Dynamics and Energetics of Resistive, Thermally Conductive, and Radiative Plasma in Coronal Current Sheets due to Asymmetric External Perturbation

TL;DR

This study investigates how resistivity, thermal conduction, and radiative cooling affect the dynamics and energetics of coronal current sheets during magnetic reconnection, revealing that energy loss mechanisms significantly influence plasmoid formation and energy transfer.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the combined effects of thermal conduction and radiative cooling on coronal current sheet behavior during reconnection, highlighting their impact on fragmentation and energy dynamics.

Findings

Thermal conduction accelerates current sheet fragmentation.

Radiative cooling delays the onset of fragmentation.

Energy loss mechanisms alter plasmoid speeds and energetics.

Abstract

We study the asymmetric interaction of wave-like velocity perturbation with a coronal current sheet (CS) in the presence of resistivity, thermal conduction (TC) and radiative cooling (RC). We analyze the dynamics and energetics of CS in four cases, namely, (i) no energy loss, (ii) TC only, (iii) RC only and, (iv) TC+RC. Before fragmentation, thinning and elongation of the CS are found to be identical in all four cases and therefore independent of presence or absence of energy loss effects. Onset times, corresponding Lundquist numbers and aspect ratios suggest that TC advances the onset of fragmentation while RC has the opposite effect in comparison to absence of energy losses. Reconnection takes place at a higher rate in presence of TC and TC+RC in the tearing unstable CS. The speed of plasmoids are also found to be higher under the effect of TC and TC+RC. In presence of TC and TC+RC, average density becomes higher within the tearing unstable CS than in other two cases. As expected, estimated average temperature is increasing with highest and lowest rate in absence of energy losses and in presence of both TC and RC respectively. After the onset of fragmentation, the rate of decrement of average magnetic energy density and increment of average kinetic energy density becomes higher in presence of TC and TC+RC than in other two cases. Thus we conclude that presence of energy loss mechanisms critically influence the dynamics, energetics, and plasmoid formation within a reconnecting coronal CS.