Current sheets and reconnection driven by footpoint motion in two-dimensional coronal loops with X-type neutral lines7

1994 ◽  
Vol 420 ◽  
pp. 415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaogang Wang ◽  
A. Bhattacharjee
1989 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-288
Author(s):  
Ph. Peterle ◽  
J. Hoyvaerts

AbstractA two-dimensional sheet model for solar filaments (Kippenhahn and Schluter configuration) is considered. We investigate, the quasi-static evolution of gravito-magnetohydrostatic equlibria in exploring the response of massive current sheets to a slow continuous variation of the mass/flux ratio with fixed boundary conditions. A catastrophic behavior of the field topology is found to occur in the sequence following the formation of a cusp point (bifurcation).


Author(s):  
Jaume Terradas ◽  
Ramón Oliver ◽  
José Luis Ballester

The excitation and damping of transversal coronal loop oscillations is studied using one-and two-dimensional models of line-tied cylindrical loops. By solving the time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic equations it is shown how an initial disturbance generated in the solar corona induces kink mode oscillations. We investigate the effect of the disturbance on a loop with a non-uniform boundary layer. In particular, a strong damping of transversal oscillations due to resonant absorption is found, such as predicted by previous works based on normal mode analysis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 655-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Baty

AbstractA numerical study of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamics for Sweet–Parker current sheets that are subject to plasmoid instability is carried out. The effect of the initial upstream plasma-β on the critical Lundquist number Sc for the onset of plasmoid instability is studied. Our results indicate a weak dependence, with a value of Sc ≃ 1.5 × 104 in the limit of zero β, and a value of Sc ≃ 1 × 104 in the opposite high β regime (β ≫ 1). A similar dependence was previously obtained (Ni et al. 2012 Phys. Plasm. 19, 072902), but with a somewhat much larger variation, that can be largely attributed to the different configuration setup used in their study, and also to the definition of the Lundquist number. This conclusion does not depend significantly on the equilibrium used, i.e. both initial configurations with either plasma density or temperature spatial variations lead to very similar results. Finally, we show that the inner plasmoid structure appears as an under-dense hotted magnetic island, with a local temperature increase that is noticeably strengthened for low β cases.


Author(s):  
M. R. Bareford ◽  
A. W. Hood

An analysis of the importance of shock heating within coronal magnetic fields has hitherto been a neglected area of study. We present new results obtained from nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic simulations of straight coronal loops. This work shows how the energy released from the magnetic field, following an ideal instability, can be converted into thermal energy, thereby heating the solar corona. Fast dissipation of magnetic energy is necessary for coronal heating and this requirement is compatible with the time scales associated with ideal instabilities. Therefore, we choose an initial loop configuration that is susceptible to the fast-growing kink, an instability that is likely to be created by convectively driven vortices, occurring where the loop field intersects the photosphere (i.e. the loop footpoints). The large-scale deformation of the field caused by the kinking creates the conditions for the formation of strong current sheets and magnetic reconnection, which have previously been considered as sites of heating, under the assumption of an enhanced resistivity. However, our simulations indicate that slow mode shocks are the primary heating mechanism, since, as well as creating current sheets, magnetic reconnection also generates plasma flows that are faster than the slow magnetoacoustic wave speed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document