the large scale physics and the PIC the details around the reconnection site.
Here is a paper by Semenov et al. (2009) about PIC and comparisons with analytical theory, which cites
this list of papers where you certainly will find whatever your heart desires. And as Annales Geophysicae is open, you can even download the paper for free.
!)
