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III. APPLICATIONS of RECONNECTION. 1. Coronal Heating. Yohkoh Bright Pts Loops Holes. A magnetic world T=few MK. Quiet Sun (XRT on Hinode) 30-sec cadence, 12-hour duration. How is the Corona Heated ?. Reconnection: likely cause of coronal heating.
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III. APPLICATIONS of RECONNECTION 1. Coronal Heating Yohkoh Bright Pts Loops Holes A magnetic world T=few MK
Quiet Sun (XRT on Hinode)30-sec cadence, 12-hour duration How is the Corona Heated ?
Reconnection: likely cause of coronal heating (i) Drive Simple Recon. at nulls by photc. motions --> X-ray bright point Supported by TRACE (ii) Nanoflares -- Parker Braiding (iii) Modern version: “Coronal Tectonics”(including magnetic carpet)
2. SOLAR FLARES & CME’s SOHO Coronagraph -- Artificial eclipse Discovered huge ejections of plasma
On October 28, 2003 Photo- sphere [from SOHO] 3rd largest flare
Outer Corona[from SOHO] CME 2000 km/s (5 times faster than normal) Snow -- relc particles
Aurora in St Andrews Thurs
1 Week Later (Nov 4 )- Fireworks Continued the biggest solar flare ever recorded !
Close-up of plasma motions Conjuring trick -- plasma appearing by magic ?
N.B. • Flare & CME are part of1 magnetic eruptive process • (short MHD connection time) • Difference 2-ribbon flare & CME --- magnetic field strength • Role of filament/prominence -- indicator of high shear So perhaps eruption is driven more from core, where most energy is stored
Overall Picture of Eruption In core - magnetic tube twisted (energy stored in fff) - erupts (catastrophe or breakout) - drives reconnection
(Priest and Schrijver 1999) Reconnection heats loops Continues: new loops form & evaporate. Old loops cool & drain Feet move apart
Example from TRACE (171 A) 1 MK (Fe IX) + 20 MK (Fe XVI)
Cause of Eruption ? (i) Magnetic Catastrophe (Priest & Forbes)
Yuhong Fan Emergence of flux rope into a potential arcade Eruption due to magnetic catastrophe when twist > 3.4
Similar model for kink instability, with different flux tube/ overlying field Tibor Torok
3. CONCLUSIONS • Understanding how B interacts with plasma: Key to many solar system phenomena • Two main equations: Induction equation -- advection + diffusion Eqn. motion -- magnetic tension + pressure forces • Reconnection • different roles in coronal heating, • Solar flares & CMEs