| Abstract: | The solar X-ray observing satellite Yohkoh has discovered various new dynamic features in solar flares and corona, e.g., cusp-shaped
flare loops, above-the-loop-top hard X-ray sources, X-ray plasmoid ejections from impulsive flares, transient brightenings
(spatially resolved microflares), X-ray jets, large scale arcade formation associated with filament eruption or coronal mass
ejections, and so on. It has soon become clear that many of these features are closely related to magnetic reconnection. We
can now say that Yohkoh established (at least phenomenologically) the magnetic reconnection model of flares. In this paper,
we review various evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares and corona, and present unified model of flares on the
basis of these new Yohkoh observations.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
