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 flux tubes can ``tunnel'' through each other, a behavior not previously seen in studies of either vortex tube or magnetic flux tube interactions. Two conditions must be satisfied for tunneling to occur: the magnetic field must be highly twisted with a field line pitch \ensuremath{\gg}1, and the Lundquist number must be somewhat large, \ensuremath{\geqslant}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.