EXACT-SOLUTIONS FOR STEADY-STATE, SPINE, AND FAN MAGNETIC RECONNECTION

The problem of steady state, incompressible magnetic reconnection in t hree dimensions is addressed. It is shown that exact reconnection solu tions can be constructed by superposing nonlinear disturbances onto th ree-dimensional magnetic X-points. There are two distinct families of reconnection solutions. These can be understood in terms of the eigens tructure of the null, that is, in terms of the ''spine'' curves and '' fan'' surfaces that define the separatrices of the field. One family o f solutions is driven by disturbances in the fan and involves quasi-cy lindrical current structures aligned to the axis of the spine; the oth er is associated with advection across the spine and a global current sheet aligned to the fan. Although both spine and fan solutions reduce to the two-dimensional analytic, shear-flow solutions of Craig & Hent on, the three-dimensional spine current formulation allows far richer reconnective current structures.