1. Quantifying Reconnection*
* NASA grant NAG
Dana Longcope, Dave McKenzie
Jonathan Cirtain, Jason Scott
Montana State University
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

2. Prototype* of Solar-B Reconnection Observation
* TRACE
SoHO
Solar-A
GOES
New AR emerges near old AR
Catalog interconnections (EUV/SXR TRACE/Yohko)
Make a magnetic model (LOS M-gram SoHO/MDI)
Interp’ data w.r.t. the model
Learn about reconnection
Requires: long series m-grams (low cadence)
long series EUV/SXR (hi cadence)
T sensitivity MK
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

3. AR emergence CORONA (TRACE) PHOTOSPHERE (SoHO/MDI) Aug 10, 2001
00:00
7:34
12:00
00:00
12:00
00:00
Aug 10, 2001
Aug 11, 2001
AR9574
AR9570
PHOTOSPHERE (SoHO/MDI)
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

4. Why this is reconnection*
Tsuneta 1996
Reconnected flux
Emerged flux
9570
9574
Old flux
Baum &
Bratenahl
1976
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
* It is NOT a flare
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

5. Catalog Interconn’ing loops:
(Longcope et al. 2005)
Synthetic slit
separating
diff. ARs
sec
7:00 Aug10 – 23:59 Aug11
BG subtracted
TRACE 171 images:
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

6. Lots of loops: ~9:00  14:00 Gen’l bright’g 1st loop: 12:36
Loops are bright
features
Gen’l
bright’g
1st loop:
12:36
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

7. Finding the loops Identify peaks in slit-intensity loop = fw @ hm 2522 26 24 23
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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8. Finding the loops Verify spatial correspond-ence w/ intercon’ing loops
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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9. Magnetic Model movie SoHO/MDI
Identify distinct regions with |Bz| > 45 G
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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10. Magnetic evolution Series of m-grams 6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

11. Coronal Field Inter-connecting flux: Interconnection (PF) Increasing
AR9574
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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12. Flux in 171 A loops Each loop is a field-line bundle (flux tube)
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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13. Flux in 171 A loops Y Flux in pot’l model Flux if B0 = 120 G
A = p(d/2)2
Flux if B0 = 120 G
Cummulative loop areas d
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005

14. Reconnection observed
Heating ~ 5 x 1026 erg/sec
1 GV
0.1 GV
Dy = 1021 Mx
24 hour delay
Reconn’n burst
1017 Mx/sec
emergence
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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15. Heating then cooling GOES 1-8 A Reconnection burst TRACE 171 A loops
3hr cooling
7.5 MK -> 1 MK
Non-pont
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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16. Hot (~7.5 MK) after reconnection…
Heating then cooling
movie
TRACE 171 A
GOES 1-8 A
Yohkoh SXT
SXT filter ratio EM
cool ~ 0.3 hrs
Hot (~7.5 MK) after reconnection… T
t ~ 10 hrs
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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17. Model of energy storage
Constrain Flux Y & minimize energy… W
Wfce DW
Wpot
Flux Constrained Equilibrium
(Longcope 2002)
W ~ 1031 ergs
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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18. Consequence of latency
GOES 1-8 A
GOES A
Radiated power P ~ 5 x 1026 erg/sec
Radiated energy 1031 ergs
DWFCE = 1031
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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19. Role(s) of Current Sheet
Releases
DE ~ I Dy
~ 1028 ergs
Non-pont
1018 Mx of newly
reconnected flux
(1% of DY)
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
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20. Summary: Reconnection Lessons
AR emergence ==> reconnection (unambiguous case)
Reconnection in brief (6 hour) burst after delay of ~24 hours
Separator reconnection
Produces scores of ~1018 Mx loops
Delayed reconnection ==> storage
of energy: 1031 ergs
6th Solar-B Science Meeting
Kyoto, Nov. 10, 2005