Small-scale Magnetic Flux Research Articles

Observational Analysis of Small-scale Magnetic Flux Ropes from Ulysses In-situ Measurements

Small-scale magnetic flux ropes, which have similar magnetic field configuration as their large-scale counterparts (i.e., magnetic clouds), but with different sizes and origin, constitute an important element of solar wind structures. They are also considered to be associated with local particle energization and other related processes. In this report, we apply the Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction method to detect these small-scale flux ropes with a set of quantitative criteria by utilizing data from the Ulysses spacecraft measurements for the first time. We conduct full range automatic detection for years 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2005 during the solar minimum periods. Based on solar wind speed/helio-latitude ranges, these periods are categorized into two groups: one with high solar wind speeds at high latitudes (1994 and 1996) and the other with low solar wind speeds at low latitudes (2004 and 2005). Through mainly statistical analysis of the results from these four years worth of Ulysses data, we have obtained the following findings: (1) Alfvénic structures occur more frequently at higher latitudes or in high speed solar wind (1994 and 1996). (2) Small-scale flux ropes at lower latitudes tend to align with the nominal Parker spiral direction. (3) The scale sizes of small-scale flux ropes are in the same range for different heliocentric distances. Both scale size and duration distributions seem to obey power laws, similar to the analysis results at 1 astronomical unit (AU). (4) The waiting time distribution (WTD) is fitted well by an exponential function rather than a power law. (5) The power law fitting is applied to the wall-to-wall time distribution with the break point at ∼ 200 min which is 3∼4 times the result at 1 AU.

A database of small-scale magnetic flux ropes in the solar wind from Wind spacecraft measurements

We present an extensive study of identifying small-scale magnetic flux ropes with duration between 9 and 361 minutes from Wind spacecraft in-situ measurements. The approach is based on the well-established Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction method applicable to two-dimensional (2D) magnetohydrostatic structures. An automated computer algorithm is developed to sift through the time-series data covering two solar cycles, from 1996 to 2016. A large number of flux rope events is identified and an online database is built to accommodate the outcome from this detection algorithm. We provide detailed descriptions of the key steps of the GS-based detection algorithm and the general features of the online database. Selected preliminary statistical analyses are shown, which yield the following main results. (1) The occurrence of small-scale flux ropes has strong solar cycle dependency. (2) The small-scale magnetic flux ropes in the ecliptic plane tend to align along the Parker spiral direction. (3) Both the duration and scale size distributions of the small-scale magnetic flux ropes obey power laws. We show the similarities and discrepancies in their properties as compared with their large-scale counterparts, the magnetic clouds. We also discuss the implications on their origination mechanisms.

An Unusual Energetic Particle Flux Enhancement Associated with Solar Wind Magnetic Island Dynamics

Abstract The possibility that charged particles are accelerated statistically in a “sea” of small-scale interacting magnetic flux ropes in the supersonic solar wind is gaining credence. In this Letter, we extend the Zank et al. statistical transport theory for a nearly isotopic particle distribution by including an escape term corresponding to particle loss from a finite acceleration region. Steady-state 1D solutions for both the accelerated particle velocity distribution function and differential intensity are derived. We show Ulysses observations of an energetic particle flux enhancement event downstream of a shock near 5 au that is inconsistent with the predictions of classical diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) but may be explained by local acceleration associated with magnetic islands. An automated Grad-Shafranov reconstruction approach is employed to identify small-scale magnetic flux ropes behind the shock. For the first time, the observed energetic particle “time-intensity” profile and spectra are quantitatively compared with theoretical predictions. The results show that stochastic acceleration by interacting magnetic islands accounts successfully for the observed (i) peaking of particle intensities behind the shock instead of at the shock front as standard DSA predicts; (ii) increase in the particle flux amplification factor with increasing particle energy; (ii) increase in distance between the particle intensity peak and the shock front with increasing energy; and (iv) hardening of particle power-law spectra with increasing distance downstream of the shock.

