http://arxiv.org/abs/1901.07971
The million-degree hot solar corona maintains its high temperature and compensates for its radiative losses by continuously acquiring an energy flux of $\approx$10$^{3}$ W m$^{-2,}$. Recent studies suggest that energy transport in the solar corona is associated with localized magnetic flux-tubes, which can channel various kinds of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and shocks as heating candidates. Dissipation of electric current via magnetic reconnection provides an alternate mechanism to heat the solar corona. However, there are various physical conditions that need to be established appropriately in the reconnection region to generate its high rate and subsequent energy release. Using multiwavelength imaging observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we present a novel physical scenario for the formation of a temporary X-point in the solar corona, where plasma dynamics is forced externally by a moving prominence. Natural diffusion was not predominant, however, a prominence driven inflow occurred firstly, forming a thin current sheet and enabling a forced magnetic reconnection at a considerably high rate. Observations vis-\’a-vis numerical model reveal that forced reconnection may rapidly and efficiently release energy in the solar corona to heat it locally even without establishing a significant and self-consistent diffusion region.
A. Srivastava, P. Jelínek, S. Mishra, et. al.
Thu, 24 Jan 19
61/64
Comments: 11 Pages; 04 Figures; Send request to A.K. Srivastava (asrivastava.app@iitbhu.ac.in) for additional online materials