Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsh54c..02e&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SH54C-02
Physics
Plasma Physics
[7509] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Corona, [7524] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Magnetic Fields, [7526] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Magnetic Reconnection, [7811] Space Plasma Physics / Discontinuities
Scientific paper
Current sheet formation and reconnection have been shown to be very important processes in coronal heating and dynamics. The formation of current discontinuities and therefore the reconnection dynamics in a low-beta, force-free system depend on two major influences: the structure of the driving flow fields, and the overall magnetic field geometry. Photospheric magnetograms show magnetic field footpoint elements moving along intragranular flow lanes. The magnetic field undergoes a major expansion as it passes from the photosphere, through the chromosphere, into the corona. We model this field expansion geometry and intragranular flow lanes with an initially analytic potential field. We simulate the closed corona using the Parker ansatz of line-tying the field at the upper and lower boundaries. The flows imposed at the photosphere are confined to two relatively thin lanes marking the footprints of the expanding field. We calculate the system evolution in fully 3D MHD, finding the current discontinuities forming along the topological separatricies of the magnetic field, as well as quasi-separatrix layers forming with the large velocity gradients - exactly as expected. Reconnection occurs across the current discontinuities, shifting flux between the different domains, reducing the free magnetic energy, while increasing the field complexity. The injected stresses do not accumulate significantly before reconnection, thus there are no major explosive energy release, only an average steady dissipation.
DeVore Richard C.
Edmondson Justin K.
Velli M. M.
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