Small-scale Magnetic Flux Emergence in the Quiet Sun

Abstract Small bipolar magnetic features are observed to appear in the interior of individual granules in the quiet Sun, signaling the emergence of tiny magnetic loops from the solar interior. We study the origin of those features as part of the magnetoconvection process in the top layers of the convection zone. Two quiet-Sun magnetoconvection models, calculated with the radiation-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Bifrost code and with domain stretching from the top layers of the convection zone to the corona, are analyzed. Using 3D visualization as well as a posteriori spectral synthesis of Stokes parameters, we detect the repeated emergence of small magnetic elements in the interior of granules, as in the observations. Additionally, we identify the formation of organized horizontal magnetic sheets covering whole granules. Our approach is twofold, calculating statistical properties of the system, like joint probability density functions (JPDFs), and pursuing individual events via visualization tools. We conclude that the small magnetic loops surfacing within individual granules in the observations may originate from sites at or near the downflows in the granular and mesogranular levels, probably in the first 1 or 1.5 Mm below the surface. We also document the creation of granule-covering magnetic sheet-like structures through the sideways expansion of a small subphotospheric magnetic concentration picked up and pulled out of the interior by a nascent granule. The sheet-like structures that we found in the models may match the recent observations of Centeno et al.

Mass and energy supply of a cool coronal loop near its apex

Context. Different models for the heating of solar corona assume or predict different locations of the energy input: concentrated at the footpoints, at the apex, or uniformly distributed. The brightening of a loop could be due to the increase in electron density ne, the temperature T, or a mixture of both.Aim. We investigate possible reasons for the brightening of a cool loop at transition region temperatures through imaging and spectral observation.Methods. We observed a loop with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and used the slit-jaw images together with spectra taken at a fixed slit position to study the evolution of plasma properties in and below the loop. We used spectra of Si iv, which forms at around 80 000 K in equilibrium, to identify plasma motions and derive electron densities from the ratio of inter-combination lines of O IV. Additional observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were employed to study the response at coronal temperatures (Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, AIA) and to investigate the surface magnetic field below the loop (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, HMI).Results. The loop first appears at transition region temperatures and later also at coronal temperatures, indicating a heating of the plasma in the loop. The appearance of hot plasma in the loop coincides with a possible accelerating upflow seen in Si IV, with the Doppler velocity shifting continuously from ~−70 km s−1 to ~−265 km s−1. The 3D magnetic field lines extrapolated from the HMI magnetogram indicate possible magnetic reconnection between small-scale magnetic flux tubes below or near the loop apex. At the same time, an additional intensity enhancement near the loop apex is visible in the IRIS slit-jaw images at 1400 Å. These observations suggest that the loop is probably heated by the interaction between the loop and the upflows, which are accelerated by the magnetic reconnection between small-scale magnetic flux tubes at lower altitudes. Before and after the possible heating phase, the intensity changes in the optically thin (Si IV) and optical thick line (C II) are mainly contributed by the density variation without significant heating.Conclusions. We therefore provide evidence for the heating of an envelope loop that is affected by accelerating upflows, which are probably launched by magnetic reconnection between small-scale magnetic flux tubes underneath the envelope loop. This study emphasizes that in the complex upper atmosphere of the Sun, the dynamics of the 3D coupled magnetic field and flow field plays a key role in thermalizing 1D structures such as coronal loops.

Abnormal Stokes Profiles of the Photospheric Lines in the Region of Chromospheric Dual Flows in the Surroundings of a Solar Pore: 1. Observations

The thermodynamic parameters and parameters of the photospheric magnetic field in the region of chromospheric dual flows in the vicinity of a small pore in the active region NOAA 11024 are presented. The dual chromospheric flows that appeared in the region of abnormal Stokes V profiles of the photospheric lines were associated with the emergence of a new small-scale magnetic flux of positive polarity. Semiempirical photospheric models were obtained by inversion using the SIR program (Stokes Inversion based on Response functions) [42]. Each model contains two components: two thin magnetic flux tubes of different polarity. The magnetic flux has a negative polarity in the first component and positive in the second. The Stokes profiles of the photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15, 630.25, and 630.35 nm and Ti I λ 630.38 nm from the spectropolarimetric observations with the French–Italian telescope THEMIS (Tenerife, Spain) were used for modeling. The altitudinal dependences of the temperature, line of sight velocity, inclination angle of the magnetic field vector, and azimuth angle in the tubes, as well as the values of the magnetic field strength and macroturbulent velocity, are obtained. The time variations in all parameters of the photosphere are revealed. The new magnetic flux emerged in the region of mixed polarities and was accompanied by the heating of the photosphere and chromosphere. The inferred flux tube models show the temperature enhancement by 400 K in the upper photospheric layers relative to the quiet-Sun model temperature. They indicate a complex, inhomogeneous small-scale structure of the magnetic field and the velocity field. The magnetic field strength in the tubes varies from 0.03 to 0.13 T during the period under consideration. The inclination angles of the magnetic field vector and the azimuth angles strongly differ in magnetic flux tubes and vary in time. The line-of-sight velocity does not exceed 2 km/s. The downflows in the lower layers of the photosphere and the upflows in the upper layers dominate in the first component of the models. In the second component of the model, the material in the upper photosphere is lifted. The macroturbulent velocity in most cases exceeds its value for the unperturbed photosphere. The velocity is greater in the second component of the models. The emergence of the new magnetic flux could lead to the magnetic reconnection and occurrence of a microflare.

