Magnetic reconnection is an important physical processes in many areas of plasma physics. It is especially important in the solar corona, at Earth's magnetopause, and in Earth's magnetotail. It is thought that anomalous resistivity associated with plasma turbulence plays a significant and perhaps critical role in the physical processes by which magnetic reconnection takes place. Anomalous resisteivity has been examined many times in terms of quasi-linear theory but a detailed non-linear theory has yet to be found. This project will develop a fully non-linear theory of anomalous resistivity that arises from the Buneman plasma instability. There is a significant risk of failure associated with the research, but if successful a non-linear theory of anomalous resistivity has the potential to be transformative.
