2.5-D MHD Simulation of the Formation and Evolution of Plasmoids in Coronal Current Sheets

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Hauptverfasser: Mondal, Sripan, Srivastava, Abhishek K, Pontin, David I., Yuan, Ding, Priest, Eric R.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Mondal, Sripan
Srivastava, Abhishek K
Pontin, David I.
Yuan, Ding
Priest, Eric R.
author_facet Mondal, Sripan
Srivastava, Abhishek K
Pontin, David I.
Yuan, Ding
Priest, Eric R.
contents In the present paper, using MPI-AMRVAC, we perform a 2.5-D numerical MHD simulation of the dynamics and associated thermodynamical evolution of an initially force-free Harris current sheet subjected to an external velocity perturbation under the condition of uniform resistivity. The amplitude of the magnetic field is taken to be 10 Gauss, typical of the solar corona. We impose a Gaussian velocity pulse across this current sheet mimicking the interaction of fast magnetoacoustic waves with a current sheet in corona. This leads to a variety of dynamics and plasma processes in the current sheet, which is initially quasi-static. The initial pulse interacts with the current sheet and splits into a pair of counter-propagating wavefronts, which forms a rarefied region and leads to inflow and a thinning of the current sheet. The thinning results in Petschek-type magnetic reconnection followed by tearing instability and plasmoid formation. The reconnection outflows containing outward-moving plasmoids have accelerated motions with velocities ranging from 105-303 km/s. The average temperature and density of the plasmoids are found to be 8 MK and twice the background density of the solar corona, respectively. These estimates of velocity, temperature and density of plasmoids are similar to values reported from various solar coronal observations. Therefore, we infer that the external triggering of a quasi-static current sheet by a single velocity pulse is capable of initiating magnetic reconnection and plasmoid formation in the absence of a localized enhancement of resistivity in the solar corona.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_07048
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle 2.5-D MHD Simulation of the Formation and Evolution of Plasmoids in Coronal Current Sheets
Mondal, Sripan
Srivastava, Abhishek K
Pontin, David I.
Yuan, Ding
Priest, Eric R.
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
In the present paper, using MPI-AMRVAC, we perform a 2.5-D numerical MHD simulation of the dynamics and associated thermodynamical evolution of an initially force-free Harris current sheet subjected to an external velocity perturbation under the condition of uniform resistivity. The amplitude of the magnetic field is taken to be 10 Gauss, typical of the solar corona. We impose a Gaussian velocity pulse across this current sheet mimicking the interaction of fast magnetoacoustic waves with a current sheet in corona. This leads to a variety of dynamics and plasma processes in the current sheet, which is initially quasi-static. The initial pulse interacts with the current sheet and splits into a pair of counter-propagating wavefronts, which forms a rarefied region and leads to inflow and a thinning of the current sheet. The thinning results in Petschek-type magnetic reconnection followed by tearing instability and plasmoid formation. The reconnection outflows containing outward-moving plasmoids have accelerated motions with velocities ranging from 105-303 km/s. The average temperature and density of the plasmoids are found to be 8 MK and twice the background density of the solar corona, respectively. These estimates of velocity, temperature and density of plasmoids are similar to values reported from various solar coronal observations. Therefore, we infer that the external triggering of a quasi-static current sheet by a single velocity pulse is capable of initiating magnetic reconnection and plasmoid formation in the absence of a localized enhancement of resistivity in the solar corona.
title 2.5-D MHD Simulation of the Formation and Evolution of Plasmoids in Coronal Current Sheets
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.07048