Secondary Instabilities in Two-Dimensional Collisionless Magnetic Field Line Reconnection in a Fluid Plasma

The role of the “generalized connections” in the development of collisionless magnetic field line reconnection and in the formation of current and vorticity layers is discussed in a two dimensional plasma configuration with a strong guide magnetic field. Secondary instabilities can modify how magnetic connections are advected in the plasma and lead to turbulent redistribution of the current layers and to the formation of long lived fluid vortices inside magnetic islands.