[en] In taillike configurations magnetic reconnection necessarily leads to the formation of plasmoids. This paper analyses the dynamical evolution of the developing plasmoids and the influence of magnetic reconnection on the propertie of plasmoids. By two dimensional resistive MHD calculations it is shown that plasmoid properties depend very much on the reconnection process especially when the reconnection rate is large. Thus the early plasmoid formation is dominated by magnetic reconnection. At later times the main plasmoid acceleration is due to pressure forces while the tension of open interplanetary fieldlines is negligible. The comparison of different resistivity and equilibrium modells reveals a definite influence of the microscopic dissipation and the initial state on magnetic reconnection and the resulting evolution of plasmoids. (author). 8 refs.; 6 figs
Source
Guyenne, T.D.; Hunt, J.J. (European Space Research and Technology Centre, Noordwijk (Netherlands)) (eds.); ESA-SP; no.285(v. 2); 332 p; 1989; p. 223-226; ESTEC; Noordwijk (Netherlands); International workshop on reconnection in space plasma; Potsdam (German Democratic Republic); 5-9 Sep 1988; ISSN 0379-6566; 