Testing the Thin Flux Tube Model with Fully Three-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations
Abstract
Observations of supra-arcade downflows suggest that some flare reconnection may occur in patches within the current sheet above the arcade. The energy release following such reconnection may be modeled using the thin flux tube formalism. The patch of reconnection creates two bent flux tubes which retract rapidly due to magnetic tension. In the model, the supersonic collision of plasma generates shocks inside the retracting tube. We test the validity of the thin flux tube formalism by comparing results of the model with those from fully three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations (using ARMS code). Patchy reconnection is produced in the MHD simulation by temporarily enhancing resistivity within a small region straddling an equilibrium current sheet. The subsequent dynamics are compared to the predictions of the the thin flux tube model initialized with the same bent flux tube. The MHD simulations show similar flux tube retraction. There are also MHD shocks within the retracting flux tubes whose magnitude and locations compare favorably to those from the thin flux tube model. This work was supported by NASA, NSF, DOD, and DOE.
- Publication:
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AAS/Solar Physics Division Abstracts #42
- Pub Date:
- May 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011SPD....42.2202G