Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy

, Volume 30, Issue 2, pp 79–85 | Cite as

Reconnection in solar flares: Outstanding questions

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Abstract

Space observations of solar flares such as those from Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, and RHESSI have revealed a lot of observational evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares: cusp-shaped arcades, reconnection inflows, plasmoids, etc. Thus it has been established, at least phenomenologically, that magnetic reconnection does occur in solar flares. However, a number of fundamental questions and puzzles still remain in the physics of reconnection in solar flares. In this paper, we discuss the recent progresses and future prospects in the study of magnetic reconnection in solar flares from both theoretical and observational points of view.

Key words

Flares magnetic reconnection magnetohydrodynamics 
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Copyright information

© Indian Academy of Sciences 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Earth and Planetary ScienceUniversity of TokyoTokyoJapan
  2. 2.Kwasan and Hida ObservatoriesKyoto UniversityYamashina, KyotoJapan

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