Unipolar Regions Research Articles

ПРОЯВЛЕНИЯ В ГЕЛИОСФЕРЕ И В ИНТЕНСИВНОСТИ ГКЛ ДВУХ ВЕТВЕЙ СОЛНЕЧНОЙ АКТИВНОСТИ

This paper provides insight into heliospheric processes and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) modulation occurring due to the presence of two branches of solar activity in this solar layer. According to the topology of solar magnetic fields, these branches are called toroidal (active regions, sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, etc.) and poloidal (high-latitude magnetic fields, polar coronal holes, zonal unipolar magnetic regions, etc.). The main cause of different manifestations of the two branches on the solar surface and in the heliosphere — the layer at the base of the heliosphere in which the main energetic factor is the magnetic field — is formulated. In this case, the magnetic fields of the poloidal branch, which have a larger scale but a lower intensity, gain an advantage in penetrating into the heliosphere. A connection is shown between the poloidal branch and the heliospheric characteristics (solar wind velocity field, size of the heliosphere, form of the heliospheric current sheet, regular heliospheric magnetic field and its fluctuations) that, according to modern notions, determine GCR propagation in the heliosphere.

MANIFESTATIONS OF TWO BRANCHES OF SOLAR ACTIVITY IN THE HELIOSPHERE AND GCR INTENSITY

This paper provides insight into heliospheric processes and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) modulation occurring due to the presence of two branches of solar activity in this solar layer. According to the topology of solar magnetic fields, these branches are called toroidal (active regions, sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, etc.) and poloidal (high-latitude magnetic fields, polar coronal holes, zonal unipolar magnetic regions, etc.). The main cause of different manifestations of the two branches on the solar surface and in the heliosphere — the layer at the base of the heliosphere in which the main energetic factor is the magnetic field — is formulated. In this case, the magnetic fields of the poloidal branch, which have a larger scale but a lower intensity, gain an advantage in penetrating into the heliosphere. A connection is shown between the poloidal branch and the heliospheric characteristics (solar wind velocity field, size of the heliosphere, form of the heliospheric current sheet, regular heliospheric magnetic field and its fluctuations) that, according to modern notions, determine GCR propagation in the heliosphere.

Resonant cavity-enhanced photodetector incorporating a type-II superlattice to extend MWIR sensitivity.

Mid-infrared resonant cavity-enhanced photodetectors (RCE PD) present a promising technology for targeted gas detection. We demonstrate an RCE PD incorporating an InAs/InAsSb superlattice as the detecting element, extending the resonant wavelength beyond 4 µm. AlAsSb/GaSb mirrors and a unipolar barrier active region paralleling an nBn structure are also used, and performance is compared to a conventional broadband nBn detector incorporating the same superlattice. The RCE PD exhibited a Q-factor of ∼90 and an extremely stable resonance wavelength. Peak responsivity was 3.0 A W-1 at 240 K, equalling 84% quantum efficiency, a 5.5 times increase over the reference nBn at the same wavelength. Dark current density was 3.3×10-2 A cm-2 at 240 K, falling to 2.7×10-4 A cm-2 at 180 K. The broadband BLIP limit is approached at 180 K with specific detectivity of 2.1×1011 cm Hz1/2 W-1, which presents the potential of achieving BLIP-limited operation in the thermoelectric cooling regime.

Observations of Solar Coronal Rain in Null Point Topologies

Abstract Coronal rain is the well-known phenomenon in which hot plasma high in the Sun’s corona undergoes rapid cooling (from ∼106 to <104 K), condenses, and falls to the surface. Coronal rain appears frequently in active region coronal loops and is very common in post-flare loops. This Letter presents discovery observations, which show that coronal rain is ubiquitous in the commonly occurring coronal magnetic topology of a large (∼100 Mm scale) embedded bipole very near a coronal hole boundary. Our observed structures formed when the photospheric decay of active-region-leading-sunspots resulted in a large parasitic polarity embedded in a background unipolar region. We observe coronal rain to appear within the legs of closed loops well under the fan surface, as well as preferentially near separatrices of the resulting coronal topology: the spine lines, null point, and fan surface. We analyze three events using SDO Atmospheric Imaging Assembly observations in the 304, 171, and 211 Å channels, as well as SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager magnetograms. The frequency of rain formation and the ease with which it is observed strongly suggests that this phenomenon is generally present in null point topologies of this size scale. We argue that these rain events could be explained by the classic process of thermal nonequilibrium or via interchange reconnection at the null; it is also possible that both mechanisms are present. Further studies with higher spatial resolution data and MHD simulations will be required to determine the exact mechanism(s).