Theoretical basal Ca II fluxes for late-type stars: results from magnetic wave models with time-dependent ionization and multi-level radiation treatments

In the current study we present ab initio numerical computations of the generation and propagation of longitudinal waves in magnetic flux tubes embedded in the atmospheres of late-type stars. The interaction between convective turbulence and the magnetic structure is computed and the obtained longitudinal wave energy flux is used in a self-consistent manner to excite the small-scale magnetic flux tubes. In the current study we reduce the number of assumptions made in our previous studies by considering the full magnetic wave energy fluxes and spectra as well as time-dependent ionization (TDI) of hydrogen, employing multi-level Ca II atomic models, and taking into account departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium. Our models employ the recently confirmed value of the mixing-length parameter $\alpha=1.8$ . Regions with strong magnetic fields (magnetic filling factors of up to 50%) are also considered in the current study. The computed Ca II emission fluxes show a strong dependence on the magnetic filling factors, and the effect of time-dependent ionization (TDI) turns out to be very important in the atmospheres of late-type stars heated by acoustic and magnetic waves. The emitted Ca II fluxes with TDI included into the model are decreased by factors that range from 1.4 to 5.5 for G0V and M0V stars, respectively, compared to models that do not consider TDI. The results of our computations are compared with observations. Excellent agreement between the observed and predicted basal flux is obtained. The predicted trend of Ca II emission flux with magnetic filling factor and stellar surface temperature also agrees well with the observations but the calculated maximum fluxes for stars of different spectral types are about two times lower than observations. Though the longitudinal MHD waves considered here are important for chromosphere heating in high activity stars, additional heating mechanism(s) are apparently present.

Transport of Internetwork Magnetic Flux Elements in the Solar Photosphere

Abstract The motions of small-scale magnetic flux elements in the solar photosphere can provide some measure of the Lagrangian properties of the convective flow. Measurements of these motions have been critical in estimating the turbulent diffusion coefficient in flux-transport dynamo models and in determining the Alfvén wave excitation spectrum for coronal heating models. We examine the motions of internetwork flux elements in Hinode/Narrowband Filter Imager magnetograms and study the scaling of their mean squared displacement and the shape of their displacement probability distribution as a function of time. We find that the mean squared displacement scales super-diffusively with a slope of about 1.48. Super-diffusive scaling has been observed in other studies for temporal increments as small as 5 s, increments over which ballistic scaling would be expected. Using high-cadence MURaM simulations, we show that the observed super-diffusive scaling at short increments is a consequence of random changes in barycenter positions due to flux evolution. We also find that for long temporal increments, beyond granular lifetimes, the observed displacement distribution deviates from that expected for a diffusive process, evolving from Rayleigh to Gaussian. This change in distribution can be modeled analytically by accounting for supergranular advection along with granular motions. These results complicate the interpretation of magnetic element motions as strictly advective or diffusive on short and long timescales and suggest that measurements of magnetic element motions must be used with caution in turbulent diffusion or wave excitation models. We propose that passive tracer motions in measured photospheric flows may yield more robust transport statistics.

Observational Evidence for Self-generation of Small-scale Magnetic Flux Ropes from Intermittent Solar Wind Turbulence

Abstract We present unique and additional observational evidence for the self-generation of small-scale coherent magnetic flux rope structures in the solar wind. Such structures with durations between 9 and 361 minutes are identified from Wind in situ spacecraft measurements through the Grad–Shafranov (GS) reconstruction approach. The event occurrence counts are on the order of 3500 per year on average and have a clear solar-cycle dependence. We build a database of small-scale magnetic flux ropes from 20 yr worth of Wind spacecraft data. We show a power-law distribution of the wall-to-wall time corresponding well to the inertial range turbulence, which agrees with relevant observations and numerical simulation results. We also provide the axial current density distribution from the GS-based observational analysis, which yields a non-Gaussian probability density function consistent with numerical simulation results.

