Reconnection rate of magnetic-field lines in hydromagnetic plasma turbulence

Rates of magnetic reconnection are investigated in terms of the spectral functions of magnetic-field turbulence and the density of magnetic helicity. It has been shown that Parker's scaling of the reconnection rates, sustained through observations in astrophysical and laboratory settings, is a consequence of transverse magnetic fluctuations generated by the influx of fields and plasmas into a reconnection cell, an idea corroborating that of ''forced'' reconnection. Three-dimensional and helicity-dependent effects in the reconnection processes are also analyzed. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.