Stimulated dissipation of magnetic discontinuities and the origin of solar flares

✍ Scribed by E. N. Parker

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 768 KB
• Volume: 111
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0938
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00148522

✦ Synopsis

It is proposed that the principal cause of the confined solar flare is the dissipation of magnetic energy at the many small-scale pre-existing tangential dscontinuities in the local bipolar magnetic field. The discontinuities are a consequence of the continuous shuffling and intermixing of the footpoints of the bipolar field by the turbulent photospheric granules. The X-ray corona within the bipolar field is presumed to be a consequence of the continuing dissipation by reconnection at these discontinuities. A flare results when static deformation and/or internal agitation of the field stimulates the onset of rapid reconnection at the many small internal discontinuities. The discontinuities are partially exhausted by the flare, so that the post-flare X-ray emission of that particular loop is substantially below the pre-flare level for a period of some hours while the discontinuities are being rejuvenated.