Coronal energy release by MHD avalanches : heating mechanisms
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Date
01/2020Grant ID
ST/N000609/1
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Abstract
The plasma heating associated with an avalanche involving three twisted magnetic threads within a coronal loop is investigated using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The avalanche is triggered by the kink instability of one thread, with the others being engulfed as a consequence. The heating as a function of both time and location along the strands is evaluated. It is shown to be bursty at all times but to have no preferred spatial location. While there appears to be a level of "background" heating, this is shown to be comprised of individual, small heating events. A comparison between viscous and resistive (Ohmic) heating demonstrates that the strongest heating events are largely associated with the Ohmic heating that arises when the current exceeds a critical value. Viscous heating is largely (but not entirely) associated with smaller events. Ohmic heating dominates viscous heating only at the time of the initial kink instability. It is also demonstrated that a variety of viscous models lead to similar heating rates, suggesting that the system adjusts to dissipate the same amount of energy.
Citation
Reid , J , Cargill , P , Hood , A W , Parnell , C E & Arber , T D 2020 , ' Coronal energy release by MHD avalanches : heating mechanisms ' , Astronomy & Astrophysics , vol. 633 , A158 . https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201937051
Publication
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0004-6361Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © ESO 2020. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201937051
Description
Funding: Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland; Science and Technology Facilities Council (grants ST/N000609/1 and ST/P000320/1).Collections
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