Unified picture of large and small scale: micro-flares, flares, particle acceleration
Abstract
Recent space observations of the Sun revealed that magnetic reconnection is ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere, ranging from small scale reconnection (observed as nanoflares) to large scale one (observed as long duration flares or giant arcades). Often these reconnections are associ-ated with mass ejections or jets. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are among the largest one associated with magnetic reconnection. Recent Hinode satellite has revealed even smaller re-connection events and associated jets, i.e., tiny chromosphere jets observed with Hinode/SOT. These chromospheric jets have a width of only a few 100 km. As spatial resolution of obser-vations become better and better, smaller and smaller flares and jets have been discovered, which implies that the magnetized solar atmosphere consist of fractal structure and dynamics, i.e., fractal reconnection. Bursty radio and hard X-ray emissions from flares also suggest the fractal reconnection and associated particle acceleration. Since magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) does not contain any characteristic length and time scale, it is natural that MHD structure, dynamics, and reconnection, tend to become fractal in ideal MHD plasmas with large magnetic Reynolds number such as in the solar atmosphere. We would discuss recent observations and theories related to fractal reconnection, and discuss possible implication to coronal heating, reconnection physics, and particle acceleration.
- Publication:
-
38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010cosp...38.2837S