| Issue |
A&A
Volume 560, December 2013
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | A36 | |
| Number of page(s) | 7 | |
| Section | The Sun | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201321815 | |
| Published online | 02 December 2013 | |
Viscous dissipation in 3D spine reconnection solutions
Department of MathematicsUniversity of Waikato,
PB 3105
Hamilton,
New Zealand
e-mail:
nl89@students.waikato.ac.nz
Received:
2
May
2013
Accepted:
23
September
2013
Aims. We consider the influence of viscous dissipation on “spine” reconnection solutions in coronal plasmas. It is known from 2D and 3D “fan” reconnection studies that viscous losses can be important. We extend these arguments to 3D “spine” reconnection solutions.
Methods. Steady 3D spine reconnection models were constructed by time relaxation of the governing visco-resistive MHD equations. Scaling laws were derived that compare the relative importance of viscous and resistive damping.
Results. It is shown that viscous dissipation in spine reconnection models can dominate resistive damping by many orders of magnitude. A similar conclusion, but with less severe implications, applies to current sheet “fan” solutions. These findings are not sensitive to whether classical or Braginskii viscosity is employed.
Key words: Sun: flares / magnetic reconnection / magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
© ESO, 2013
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