Observational Signatures of Tearing Instability in the Current Sheet of a Solar Flare

Abstract Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process converting magnetic energy into not only plasma energy but also particle energy in various astrophysical phenomena. In this Letter, we show a unique data set of a solar flare where various plasmoids were formed by a continually stretch...

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Published inAstrophysical journal. Letters Vol. 924; no. 1; p. L7
Main Authors Lu, Lei, Feng, Li, Warmuth, Alexander, Veronig, Astrid M., Huang, Jing, Liu, Siming, Gan, Weiqun, Ning, Zongjun, Ying, Beili, Gao, Guannan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Austin The American Astronomical Society 01.01.2022
IOP Publishing
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Summary:Abstract Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process converting magnetic energy into not only plasma energy but also particle energy in various astrophysical phenomena. In this Letter, we show a unique data set of a solar flare where various plasmoids were formed by a continually stretched current sheet. Extreme ultraviolet images captured reconnection inflows, outflows, and particularly the recurring plasma blobs (plasmoids). X-ray images reveal nonthermal emission sources at the lower end of the current sheet, presumably as large plasmoids with a sufficiently amount of energetic electrons trapped in them. In the radio domain, an upward, slowly drifting pulsation structure, followed by a rare pair of oppositely drifting structures, was observed. These structures are supposed to map the evolution of the primary and the secondary plasmoids formed in the current sheet. Our results on plasmoids at different locations and scales shed important light on the dynamics, plasma heating, particle acceleration, and transport processes in the turbulent current sheet and provide observational evidence for the cascading magnetic reconnection process.
Bibliography:AAS36121
The Sun and the Heliosphere
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.3847/2041-8213/ac42c6