Magnetic field reconnexion in a sheared field

The present paper numerically studies a nonlinear development of the Petschek mode in a sheared magnetic field where there is a field component B_z along an X line. It is found that finite-amplitude intermediate waves, adjacent to the slow shock, may eventually stand in the quasi-steady configuration; on the other hand, the fundamental characteristics of the Petschek-mode development are scarcely influenced, either qualitatively or quantitatively, by the B_z field.