Response to "comment on Scaling of asymmetric magnetic reconnection: General theory and collisional simulations' " [Phys. Plasmas 16, 034701 (2009)]

Abstract

The comment by Semenov has called into question our derivation of the outflow velocity in asymmetric magnetic reconnection. We present three reasons that the analysis presented in the comment is incorrect. Most importantly, the authors of the comment have incorrectly applied results from one-dimensional shock theory to the problem of conservation through a two-dimensional dissipation region. For completeness, we compare their predictions to numerical simulation results, finding that their theory does not describe the data. We conclude the analysis in the comment is without merit. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.