Magnetic reconnection and acceleration of particles on the sun

Abstract

The present-day state of the problem regarding the acceleration of high-energy particles in solar flares is reviewed briefly. It is shown that an analytical solution to the equation of charged-particle motion in a reconnecting current layer with a 3D magnetic field and the electric field caused by magnetic reconnection allows us to offer an explanation for the acceleration of electrons and protons to relativistic energies over very short time intervals. The theoretical results are compared to recent observations of accelerated particles in solar flares.