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Particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection and shocks during current loop coalescence in solar flares

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Abstract

This article reviews recent development of the theory of current loop coalescence and shock waves, giving particular attention to particle acceleration caused by these processes. First, explosive reconnection driven by the current loop coalescence and associated particle acceleration are studied by theoretical and magnetohydrodynamic simulation methods and the results are compared with observations of solar flares; this model gives a good explanation for the quasi-periodic structure of some solar flare bursts. Next follows a discussion of particle acceleration in association with fast magnetosonic shock waves. It is shown theoretically and by relativistic particle simulation that a quasi-perpendicular shock wave can accelerate trapped ions in the direction perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field up to speeds much greater than the Alfvén speed, \(\upsilon \sim \upsilon _A (m_i /m_e )^{{1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}}\). When the ambient magnetic field is rather strong (ω ce ≳ ω pe ), both ions and electrons can be accelerated to relativistic energies. For both the nonrelativistic and relativistic cases, the time needed for the acceleration is very short; it is \(t \sim \omega _{ci}^{ - 1} (m_i /m_e )^{{1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}}\) for the ions. These results are compared with the rapid and simultaneous acceleration of ions and electrons in the impulsive phase of solar flares.

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  1. Department of Applied Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama University, 930, Toyama, Japan

    Jun-Ichi Sakai

  2. Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, 464, Nagoya, Japan

    Yukiharu Ohsawa

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  1. Jun-Ichi Sakai
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Sakai, JI., Ohsawa, Y. Particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection and shocks during current loop coalescence in solar flares. Space Sci Rev 46, 113–198 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173877

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