Magnetic Turbulence Spectra and Intermittency in the Heliosheath and in the Local Interstellar Medium

Abstract The understanding of inertial-scale dynamics in the heliosheath is not yet thorough. Magnetic field fluctuations across the inner heliosheath (IHS) and the local interstellar medium (LISM) are here considered to provide accurate and highly resolved statistics over different plasma conditions between 88 and 136 au. By using the unique in situ 48 s measurements from the Voyager Interstellar Mission, we investigate different fluctuation regimes at the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scales, down to the MHD-to-kinetic transition. We focus on a range of scales exceeding five frequency decades (5 × 10−8 < f < 10−2 Hz), which is unprecedented in literature analysis. A set of magnetic field data for eight intervals in the IHS, in both unipolar and sector regions, and four intervals in the LISM is used for the analysis. Results are set forth in terms of the power spectral density, spectral compressibility, structure functions, and intermittency of magnetic field increments. In the heliosheath, we identify the energy-injection regime displaying a ∼1/f energy decay, and the inertial-cascade regime. Here, the power spectrum is anisotropic and dominated by compressive modes, with intermittency that can reach kurtosis values of up to 10. In the interstellar medium the structure of turbulence is anisotropic as well, with transverse fluctuations clearly prevailing after 2015 May. Here, we show that intermittent features occur only at scales smaller than 10−6 Hz.

Chromospheric observations and magnetic configuration of a supergranular structure

Context.Unipolar magnetic regions are often associated with supergranular cells. The chromosphere above these regions is regulated by the magnetic field, but the field structure is poorly known. In unipolar regions, the fibrillar arrangement does not always coincide with magnetic field lines, and polarimetric observations are needed to establish the chromospheric magnetic topology.Aims.In an active region close to the limb, we observed a unipolar annular network of supergranular size. This supergranular structure harbours a radial distribution of the fibrils converging towards its centre. We aim to improve the description of this structure by determining the magnetic field configuration and the line-of-sight velocity distribution in both the photosphere and the chromosphere.Methods.We observed the supergranular structure at different heights by taking data in the Fe I6301–6302 Å, Hα, Ca II8542 Å, and the Ca IIH&K spectral lines with the CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) and CHROMospheric Imaging Spectrometer (CHROMIS) at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We performed Milne-Eddington inversions of the spectropolarimetric data of Fe I6301–6302 Å and applied the weak field approximation to Ca II8542 Å data to retrieve the magnetic field in the photosphere and chromosphere. We used photospheric magnetograms of CRISP, Hinode Solar Optical Telescope spectropolarimeter, and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager to calculate the magnetic flux. We investigated the velocity distribution using the line-of-sight velocities computed from the Milne-Eddington inversion and from the Doppler shift of theK3feature in the Ca IIK spectral line. To describe the typical spectral profiles characterising the chromosphere above the inner region of the supergranular structure, we performed aK-mean clustering of the spectra in Ca IIK.Results.The photospheric magnetic flux shows that the supergranular boundary has an excess of positive polarity and the whole structure is not balanced. The magnetic field vector at chromospheric heights, retrieved by the weak field approximation, indicates that the field lines within the supergranular cell tend to point inwards, and might form a canopy above the unipolar region. In the centre of the supergranular cell hosting the unipolar region, we observe a persistent chromospheric brightening coinciding with a strong gradient in the line-of-sight velocity.

A Model for Coronal Hole Bright Points and Jets Due to Moving Magnetic Elements

Abstract Coronal jets and bright points occur prolifically in predominantly unipolar magnetic regions, such as coronal holes (CHs), where they appear above minority-polarity intrusions. Intermittent low-level reconnection and explosive, high-energy-release reconnection above these intrusions are thought to generate bright points and jets, respectively. The magnetic field above the intrusions possesses a spine-fan topology with a coronal null point. The movement of magnetic flux by surface convection adds free energy to this field, forming current sheets and inducing reconnection. We conducted three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of moving magnetic elements as a model for coronal jets and bright points. A single minority-polarity concentration was subjected to three different experiments: a large-scale surface flow that sheared part of the separatrix surface only, a large-scale surface flow that also sheared part of the polarity inversion line surrounding the minority flux, and the latter flow setup plus a “flyby” of a majority-polarity concentration past the moving minority-polarity element. We found that different bright-point morphologies, from simple loops to sigmoids, were created. When only the field near the separatrix was sheared, steady interchange reconnection modulated by quasi-periodic, low-intensity bursts of reconnection occurred, suggestive of a bright point with periodically varying intensity. When the field near the polarity inversion line was strongly sheared, on the other hand, filament channels repeatedly formed and erupted via the breakout mechanism, explosively increasing the interchange reconnection and generating nonhelical jets. The flyby produced even more energetic and explosive jets. Our results explain several key aspects of CH bright points and jets, and the relationships between them.

