Plasmoid-Mediated 2D Magnetic Reconnection in Partially Ionized Plasmas

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection in partially ionized plasmas is an important channel for energy release. While the plasmoid instability is well characterized in 2D fully ionized plasmas, its behavior in the presence of neutral-dominated plasma remains poorly understood in the nonlinear, high-Lundquist-number ($S = 10^5$) regime. We present high-resolution ($16384 \times 4096$ cells) two-dimensional two-fluid (ion $+$ neutral) simulations of Harris-sheet reconnection with upstream plasma beta $β= 2$, comparing fully ionized and partially ionized (ionization fraction $ξ= 10^{-1}$ and $10^{-2}$) regimes. Neutral-ion decoupling accelerates the linear tearing stage and alters the plasmoid hierarchy: the large-scale ``monster'' plasmoid that dominates the fully ionized case is suppressed, and the sheet instead fragments into a dense chain of sub-scale plasmoids. Below the neutral-ion decoupling scale $\ell_{\rm dec}$, ions concentrate into the plasmoids, reaching peak overdensities $ρ_i/ρ_{i,0} \approx 10$ ($ξ= 10^{-1}$) and $3-5\times10^{3}$ ($ξ= 10^{-2}$), while the neutrals remain comparatively smooth. This local pile-up raises the ionization fraction and recouples the two fluids within the plasmoids. Measured from the out-of-plane electric field at the reconnection sites, the reconnection rate in the $ξ= 10^{-2}$ case achieves $R_{\rm rec}\approx0.01$, whereas the $ξ= 10^{-1}$ case rises to a rate $\approx0.02$ and further $0.035$ when apparent coalescence occurs. In the $ξ= 10^{-2}$ case, the ambipolar drift drives a rapid ion inflow $\sim0.5\,v_{A,0}$ into the layer at the same reconnection sites, far above the neutral inflow velocity $\sim0.1\,v_{A,0}$. Here, $v_{A,0}$ is the upstream total Alfvén speed.