Magnetic flux tube tunneling

We present numerical simulations of the collision and subsequent interaction of orthogonal magnetic flux tubes. The simulations were carried out using a parallelized spectral algorithm for compressible magnetohydrodynamics. It is found that. under a wide range of conditions. the Bur tubes can ''tunnel'' through each other, a behavior not previously seen in studies of either vortex tube or magnetic Bur tube interactions, Two conditions must be satisfied for tunneling to occur: the magnetic Field must be highly twisted with a held line pitch much greater than 1, and the Lundquist number must be somewhat large. greater than or equal to 2880. An examination of magnetic field lines suggests that tunneling is due to a double-reconnection mechanism. Initially orthogonal field lines reconnect at two specific locations, exchange interacting sections, and ''pass'' through each other, The implications of these results for solar and space plasmas are discussed.