Onset of 2D magnetic reconnection in the solar photosphere, chromosphere and corona

TL;DR

This study explores how magnetic reconnection initiates in different solar atmospheric layers using external velocity drivers, revealing layer-dependent physics and the influence of plasma conditions on reconnection onset.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of triggering reconnection with external drivers across solar layers and examines the effects of ambipolar diffusion and plasma beta on the process.

Findings

Reconnection occurs in all layers with layer-specific physics.

Electric field rise depends on inflow velocity and atmospheric conditions.

Ambipolar diffusion modifies current density structure in the chromosphere.

Abstract

We investigate the onset of 2D time-dependent magnetic reconnection that is triggered using an external velocity driver located away from, and perpendicular to, an equilibrium Harris current sheet. Previous studies have typically utilised an internal trigger to initiate reconnection, e.g. initial conditions centred on the current sheet. Numerical simulations solving the compressible, resistive magnetohydrodynamics equations were performed to investigate the reconnection onset within different atmospheric layers of the Sun, namely the corona, chromosphere and photosphere. A reconnecting state is reached for all atmospheric heights considered, with the dominant physics being highly dependent on atmospheric conditions. The coronal case achieves a sharp rise in electric field for a range of velocity drivers. For the chromosphere, we find a larger velocity amplitude is required to trigger reconnection. For the photospheric environment, the electric field is highly dependent on the inflow speed; a sharp increase in electric field is obtained only as the velocity entering the reconnection region approaches the Alfven speed. Additionally, the role of ambipolar diffusion is investigated for the chromospheric case and we find that the ambipolar diffusion alters the structure of the current density in the inflow region. The rate at which flux enters the reconnection region is controlled by the inflow velocity. This determines all aspects of the reconnection start-up process, i.e. the early onset of reconnection is dominated by the advection term in Ohms law in all atmospheric layers. A lower plasma-$\beta$ enhances reconnection and creates a large change in the electric field. A high plasma-$\beta$ hinders the reconnection, yielding a sharp rise in the electric field only when the velocity flowing into the reconnection region approaches the local Alfven speed.