Explosive Instability and Erupting Flux Tubes in a Magnetised Plasma Atmosphere

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the eruption of flux tubes in a magnetised plasma atmosphere can cause rapid, explosive energy release, with stable flux tubes becoming metastable and releasing significant energy quickly.

Contribution

It introduces a model showing how stable flux tubes can become metastable and erupt, leading to explosive energy release in plasma atmospheres.

Findings

Metastability of flux tubes in a magnetised atmosphere

Significant energy release during eruptions

Fast dynamical timescale for energy release

Abstract

The eruption of multiple flux tubes in a magnetised plasma atmosphere is proposed as a mechanism for explosive release of energy in plasmas. Linearly stable isolated flux tubes are shown to be metastable in a box model magnetised atmosphere in which ends of the field lines are embedded in conducting walls. The energy released by destabilising such field lines can be a significant fraction of the gravitational energy stored in the system. This energy can be released in a fast dynamical time.