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Issue A&A
Volume 373, Number 3, July III 2001
Page(s) 1089 - 1098
Section The Sun
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20010678



A&A 373, 1089-1098 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010678

Numerical simulations of kink instability in line-tied coronal Loops

C. L. Gerrard1, T. D. Arber2, A. W. Hood1 and R. A. M. Van der Linden3

1  School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland
2  Space and Astrophysics Group,Physics Department, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
3  Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van Belgie, Ringlaan 3, 1180 Ukkel, Belgium

(Received 13 December 2000 / Accepted 9 May 2001)

Abstract
The results from numerical simulations carried out using a new shock-capturing, Lagrangian-remap, 3D MHD code, Lare3d are presented. We study the evolution of the m=1 kink mode instability in a photospherically line-tied coronal loop that has no net axial current. During the non-linear evolution of the kink instability, large current concentrations develop in the neighbourhood of the infinite length mode rational surface. We investigate whether this strong current saturates at a finite value or whether scaling indicates current sheet formation. In particular, we consider the effect of the shear, defined by $r \phi' / \phi$ where $\phi = L B_{\theta} / r B_{z}$ is the fieldline twist of the loop, on the current concentration. We also include a non-uniform resistivity in the simulations and observe the amount of free magnetic energy released by magnetic reconnection.


Key words: MHD -- Sun

Offprint request: C. L. Gerrard, cath@mcs.st-and.ac.uk




© ESO 2001

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