The Thermodynamic Stability of Current Sheets Formed in the Solar Atmosphere

Physics

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Scientific paper

Current sheets can be formed when two independent magnetic flux systems are mechanically driven together. The thermodynamic structures of current sheets formed by (i) a new magnetic flux system emerging from the photosphere and encountering a pre-existing overlying coronal flux system and (ii) when neighboring coronal magnetic flux systems are pressed together, are examined. In the case of emerging flux, the current sheet forms in a low temperature (T=104)region. Thus to maintain pressure balance across the sheet, the particle density in the sheet must be extremely large (ne = 1014-1016 cm-3). It can be demonstrated the with such a large density the radiative energy loss exceeds both the internal Joule heating and energy input from the surrounding medium in the form of convection and thermal conduction. Therefore as the current sheet rises from the photosphere into the corona the sheet temperature, in contradistinction to previous analyses, remains constant. Alternatively, current sheets generated by coronal flux systems driven together are formed in a high temperature (T=106) region. At such a temperature the internal Joule heating can be easily balanced by parallel thermal conduction. Thus the sheet temperature will merely adjust to the temperature of the surrounding corona. These results indicate that current sheets formed in the solar atmosphere are intrinsically thermally stable.

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