Numerical examination of plasmoid-induced reconnection model for solar flares: The relation between plasmoid velocity and reconnection rate

Abstract

The plasmoid-induced reconnection model explaining solar flares based on bursty reconnection produced by an ejecting plasmoid suggests a possible relation between the ejection velocity of a plasmoid and the rate of magnetic reconnection. In this study, we focus on the quantitative description of this relation. We performed magnetohydrodynamic simulations of solar flares by changing the values of resistivity and the plasmoid velocity. The plasmoid velocity has been changed by applying an additional force to the plasmoid to see how the plasmoid velocity affects the reconnection rate. An important result is that the reconnection rate has a positive correlation with the plasmoid velocity, which is consistent with the plasmoid-induced reconnection model for solar flares. We also discuss an observational result supporting this positive correlation. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.