Evolution of Eruptive Flares. I. Plasmoid Dynamics in Eruptive Flares
Magara, Tetsuya, Kazunari Shibata, and Takaaki Yokoyama, Evolution of Eruptive Flares. I. Plasmoid Dynamics in Eruptive Flares, ApJ, 487, 437-446 (1997) (ADS)
(click on the image for a larger version)
This cartoon represents a high level of refinement in the traditions
of this school (2 or 2.5-D resistive ideal MHD numerical simulations
of the CSHKP geometry).
See also the Mann cartoon
for more color and legibility.
It is important here because it clearly shows the "dimple" pushed into
the loops envisioned to receive the impact of the outflow jet's ram pressure.
This was originally found via less-elaborate simulations in the 1980s.
Of course this feature of the simulations fails to predict the observations,
for example of the unusual Masuda flare, for which the feature associated with
the termination of the reconnection outflow lies above the loops,
rather than buried within them.
This cartoon has this
Masuda source
in mind where labeling the "hard X-ray emission",
blithely ignoring the fact that most flares do not show this feature.
Also the "fast shock" is basically a model feature, but not an observational matter.
So, there are flaws in this cartoon, but in 2.5D resistive MHD one could
not expect much predictive power.
Specifically the global energetics of a flare (ie, the basic plasma
instability analysis) would require 3D connections to the photosphere.
This cartoon represents a high level of refinement in the traditions of this school (2 or 2.5-D resistive ideal MHD numerical simulations of the CSHKP geometry). See also the Mann cartoon for more color and legibility. It is important here because it clearly shows the "dimple" pushed into the loops envisioned to receive the impact of the outflow jet's ram pressure. This was originally found via less-elaborate simulations in the 1980s. Of course this feature of the simulations fails to predict the observations, for example of the unusual Masuda flare, for which the feature associated with the termination of the reconnection outflow lies above the loops, rather than buried within them. This cartoon has this Masuda source in mind where labeling the "hard X-ray emission", blithely ignoring the fact that most flares do not show this feature. Also the "fast shock" is basically a model feature, but not an observational matter.
So, there are flaws in this cartoon, but in 2.5D resistive MHD one could not expect much predictive power. Specifically the global energetics of a flare (ie, the basic plasma instability analysis) would require 3D connections to the photosphere.