Resistive Layer Physics

By analogy with Equation (3.102), we can write

$${\mit\Delta\Psi}_s = \tau_s\left(\frac{d{\mit\Psi}_s}{dt} + {\rm i}\,\omega\,{\mit\Psi}_s\right).$$ (3.108)

Here, $\tau _s$ is the reconnection time (i.e., the typical timescale on which magnetic reconnection takes place in the resistive layer surrounding the rational surface), whereas $\omega$ is the angular rotation frequency of the tearing mode in the laboratory frame. The rotation frequency is non-zero because the reconnected flux in the resistive layer is convected by the local plasma flow [4].