Temporal relations between magnetic bright points and the solar sunspot cycle

Abstract The Sun shows a global magnetic field cycle traditionally best visible in the photosphere as a changing sunspot cycle featuring roughly an 11-year period. In addition we know that our host star also harbours small-scale magnetic fields often seen as strong concentrations of magnetic flux reaching kG field strengths. These features are situated in inter-granular lanes, where they show up bright as so-called magnetic bright points (MBPs). In this short paper we wish to analyse an homogenous, nearly 10-year-long synoptic Hinode image data set recorded from 2006 November up to 2016 February in the G-band to inspect the relationship between the number of MBPs at the solar disc centre and the relative sunspot number. Our findings suggest that the number of MBPs at the solar disc centre is indeed correlated to the relative sunspot number, but with the particular feature of showing two different temporal shifts between the decreasing phase of cycle 23 including the minimum and the increasing phase of cycle 24 including the maximum. While the former is shifted by about 22 months, the latter is only shifted by less than 12 months. Moreover, we introduce and discuss an analytical model to predict the number of MBPs at the solar disc centre purely depending on the evolution of the relative sunspot number as well as the temporal change of the relative sunspot number and two background parameters describing a possibly acting surface dynamo as well as the strength of the magnetic field diffusion. Finally, we are able to confirm the plausibility of the temporal shifts by a simplistic random walk model. The main conclusion to be drawn from this work is that the injection of magnetic flux, coming from active regions as represented by sunspots, happens on faster time scales than the removal of small-scale magnetic flux elements later on.

Characteristics and Geoeffectiveness of Small-scale Magnetic Flux Ropes in the Solar Wind

Magnetic flux ropes, often observed during intervals of interplanetary coronal mass ejections, have long been recognized to be critical in space weather. In this work, we focus on magnetic flux rope structure but on a much smaller scale, and not necessarily related to interplanetary coronal mass ejections. Using near-Earth solar wind advanced composition explorer (ACE) observations from 1998 to 2016, we identified a total of 309 small-scale magnetic flux ropes (SMFRs). We compared the characteristics of identified SMFR events with those of normal magnetic cloud (MC) events available from the existing literature. First, most of the MCs and SMFRs have similar values of accompanying solar wind speed and proton densities. However, the average magnetic field intensity of SMFRs is weaker (~7.4 nT) than that of MCs (~10.6 nT). Also, the average duration time and expansion speed of SMFRs are ~2.5 hr and 2.6 km/s, respectively, both of which are smaller by a factor of ~10 than those of MCs. In addition, we examined the geoeffectiveness of SMFR events by checking their correlation with magnetic storms and substorms. Based on the criteria Sym-H < -50 nT (for identification of storm occurrence) and AL < -200 nT (for identification of substorm occurrence), we found that for 88 SMFR events (corresponding to 28.5 % of the total SMFR events), substorms occurred after the impact of SMFRs, implying a possible triggering of substorms by SMFRs. In contrast, we found only two SMFRs that triggered storms. We emphasize that, based on a much larger database than used in previous studies, all these previously known features are now firmly confirmed by the current work. Accordingly, the results emphasize the significance of SMFRs from the viewpoint of possible triggering of substorms.

Automated Detection of Small-scale Magnetic Flux Ropes and Their Association with Shocks

We have quantitatively examined one type of fundamental space plasma structures in the solar wind, the magnetic flux ropes, especially those of relatively small scales. They usually are of durations ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. The main objectives are to reveal the existence in terms of their occurrence and distributions in the solar wind, to quantitatively examine their configurations and properties, and to relate to other relevant processes, involving particle energization and intermittent structures in the solar wind. The technical approach is a combination of time-series analysis methods with the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction technique. This modeling method is capable of characterizing two and a half dimensional cross section of space plasma structures, based on in-situ spacecraft measurements along a single path across. We present the automated detection of flux ropes, construction of an online magnetic flux rope database, and detailed case studies of such structures identified downstream of interplanetary shocks.

