Numerical simulation of axisymmetric spheromak merging

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Abstract
Axisymmetric merging of spheromaks is studied extensively by means of a magnetohydrodynamic code. Merging simulations of identical and different spheromaks created by the Princeton slow induction method have revealed that (1) the total magnetic energy decreases rather quickly through reconnection while the magnetic helicity is reasonably conserved; (2) a hollow structure appears in the radial q profile when two different spheromaks merge, while the q profile is doubled when the identical spheromaks merge; and (3) the postmerging toroidal flux becomes the sum of the premerging fluxes, while the postmerging poloidal flux remains the same as the larger of premerging fluxes. It is also observed that kinetic energy once converted from the magnetic energy through reconnection is returned back to the agnetic energy near the end of the merging process, this indicating a relaxation toward a lower‐energy force‐free equilibrium.

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