Related papers: Magnetic Braiding and Quasi-Separatrix Layers
Magnetic reconnection processes in the near-Earth magnetotail can be highly 3-dimensional (3D) in geometry and dynamics, even though the magnetotail configuration itself is nearly two dimensional due to the symmetry in the dusk-dawn…
Three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic simulations are carried out to explore magnetic reconnections in the presence of 3D magnetic nulls and quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs). The initial magnetic fields are created by superposing uniform…
Parker has hypothesised that, in a perfectly ideal environment, complex photospheric motions acting on a continuous magnetic field will result in the formation of tangential discontinuities corresponding to singular currents. We review…
Separators, which are in many ways the three-dimensional equivalent to two-dimensional nulls, are important sites for magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection occurs in strong current layers which have very short length scales. The aim…
We use a numerical nonlinear multigrid magnetic relaxation technique to investigate the generation of current sheets in three-dimensional magnetic flux braiding experiments. We are able to catalogue the relaxed nonlinear force-free…
We present a new version of FastQSL for locating quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) -- regions characterized by strong magnetic connectivity gradients, preferential current buildup, and subsequent magnetic reconnection. This version now…
The elongated bright structures above solar flare loops are suggested to be current sheets, where magnetic reconnection takes place. Observations have revealed various characteristics of the current sheet; however, their physical origin…
Magnetic reconnection requires the violation of the frozen-in condition which ties gyrating charged particles to the magnetic field inhibiting diffusion. Ongoing reconnection has been identified in near-Earth space as being responsible for…
In this paper we present a topological magnetic field investigation of seven two-ribbon flares in sigmoidal active regions observed with Hinode, STEREO, and SDO. We first derive the 3D coronal magnetic field structure of all regions using…
The standard model for eruptive flares has in the past few years been extended to 3D. It predicts typical J-shaped photospheric footprints of the coronal current layer, forming at similar locations as the Quasi-Separatrix Layers (QSLs).…
Magnetic reconnection is understood to be the main physical process that facilitates the transformation of magnetic energy into heat, motion, and particle acceleration during solar eruptions. Yet, observational constraints on reconnection…
Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) are a common feature of solar flares, but previously there has been a lack of observational evidence to support any of the theoretical models that might explain the origin of QPPs. We aimed to determine if…
Magnetic reconnection changes the magnetic field topology and powers explosive events in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas. For flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the solar atmosphere, the standard model predicts the…
We investigate the relaxation of braided magnetic loops in order to find out how the type of braiding via footpoint motions affects resultant heating of the loop. Two magnetic loops, braided in different ways, are used as initial conditions…
Global magnetic field extrapolations are now revealing the huge complexity of the Sun's corona, and in particular the structure of the boundary between open and closed magnetic flux. Moreover, recent developments indicate that magnetic…
Non-collisional current sheets that form during the nonlinear development of magnetic reconnection are characterized by a small thickness, of the order of the electron skin depth. They can become unstable to the formation of plasmoids,…
We consider a magnetic configuration consisting of an arcade structure and a detached plasmoid, resulting from a magnetic reconnection process, as is typically found in connection with solar flares. We study spontaneous current…
Quasisymmetry (QS) is a hidden symmetry of the magnetic field strength, B, that enables effective confinement of charged particles in a fully three-dimensional (3D) toroidal plasma equilibrium. Such equilibria are typically modeled by the…
Magnetic field line reconnection is a universal plasma process responsible for the magnetic field topology change and magnetic field energy dissipation into charged particle heating and acceleration. In many systems, the conditions leading…
Since their discovery by SDO/AIA in EUV, rapid (phase speeds of 1000 km/s), quasi-periodic, fast-mode propagating wave trains (QFPs) have been observed accompanying many solar flares. They typically propagate in funnel-like structures…