OBSERVATIONS OF RECONNECTING FLARE LOOPS WITH THE ATMOSPHERIC IMAGING ASSEMBLY
- Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)
- Also at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. (United States)
Perhaps the most compelling evidence for the role of magnetic reconnection in solar flares comes from the supra-arcade downflows that have been observed above many post-flare loop arcades. These downflows are thought to be related to highly non-potential field lines that have reconnected and are propagating away from the current sheet. We present new observations of supra-arcade downflows taken with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The morphology and dynamics of the downflows observed with AIA provide new evidence for the role of magnetic reconnection in solar flares. With these new observations we are able to measure downflows originating at larger heights than in previous studies. We find, however, that the initial velocities measured here ({approx}144 km s{sup -1}) are well below the Alfven speed expected in the lower corona, and consistent with previous results. We also find no evidence that the downflows brighten with time, as would be expected from chromospheric evaporation. These observations suggest that simple two-dimensional models cannot explain the detailed observations of solar flares.
- OSTI ID:
- 22004631
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 742, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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