Braiding, Turbulent 3D Reconnection and Impulsive Heating of the Magnetically Closed Corona

Abstract:

Magnetic braiding is one of the leading theories for heating the magnetically closed corona, however, understanding of the central processes has changed dramatically in recent years. In particular, it is now recognized that braided fields allow impulsive heating via the formation of large numbers of turbulently forming and evolving reconnection regions, which are volume filling and inherently 3D, and it is no longer necessary to invoke topological discontinuities to dissipate stored energy. It has also become clear that turbulent reconnection produces structures that are inconsistent with a Taylor relaxation model, raising questions about how much stored energy is available for heating and particle acceleration. Here, we look at recent progress that has been made in dealing with this complex heating mechanism and present a new advance that greatly improves estimates of the magnetic energy available for heating and particle acceleration.