ABSTRACT
The magnetic field in a plasma and the plasma displacement perpendicular to it obey the same convective equation in a perfectly conducting plasma. In the tearing instability the released magnetic energy in the outer region is converted into the internal kinetic energy of the plasma in the central layer. In many astrophysical and geophysical situations, external disturbances trigger the process of magnetic reconnection, in which the process seems often outright nonlinear and the time scale is many orders of magnitude shorter than the resistive time scale. In order to convert magnetic energy into kinetic energy rapidly and by a substantial amount, it seems necessary that the bulk of the available magnetic energy must participate in the conversion process. Analysis of simulation results leads to a heuristic model of the explosive coalescence and further a more complete theory of this process.