Dual chromospheric flows in the vicinity of a solar pore

Chromospheric line-of-sight velocities are investigated in a small pore and its vicinity on the part of the active region NOAA 11024 with a size of 5″. We used Hα spectra of the active region and undisturbed atmosphere obtained with the French–Italian solar telescope THEMIS (Tenerife, Spain). Significant line-of-sight velocity time variations are found. At the beginning of the observations, the investigated region consisted of two areas of oppositely directed flows. The first area had a bright point in the vicinity of the pore and the second area covered the pore. There were upflows in the former and downflows in the latter. Oppositely directed flows appeared in both areas 2.7 min after the start of observations. In the part of the active region with a length of 2Mm, two oppositely directed flows within the same resolution elements, the so-called dual flows, were observed. The size of the area occupied by the dual flows varied quickly. The area shifted toward the pore. The velocity of upflows and downflows reached 25 km/s. The downflows in the first area lasted only for approximately 1 min. Upflows in the second area gradually covered the pore and lasted for 2 min. The resulting velocity field distribution can be due to a new small-scale magnetic flux emergence.

A Tale of Two Emergences: Sunrise II Observations of Emergence Sites in a Solar Active Region

Abstract In 2013 June, the two scientific instruments on board the second Sunrise mission witnessed, in detail, a small-scale magnetic flux emergence event as part of the birth of an active region. The Imaging Magnetograph Experiment (IMaX) recorded two small ( ) emerging flux patches in the polarized filtergrams of a photospheric Fe i spectral line. Meanwhile, the Sunrise Filter Imager (SuFI) captured the highly dynamic chromospheric response to the magnetic fields pushing their way through the lower solar atmosphere. The serendipitous capture of this event offers a closer look at the inner workings of active region emergence sites. In particular, it reveals in meticulous detail how the rising magnetic fields interact with the granulation as they push through the Sun’s surface, dragging photospheric plasma in their upward travel. The plasma that is burdening the rising field slides along the field lines, creating fast downflowing channels at the footpoints. The weight of this material anchors this field to the surface at semi-regular spatial intervals, shaping it in an undulatory fashion. Finally, magnetic reconnection enables the field to release itself from its photospheric anchors, allowing it to continue its voyage up to higher layers. This process releases energy that lights up the arch-filament systems and heats the surrounding chromosphere.

PRE-ERUPTION OSCILLATIONS IN THIN AND LONG FEATURES IN A QUIESCENT FILAMENT

ABSTRACT We investigate the eruption of a quiescent filament located close to an active region. Large-scale activation was observed in only half of the filament in the form of pre-eruption oscillations. Consequently only this half erupted nearly 30 hr after the oscillations commenced. Time-slice diagrams of 171 Å images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly were used to study the oscillations. These were observed in several thin and long features connecting the filament spine to the chromosphere below. This study traces the origin of such features and proposes their possible interpretation. Small-scale magnetic flux cancellation accompanied by a brightening was observed at the footpoint of the features shortly before their appearance, in images recorded by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. A slow rise of the filament was detected in addition to the oscillations, indicating a gradual loss of equilibrium. Our analysis indicates that a change in magnetic field connectivity between two neighbouring active regions and the quiescent filament resulted in a weakening of the overlying arcade of the filament, leading to its eruption. It is also suggested that the oscillating features are filament barbs, and the oscillations are a manifestation during the pre-eruption phase of the filaments.

Non-magnetic photospheric bright points in 3D simulations of the solar atmosphere

Context. Small-scale bright features in the photosphere of the Sun, such as faculae or G-band bright points, appear in connection with small-scale magnetic flux concentrations. Aims. Here we report on a new class of photospheric bright points that are free of magnetic fields. So far, these are visible in numerical simulations only. We explore conditions required for their observational detection. Methods. Numerical radiation (magneto-)hydrodynamic simulations of the near-surface layers of the Sun were carried out. The magnetic field-free simulations show tiny bright points, reminiscent of magnetic bright points, only smaller. A simple toy model for these non-magnetic bright points (nMBPs) was established that serves as a base for the development of an algorithm for their automatic detection. Basic physical properties of 357 detected nMBPs were extracted and statistically evaluated. We produced synthetic intensity maps that mimic observations with various solar telescopes to obtain hints on their detectability. Results. The nMBPs of the simulations show a mean bolometric intensity contrast with respect to their intergranular surroundings of approximately 20%, a size of 60-80 km, and the isosurface of optical depth unity is at their location depressed by 80-100 km. They are caused by swirling downdrafts that provide, by means of the centripetal force, the necessary pressure gradient for the formation of a funnel of reduced mass density that reaches from the subsurface layers into the photosphere. Similar, frequently occurring funnels that do not reach into the photosphere, do not produce bright points. Conclusions. Non-magnetic bright points are the observable manifestation of vertically extending vortices (vortex tubes) in the photosphere. The resolving power of 4-m-class telescopes, such as the DKIST, is needed for an unambiguous detection of them.

