Effect of collisions and magnetic convergence on electron acceleration and transport in reconnecting twisted solar flare loops

TL;DR

This paper investigates how collisions and magnetic convergence influence electron acceleration and transport in twisted solar flare loops during magnetic reconnection, combining MHD modeling with test-particle simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a coupled MHD and test-particle model to analyze electron acceleration in twisted coronal loops, considering collisional effects and magnetic convergence.

Findings

Coulomb collisions affect electron energy spectra and spatial distribution.

Magnetic convergence near footpoints influences electron transport and hard X-ray emission.

Kink instability leads to strong parallel electric fields that accelerate electrons.

Abstract

We study a model of particle acceleration coupled with an MHD model of magnetic reconnection in unstable twisted coronal loops. The kink instability leads to the formation of helical currents with strong parallel electric fields resulting in electron acceleration. The motion of electrons in the electric and magnetic fields of the reconnecting loop is investigated using a test-particle approach taking into account collisional scattering. We discuss the effects of Coulomb collisions and magnetic convergence near loop footpoints on the spatial distribution and energy spectra of high-energy electron populations and possible implications on the hard X-ray emission in solar flares.