Solar flares - Magnetohydrodynamic instabilities

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Abstract

It is pointed out that most solar flares are either simple-loop (or compact) flares or two-ribbon flares. A single loop brightens and decays without moving, whereas the appearance of the two-ribbon type involves the eruption of a magnetic arcade. The present investigation is concerned with the basic MHD instabilities which may be responsible for the solar flares. A summary of some basic theoretical concepts is provided, taking into account the tearing-mode instability, magnetic reconnection, and the energy method. Three mechanisms for producing a simple-loop flares are discussed, giving attention to the kink instability, a thermal nonequilibrium, and the theory of the emerging flux model. It is found that a two-ribbon flare is probably caused by the instability of the sheared magnetic configuration in which a filament is situated.

Keywords

  • Coronal Loops
  • Magnetic Field Configurations
  • Magnetic Flux
  • Magnetohydrodynamic Stability
  • Solar Flares
  • Solar Magnetic Field
  • Current Sheets
  • Energy Transfer
  • Photosphere
  • Stellar Models
  • Tearing Modes (Plasmas)

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