MHD simulations of current-sheet formation over a bipolar active region

We present the results of numerical simulations of the development of a current sheet in the solar corona over a bipolar region during the emergence of two new sunspots arranged collinearly with older spots. Two fronts of increased plasma density form at the boundary of the rising new magnetic flux. One of these is due to the generation of a current sheet, whose magnetic field accumulates energy for a flare. The other front is a branch of the density perturbation, and separates the old and new magnetic fluxes in a region where the magnetic field lines have the same direction on both sides of the boundary. The development of this perturbation is not associated with the energy accumulation in the corona, and hinders observation of the preflare state and complicates analysis of the results. This second front can be interpreted as the eruption of a filament before the onset of the flare. A scheme conservative with respect to magnetic flux was introduced in the Peresvet code that solves the MHD equations, in order to suppress numerical instabilities in regions of large magnetic-field gradients.     

The spectrum of solar cosmic rays: Data of observations and numerical simulation

Analysis of the relativistic proton spectra of solar flares occurring in the 23rd solar activity cycle derived from data of a worldwide neutron monitor network and numerical modeling both provide evidence for the acceleration of charged particles by an electric field that arises in coronal current sheets during reconnection. The method used to obtain the spectra is based on simulating the response of a neutron monitor to an anisotropic flux of relativistic solar protons with specified parameters and determining the characteristics of the primary relativistic solar protons by fitting model responses to the observations. Studies of the dynamics of the energy spectra distinguish two populations of relativistic protons in solar cosmic-ray events: the so-called fast component, which arrives at the flux front of the solar cosmic rays, followed by the delayed slow component. The fast component is characterized by strong anisotropy and an exponential energy spectrum, in agreement with the spectrum yielded by mathematical modeling of particle acceleration by an electric field directed along the X line of the magnetic field. The slow component, whose propagation is probably diffusive, has a power-law spectrum.     

The generation of hard X-rays and relativistic protons observed during solar flares

The flare source of thermal X-rays above a magnetic arch in the corona arises from the dissipation of the magnetic energy of the current sheet formed at the reconnection of magnetic-field lines. The sources of hard X-rays emitted from the footpoints of the magnetic arch are beams of electrons accelerated in field-aligned currents induced by the Hall electric field generated in the current sheet. Both the hard X-rays detected above the active region and the type III radio emission are radiated by electrons accelerated in the field-aligned currents induced by Alfven waves. The solar cosmic rays are emitted promptly at the instant of the flare. It is important that the Lorentz electric field accelerates protons along the singular magnetic X line. The relativistic protons propagate along the interplanetary magnetic field. These protons have exponential spectra, typical for acceleration occurring in current sheets. A mechanism that is relevant for the generation of delayed cosmic rays, which demonstrate significant anisotropy and a power-law spectrum with γ ∼5, is also discussed.