Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta
Gather.town id
CME01
Poster Title
Dynamic evolution of a solar flare current sheet
Institution
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Abstract (short summary)
Current sheets play a key role in solar flares and coronal mass ejections as they are the locations where magnetic energy is liberated through reconnection and is converted to other forms. Yet, their formation and evolution during the impulsive phase of a flare remain elusive. In this talk, we will report new observations of a current sheet formation and subsequent evolution in the early stages of an eruptive solar flare. In particular, we will present multiphase evolution of a dynamic current sheet from its formation to quasi-stable evolution and disruption. Implications for the onset and evolution of reconnection will be discussed.
Plain text (extended) Summary
A current sheet, where magnetic energy is liberated through reconnection and converted to other forms, is thought to play the central role in solar flares, the most intense explosions in the heliosphere. However, the evolution of a current sheet and its subsequent role in flare-related phenomena such as particle acceleration is poorly understood. Here we report observations obtained with NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory that reveal a multiphase evolution of a current sheet in the early stages of a solar flare, from its formation to quasi-stable evolution and disruption. Our observations have implications for the understanding of the onset and evolution of reconnection in the early stages of eruptive solar flares. For more details please see the published paper at Chitta et al. (2021) ApJ, 911, 133.
URL
chitta@mps.mpg.de
Poster file