Observations and analysis of small-scale magnetic flux ropes in the solar wind

The small-scale magnetic flux ropes (of duration ranging from a few minutes to a few hours) in the solar wind have the typical topology of winding field lines around a central axis, which is similar to the large-scale flux ropes, i.e., magnetic clouds. However, accumulating evidence suggests that their plasma characteristics, origin, formation mechanism and evolution are different from those of large-scale flux ropes. The small-scale flux ropes are intensively studied in recent years, since they affect particle transport and energization, and are considered as the potential source of local acceleration. The Grad-Shafranov reconstruction technique is a tool to reconstruct the two and a half dimensional field structure based on in-situ measurements captured by an observing platform moving past it. In this study, we reconstruct the flux rope structures in two events using the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction approach. In one event, a twin flux rope structure at 1 AU occurring on 2002 February 1 and two following single flux rope structures are identified behind an interplanetary shock. In the other event, we reconstruct the flux rope structures occurring on 1998 March 25 and 26 at 1 AU in the ambient solar wind. The associated energetic particle signatures and the possible origin of these flux rope structures are discussed.

A GLOBAL GALACTIC DYNAMO WITH A CORONA CONSTRAINED BY RELATIVE HELICITY

ABSTRACT We present a model for a global axisymmetric turbulent dynamo operating in a galaxy with a corona that treats the parameters of turbulence driven by supernovae and by magneto-rotational instability under a common formalism. The nonlinear quenching of the dynamo is alleviated by the inclusion of small-scale advective and diffusive magnetic helicity fluxes, which allow the gauge-invariant magnetic helicity to be transferred outside the disk and consequently to build up a corona during the course of dynamo action. The time-dependent dynamo equations are expressed in a separable form and solved through an eigenvector expansion constructed using the steady-state solutions of the dynamo equation. The parametric evolution of the dynamo solution allows us to estimate the final structure of the global magnetic field and the saturated value of the turbulence parameter α m , even before solving the dynamical equations for evolution of magnetic fields in the disk and the corona, along with α-quenching. We then solve these equations simultaneously to study the saturation of the large-scale magnetic field, its dependence on the small-scale magnetic helicity fluxes, and the corresponding evolution of the force-free field in the corona. The quadrupolar large-scale magnetic field in the disk is found to reach equipartition strength within a timescale of 1 Gyr. The large-scale magnetic field in the corona obtained is much weaker than the field inside the disk and has only a weak impact on the dynamo operation.

Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge

Context: Light bridges are convective intrusions in sunspots that often show enhanced chromospheric activity.Aims: We seek to determine the nature of flux emergence in a light bridge and the processes related to its evolution in the solar atmosphere.Methods: We analyse a sequence of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of a sunspot taken at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The data consist of spectral scans of the photospheric Fe I line pair at 630 nm and the chromospheric Ca II 854.2 nm line. Bisectors were used to construct Dopplergrams from the Fe I 630.15 nm measurements. We employed LTE and non-LTE inversions to derive maps of physical parameters in the photosphere and chromosphere, respectively.Results: We observe the onset of blueshifts of about 2 km s(-1) near the entrance of a granular light bridge on the limbward side of the spot. The blueshifts lie immediately next to a strongly redshifted patch that appeared six minutes earlier. Both patches can be seen for 25 min until the end of the sequence. The blueshifts coincide with an elongated emerging granule, while the redshifts appear at the end of the granule. In the photosphere, the development of the blueshifts is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in field strength of about 400 G. The field inclination increases by some 25 degrees, becoming nearly horizontal. At the position of the redshifts, the magnetic field is equally horizontal but of opposite polarity. An intense brightening is seen in the Ca II filtergrams over the blueshifts and redshifts, about 17 min after their detection in the photosphere. The brightening is due to emission in the blue wing of the Ca II 854.2 nm line, close to its knee. Non-LTE inversions reveal that this kind of asymmetric emission is caused by a temperature enhancement of similar to 700 K between -5.0 <= log tau <= -3.0 and a blueshift of 3 km s(-1) at log tau = - 2.3 that decreases to zero at log tau = - 6.0Conclusions: The photospheric blueshifts and redshifts observed in a granular light bridge seem to be caused by the emergence of a small-scale, flat Omega-loop with highly inclined footpoints of opposite polarity that brings new magnetic field to the surface. The gas motions detected in the two footpoints are reminiscent of a siphon flow. The rising loop is probably confined to the lower atmosphere by the overlying sunspot magnetic field and the interaction between the two flux systems may be responsible for temperature enhancements in the upper photosphere/lower chromosphere. This is the first time that magnetic flux is observed to emerge in the strongly magnetised environment of sunspots, pushed upwards by the convective flows of a granular light bridge.

