On the Origin of Pulsations of Sub-THz Emission from Solar Flares
Zaitsev, V. V., A. V. Stepanov, and P. Kaufmann, On the Origin of Pulsations of Sub-THz Emission from Solar Flares, Sol. Phys., 289, 3017-3032 (2014) (ADS)
(click on the image for a larger version)
Here is a well-drawn cartoon that really attacks some of the physics
in the footpoint region of a flare, inspired by the "sub-THz" emission
component and its possible oscillatory behavior, as reported
originally by the late
Pierre Kaufmann [1].
The cartoon shows a plasma flute instability in the connective layer
separating the subphotospheric current source with its coronal circuit.
Here the coronal current seems to be driven by the footpoint instabilities,
rather than from the need to store flare energy. The cartoon
seemingly calls for a sudden cessation of this current at the footpoint,
which is not to the Archivist's taste (see also
another example of this).
The paper seems to be an excellent example of a worthwhile effort
to go beyond an MHD picture into interesting domains of plasma physics.
Here is a well-drawn cartoon that really attacks some of the physics in the footpoint region of a flare, inspired by the "sub-THz" emission component and its possible oscillatory behavior, as reported originally by the late Pierre Kaufmann [1]. The cartoon shows a plasma flute instability in the connective layer separating the subphotospheric current source with its coronal circuit. Here the coronal current seems to be driven by the footpoint instabilities, rather than from the need to store flare energy. The cartoon seemingly calls for a sudden cessation of this current at the footpoint, which is not to the Archivist's taste (see also another example of this). The paper seems to be an excellent example of a worthwhile effort to go beyond an MHD picture into interesting domains of plasma physics.
[1] Pierre Kaufmann.