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ZENODO
Software . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Software . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Indirect Imaging of the Magnetic Reconnection Region in Flares Using Observations of Chromospheric Ribbon Structure

Authors: Lowder, Chris; Ashfield IV, William H; Brannon, Sean; Kankelborg, Charles;

Indirect Imaging of the Magnetic Reconnection Region in Flares Using Observations of Chromospheric Ribbon Structure

Abstract

Solar flare reconnection is widely understood to occur in the thin current sheet separating antiparallel open field lines. It is also commonly believed that instabilities (such as tearing-mode or Kelvin-Helmholtz) in this layer play a central role in driving flare reconnection. However, any small-scale instabilities responsible for reconnection occur on scales not resolved by current coronal imaging, leaving their spatial and temporal properties poorly constrained. This observational gap presents significant challenges to investigating fundamental reconnection mechanisms. Flare ribbons, on the other hand, represent the chromospheric footpoints of freshly reconnected field lines and are easily identified in FUV/EUV flare observations. Previous observational studies strongly suggest that the morphology of a flare ribbon represents an image of the coronal reconnection, projected onto the chromospheric plasma. We demonstrate a novel method to invert this projection, recovering indirect images of the evolving current sheet from the ribbons themselves. Through these reconstructions, we recover the spatial scales of underlying instabilities.

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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average