Magnetic reconnection, a fundamental process driving energy release across laboratory, space, and astrophysical plasmas, efficiently converts magnetic field energy into plasma kinetic and thermal energy. Here, we present the simultaneous, direct observation of plasma outflow acceleration across different spatial scales in laser-produced plasmas: the near-field (local acceleration) and the far-field (the resulting plasma jet). Local plasma flow near the X-point is measured using the Doppler shift of Thomson scattering spectra. The resultant high-speed plasma jet emanating from the reconnection region is subsequently detected by an ion collector with a Faraday cup. The near- and far-field velocity measurements exhibit a similar tendency across three different initial plasma conditions. This simultaneous diagnostic approach provides a powerful tool for the detailed experimental investigation and validation of magnetic reconnection physics.
Morita et al. (Thu,) studied this question.