Abstract
The energy release in a class of solar flares is studied on the assumption that during burst events in highly conducting plasma the magnetic helicity of plasma is approximately conserved. The available energy release under a solar flare controlled by the helicity conservation is shown to be defined by the magnetic structure of the associated prominence. The approach throws light on some solar flare enigmas: the role of the associated prominences; the discontinuation of the reconnection of magnetic lines long before the complete reconnection of participated fields occurs; the existence of quiet prominences which, in spite of their usual optical appearance, do not initiate any flare events; the small energy release under a solar flare in comparison with the stockpile of magnetic energy in surrounding fields. The predicted scale of the energy release is in a fair agreement with observations.
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Presently guest at Stanford Linear Acceleraton Center, Stanford University, P.O. Box 4349, Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.
Work done at the Space Environment Laboratory, NOAA, ERL, Boulder, CO 80303, U.S.A.
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Gliner, E.B., Osherovich, V.A. Solar flares controlled by helicity conservation. Sol Phys 156, 95–117 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00669578
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00669578