Fast plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a solar flare

Xiaoli Yan; Zhike Xue; Chaowei Jiang; E. R. Priest; Bernhard Kliem; Liheng Yang; Jincheng Wang; Defang Kong; Yongliang Song; Xueshang Feng; Zhong Liu

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28269-w

Fast plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a solar flare

Xiaoli Yan^*, Zhike Xue, Chaowei Jiang^*, E. R. Priest, Bernhard Kliem, Liheng Yang, Jincheng Wang, Defang Kong, Yongliang Song, Xueshang Feng, Zhong Liu

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection is a multi-faceted process of energy conversion in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas that operates at microscopic scales but has macroscopic drivers and consequences. Solar flares present a key laboratory for its study, leaving imprints of the microscopic physics in radiation spectra and allowing the macroscopic evolution to be imaged, yet a full observational characterization remains elusive. Here we combine high resolution imaging and spectral observations of a confined solar flare at multiple wavelengths with data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic modeling to study the dynamics of the flare plasma from the current sheet to the plasmoid scale. The analysis suggests that the flare resulted from the interaction of a twisted magnetic flux rope surrounding a filament with nearby magnetic loops whose feet are anchored in chromospheric fibrils. Bright cusp-shaped structures represent the region around a reconnecting separator or quasi-separator (hyperbolic flux tube). The fast reconnection, which is relevant for other astrophysical environments, revealed plasmoids in the current sheet and separatrices and associated unresolved turbulent motions.

Original language	English
Article number	640
Number of pages	14
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28269-w
Publication status	Published - 2 Feb 2022

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title = "Fast plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a solar flare",

abstract = "Magnetic reconnection is a multi-faceted process of energy conversion in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas that operates at microscopic scales but has macroscopic drivers and consequences. Solar flares present a key laboratory for its study, leaving imprints of the microscopic physics in radiation spectra and allowing the macroscopic evolution to be imaged, yet a full observational characterization remains elusive. Here we combine high resolution imaging and spectral observations of a confined solar flare at multiple wavelengths with data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic modeling to study the dynamics of the flare plasma from the current sheet to the plasmoid scale. The analysis suggests that the flare resulted from the interaction of a twisted magnetic flux rope surrounding a filament with nearby magnetic loops whose feet are anchored in chromospheric fibrils. Bright cusp-shaped structures represent the region around a reconnecting separator or quasi-separator (hyperbolic flux tube). The fast reconnection, which is relevant for other astrophysical environments, revealed plasmoids in the current sheet and separatrices and associated unresolved turbulent motions.",

author = "Xiaoli Yan and Zhike Xue and Chaowei Jiang and Priest, {E. R.} and Bernhard Kliem and Liheng Yang and Jincheng Wang and Defang Kong and Yongliang Song and Xueshang Feng and Zhong Liu",

note = "Funding: The authors would like to thank the NVST, SDO/AIA, SDO/HMI, GOES, RHESSI, and Hinode teams for high-cadence data support. This work is sponsored by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the grant numbers (11873087, 11973084, 11803085, 2019FD085, 12003064, 11633008, 11763004, U1831210, 11803002), by the Yunnan Key Science Foundation of China under numbers (2018FA001, 2018FB007) and Yunnan Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars No. 202001AV070004, by Project Supported by the Specialized Research Fund for State Key Laboratories, by Key Research and Development Project of Yunnan Province under number 202003AD150019, and by the joint NSFC/DFG Grant 41761134088/KL817.8-1.",

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AU - Yan, Xiaoli

AU - Xue, Zhike

AU - Jiang, Chaowei

AU - Priest, E. R.

AU - Kliem, Bernhard

AU - Yang, Liheng

AU - Wang, Jincheng

AU - Kong, Defang

AU - Song, Yongliang

AU - Feng, Xueshang

AU - Liu, Zhong

N1 - Funding: The authors would like to thank the NVST, SDO/AIA, SDO/HMI, GOES, RHESSI, and Hinode teams for high-cadence data support. This work is sponsored by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the grant numbers (11873087, 11973084, 11803085, 2019FD085, 12003064, 11633008, 11763004, U1831210, 11803002), by the Yunnan Key Science Foundation of China under numbers (2018FA001, 2018FB007) and Yunnan Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars No. 202001AV070004, by Project Supported by the Specialized Research Fund for State Key Laboratories, by Key Research and Development Project of Yunnan Province under number 202003AD150019, and by the joint NSFC/DFG Grant 41761134088/KL817.8-1.

PY - 2022/2/2

Y1 - 2022/2/2

N2 - Magnetic reconnection is a multi-faceted process of energy conversion in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas that operates at microscopic scales but has macroscopic drivers and consequences. Solar flares present a key laboratory for its study, leaving imprints of the microscopic physics in radiation spectra and allowing the macroscopic evolution to be imaged, yet a full observational characterization remains elusive. Here we combine high resolution imaging and spectral observations of a confined solar flare at multiple wavelengths with data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic modeling to study the dynamics of the flare plasma from the current sheet to the plasmoid scale. The analysis suggests that the flare resulted from the interaction of a twisted magnetic flux rope surrounding a filament with nearby magnetic loops whose feet are anchored in chromospheric fibrils. Bright cusp-shaped structures represent the region around a reconnecting separator or quasi-separator (hyperbolic flux tube). The fast reconnection, which is relevant for other astrophysical environments, revealed plasmoids in the current sheet and separatrices and associated unresolved turbulent motions.

AB - Magnetic reconnection is a multi-faceted process of energy conversion in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas that operates at microscopic scales but has macroscopic drivers and consequences. Solar flares present a key laboratory for its study, leaving imprints of the microscopic physics in radiation spectra and allowing the macroscopic evolution to be imaged, yet a full observational characterization remains elusive. Here we combine high resolution imaging and spectral observations of a confined solar flare at multiple wavelengths with data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic modeling to study the dynamics of the flare plasma from the current sheet to the plasmoid scale. The analysis suggests that the flare resulted from the interaction of a twisted magnetic flux rope surrounding a filament with nearby magnetic loops whose feet are anchored in chromospheric fibrils. Bright cusp-shaped structures represent the region around a reconnecting separator or quasi-separator (hyperbolic flux tube). The fast reconnection, which is relevant for other astrophysical environments, revealed plasmoids in the current sheet and separatrices and associated unresolved turbulent motions.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-022-28269-w

DO - 10.1038/s41467-022-28269-w

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 13

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 640

ER -

Fast plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a solar flare

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