Spontaneous magnetic reconnection

The present review concerns the relevance of collisionless reconnection in the astrophysical context. Emphasis is put on recent developments in theory obtained from collisionless numerical simulations in two and three dimensions. It is stressed that magnetic reconnection is a universal process of particular importance under collisionless conditions, when both collisional and anomalous dissipation are irrelevant. While collisional (resistive) reconnection is a slow, diffusive process, collisionless reconnection is spontaneous. On any astrophysical time scale, it is explosive. It sets on when electric current widths become comparable to the leptonic inertial length in the so-called lepton (electron/positron) “diffusion region”, where leptons de-magnetise. Here, the magnetic field contacts its oppositely directed partner and annihilates. Spontaneous reconnection breaks the original magnetic symmetry, violently releases the stored free energy of the electric current, and causes plasma heating and particle acceleration. Ultimately, the released energy is provided by mechanical motion of either the two colliding magnetised plasmas that generate the current sheet or the internal turbulence cascading down to lepton-scale current filaments. Spontaneous reconnection in such extended current sheets that separate two colliding plasmas results in the generation of many reconnection sites (tearing modes) distributed over the current surface, each consisting of lepton exhausts and jets which are separated by plasmoids. Volume-filling factors of reconnection sites are estimated to be as large as $${<}10^{-5}$$ per current sheet. Lepton currents inside exhausts may be strong enough to excite Buneman and, for large thermal pressure anisotropy, also Weibel instabilities. They bifurcate and break off into many small-scale current filaments and magnetic flux ropes exhibiting turbulent magnetic power spectra of very flat power-law shape $$W_b\propto k^{-\alpha }$$ in wavenumber k with power becoming as low as $$\alpha \approx 2$$ . Spontaneous reconnection generates small-scale turbulence. Imposed external turbulence tends to temporarily increase the reconnection rate. Reconnecting ultra-relativistic current sheets decay into large numbers of magnetic flux ropes composed of chains of plasmoids and lepton exhausts. They form highly structured current surfaces, “current carpets”. By including synchrotron radiation losses, one favours tearing-mode reconnection over the drift-kink deformation of the current sheet. Lepton acceleration occurs in the reconnection-electric field in multiple encounters with the exhausts and plasmoids. This is a Fermi-like process. It results in power-law tails on the lepton energy distribution. This effect becomes pronounced in ultra-relativistic reconnection where it yields extremely hard lepton power-law energy spectra approaching $$F(\gamma )\propto \gamma ^{-1}$$ , with $$\gamma $$ the lepton energy. The synchrotron radiation limit becomes substantially exceeded. Relativistic reconnection is a probable generator of current and magnetic turbulence, and a mechanism that produces high-energy radiation. It is also identified as the ultimate dissipation mechanism of the mechanical energy in collisionless magnetohydrodynamic turbulent cascades via lepton-inertial-scale turbulent current filaments. In this case, the volume-filling factor is large. Magnetic turbulence causes strong plasma heating of the entire turbulent volume and violent acceleration via spontaneous lepton-scale reconnection. This may lead to high-energy particle populations filling the whole volume. In this case, it causes non-thermal radiation spectra that span the entire interval from radio waves to gamma rays.