Observations of the Formation, Development, and Structure of a Current Sheet in an Eruptive Solar Flare

Abstract

We present AIA observations of a structure we interpret as a current sheet associated with an X4.9 flare and coronal mass ejection that occurred on 2014~February~25 in NOAA Active Region 11990. We characterize the properties of the current sheet, finding that the sheet remains on the order of a few thousand km thick for much of the duration of the event and that its temperature generally ranged between $8-10\mathrm{MK}$. We also note the presence of other phenomena believed to be associated with magnetic reconnection in current sheets, including supra-arcade downflows and shrinking loops. We estimate that the rate of reconnection during the event was $M_A\approx 0.004-0.007$, a value consistent with model predictions. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this event for reconnection-based eruption models.

Animation accompanying Figure 2 available at https://figshare.com/articles/SDO_AIA_131_2014-Feb-25_Current_Sheet/4052061

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• Above-the-loop-top Oscillation and Quasi-periodic Coronal Wave Generation in Solar Flares
• Direct Observations of Tether-cutting Reconnection During a Major Solar Event From 2014 February 24 to 25
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• Non-equilibrium Ionization Modeling of Petschek-type Shocks in Reconnecting Current Sheets in Solar Eruptions
• The SWAP Filter: A Simple Azimuthally Varying Radial Filter for Wide-Field EUV Solar Images
• Two-dimensional modeling of the tearing-mode-governed magnetic reconnection in the large-scale current sheet above the two-ribbon flare
• Modeling Hadronic Gamma-ray Emissions from Solar Flares and Prospects for Detecting Non-thermal Signatures from Protostars
• Observations of the Current Sheet Heating in X-ray during a Solar Flare