Resistive MHD stagnation-point flows at a current sheet

Abstract

A family of exact solutions to the MHD equations is presented for steady incompressible two- and three-dimensional flow in the vicinity of the stagnation point, which forms in a current sheet separating two colliding plasma streams. The magnetic field in each plasma is strictly parallel to the current sheet, but can have different magnitudes and directions. Resistive and viscous effects are accounted for. These flows are of considerable interest in connexion with the magnetic field merging process. They represent the limit of resistive field annihilation with zero reconnexion.