Plasma jet and shock formation during current loop coalescence in solar flares

✍ Scribed by Jun-Ichi Sakai

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 334 KB
• Volume: 120
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0938
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00148537

✦ Synopsis

We report on the results of plasma jet and shock formation during the current loop coalescence in solar flares. It is shown by a theoretical model based on the ideal MHD equation that the spiral, two-sided plasma jet can be explosively driven by the plasma rotational motion induced during the two current loop coalescence process. The maximum velocity of the jet can exceed the Alfvrn velocity, depending on the plasma fl ( = c~/v~,) ratio, The acceleration time getting to the maximum jet velocity is quite short and less than 1 s. The rebound following the plasma collapse driven by magnetic pinch effect can strongly induce super-Alfv~nic flow. We present the condition of the shock formation. We briefly discuss the high-energy particle acceleration during the plasma collapse as well as by the shocks.