Three-dimensional Turbulent Reconnection within Solar Flare Current Sheet

Abstract

Solar flares can release coronal magnetic energy explosively and may impact the safety of near-earth space environments. Their structures and properties on macroscale have been interpreted successfully by the generally-accepted two-dimension standard model invoking magnetic reconnection theory as the key energy conversion mechanism. Nevertheless, some momentous dynamical features as discovered by recent high-resolution observations remain elusive. Here, we report a self-consistent high-resolution three-dimension magnetohydrodynamical simulation of turbulent magnetic reconnection within a flare current sheet. It is found that fragmented current patches of different scales are spontaneously generated with a well-developed turbulence spectrum at the current sheet, as well as at the flare loop-top region. The close coupling of tearing-mode and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities plays a critical role in developing turbulent reconnection and in forming dynamical structures with synthetic observables in good agreement with realistic observations. The sophisticated modeling makes a paradigm shift from the traditional to three-dimension turbulent reconnection model unifying flare dynamical structures of different scales.

arXiv comment15 pages, 8 figure, accepted for publication in ApJL

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• Investigating Turbulence Effects on Magnetic Reconnection Rates Through Three-Dimensional Resistive Magnetohydrodynamical Simulations
• A Method for Determining the Locations and Configurations of Magnetic Reconnection within 3D Turbulent Plasmas
• Do plasmoids induce fast magnetic reconnection in well-resolved current sheets in 2D MHD simulations?
• Nonthermal electron acceleration in turbulent post-flare coronal loops
• Studying the properties of reconnection-driven turbulence
• Understanding observational characteristics of solar flare current sheets