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Solar nanoflares erupt from a laboratory experiment

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A laboratory experiment has replicated the braided strands of solar coronal loops and shown that the bursting of individual strands produces X-rays. Measurements of these braided strands and the generated X-rays reveal a multi-scale process that could be responsible for the energetic particles and X-rays that accompany solar flares.

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Fig. 1: Time series of experimental plasma loop evolution.

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This is a summary of: Zhang, Y. et al. Generation of laboratory nanoflares from multiple braided plasma loops. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-01941-x (2023).

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Solar nanoflares erupt from a laboratory experiment. Nat Astron 7, 651–652 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-01942-w

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