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dc.contributor.authorHowson, Thomas Alexander
dc.contributor.authorDe Moortel, Ineke
dc.contributor.authorPontin, David
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-30T15:30:05Z
dc.date.available2021-09-30T15:30:05Z
dc.date.issued2021-12-09
dc.identifier.citationHowson , T A , De Moortel , I & Pontin , D 2021 , ' Magnetic reconnection and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the solar corona ' , Astronomy & Astrophysics , vol. 656 , A112 . https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141620en
dc.identifier.issn0004-6361
dc.identifier.otherPURE: 276101229
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: 89e48a64-8444-46ad-ade5-ee0cd5040aaf
dc.identifier.otherScopus: 85121251645
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-1452-9330/work/108508292
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-4895-6277/work/108508683
dc.identifier.otherWOS: 000728373100011
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/24068
dc.descriptionFunding: The research leading to these results has received funding from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (consolidated grant ST/N000609/1), the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 647214). IDM received funding from the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence scheme, project No. 262622en
dc.description.abstractContext. The magnetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) has been proposed as a means of generating magnetohy- drodynamic turbulence and encouraging wave energy dissipation in the solar corona, particularly within transversely oscillating loops. Aims. Our goal is to determine whether the KHI encourages magnetic reconnection in oscillating flux tubes in the solar corona. This will establish whether the instability enhances the dissipation rate of energy stored in the magnetic field. Methods. We conducted a series of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the KHI excited by an oscillating velocity shear. We investigated the effects of numerical resolution, field line length, and background currents on the growth rate of the KHI and on the subsequent rate of magnetic reconnection. Results. The KHI is able to trigger magnetic reconnection in all cases, with the highest rates occurring during the initial growth phase. Reconnection is found to occur preferentially along the boundaries of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices, where the shear in the velocity and magnetic fields is greatest. The estimated rate of reconnection is found to be lowest in simulations where the KHI growth rate is reduced. For example, this is the case for shorter field lines or due to shear in the background field. Conclusions. In non-ideal regimes, the onset of the instability causes the local reconnection of magnetic field lines and enhances the rate of coronal wave heating. However, we found that if the equilibrium magnetic field is sheared across the Kelvin-Helmholtz mixing layer, the instability does not significantly enhance the rate of reconnection of the background field, despite the free energy associated with the non-potential field.
dc.format.extent17
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofAstronomy & Astrophysicsen
dc.rightsCopyright © 2021 ESO. 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://www.aanda.org/en
dc.subjectSolar coronaen
dc.subjectMagnetohydrodyanmics (MHD)en
dc.subjectMHD waves and instabilitiesen
dc.subjectMHD : oscillationsen
dc.subjectQB Astronomyen
dc.subjectQC Physicsen
dc.subjectT-NDASen
dc.subject.lccQBen
dc.subject.lccQCen
dc.titleMagnetic reconnection and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the solar coronaen
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.sponsorEuropean Research Councilen
dc.contributor.sponsorScience & Technology Facilities Councilen
dc.description.versionPostprinten
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Applied Mathematicsen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Office of the Principalen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141620
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.identifier.grantnumber647214en
dc.identifier.grantnumberST/S000402/1en


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