Three major paradigms in solar physics

There are three major paradigms in the field of solar activity research. They are: 1) Unipolar magnetic regions are remnants of old active regions. 2) A pair of sunspots is formed when a thin magnetic flux tube rises above the photospheric surface. 3) Solar flares occur when magnetic energy in an anti–parallel magnetic configuration is rapidly released by magnetic reconnection. Practically all researches of solar activities during several decades have been based on the above paradigms. Although these three paradigms have been almost universally accepted since the1960s (as many papers state so in their introduction), it may be worthwhile to review them. It is shown that: (i) Unipolar magnetic regions are different from old active regions and are actually one of the fundamental features of the solar internal dynamo process. (ii) A positive single spot is produced by a coalescence process in a positive unipolar magnetic region (vice versa), and a pair of positive and negative spots occurs at the boundary of two unipolar magnetic regions (of the opposite polarity) by a p–spot inducing a f–spot. (iii) Solar flares are powered by the photospheric dynamo process, and their explosive feature is caused by a sudden disruption of the current loop around the region where the dynamo process is in progress. These are examples of an alternative idea for each of the three paradigms and are presented to promote new thinking.

Rearrangements of Open Magnetic Flux and Formation of Polar Coronal Holes in Cycle 24

A method of synoptic map assimilation has been developed to study global rearrangements of open magnetic flux and formation of polar coronal holes (PCHs) in the current cycle. The analysis reveals ensembles of coronal holes (ECHs) which appear within unipolar magnetic regions associated with decaying activity complexes (ACs). The cause-effect relations between them explain asynchronous PCH formation observed at the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun. Thus, the decay of large ACs, that were observed in 2014, led to formation of an extensive ECH, which then became the south PCH in mid-2015. Intricate structure of magnetic fields in the northern polar zone has impeded the north PCH formation, despite the fact that the dominant polarity at the North Pole reversed two years earlier than at the South Pole. The north PCH formed only by mid-2016 as the result of gradual merger of high-latitudinal ECHs associated with several decaying ACs.

Small Coronal Holes Near Active Regions as Sources of Slow Solar Wind

Abstract We discuss the nature of the small areas of rapidly diverging, open magnetic flux that form in the strong unipolar fields at the peripheries of active regions (ARs), according to coronal extrapolations of photospheric field measurements. Because such regions usually have dark counterparts in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) images, we refer to them as coronal holes, even when they appear as narrow lanes or contain sunspots. Revisiting previously identified “AR sources” of slow solar wind from 1998 and 1999, we find that they are all associated with EUV coronal holes; the absence of well-defined He i 1083.0 nm counterparts to some of these holes is attributed to the large flux of photoionizing radiation from neighboring AR loops. Examining a number of AR-associated EUV holes during the 2014 activity maximum, we confirm that they are characterized by wind speeds of ∼300–450 km s−1, O7+/O6+ ratios of ∼0.05–0.4, and footpoint field strengths typically of order 30 G. The close spacing between ARs at sunspot maximum limits the widths of unipolar regions and their embedded holes, while the continual emergence of new flux leads to rapid changes in the hole boundaries. Because of the highly nonradial nature of AR fields, the smaller EUV holes are often masked by the overlying canopy of loops, and may be more visible toward one solar limb than at central meridian. As sunspot activity declines, the AR remnants merge to form much larger, weaker, and longer-lived unipolar regions, which harbor the “classical” coronal holes that produce recurrent high-speed streams.

Transition from the Unipolar Region to the Sector Zone: Voyager 2, 2013 and 2014

Abstract We discuss magnetic field and plasma observations of the heliosheath made by Voyager 2 (V2) during 2013 and 2014 near solar maximum. A transition from a unipolar region to a sector zone was observed in the azimuthal angle λ between ∼2012.45 and 2013.82. The distribution of λ was strongly singly peaked at 270 ° in the unipolar region and double peaked in the sector zone. The δ-distribution was strongly peaked in the unipolar region and very broad in the sector zone. The distribution of daily averages of the magnetic field strength B was Gaussian in the unipolar region and lognormal in the sector zone. The correlation function of B was exponential with an e-folding time of ∼5 days in both regions. The distribution of hourly increments of B was a Tsallis distribution with nonextensivity parameter q = 1.7 ± 0.04 in the unipolar region and q = 1.44 ± 0.12 in the sector zone. The CR–B relationship qualitatively describes the 2013 observations, but not the 2014 observations. A 40 km s−1 increase in the bulk speed associated with an increase in B near 2013.5 might have been produced by the merging of streams. A “D sheet” (a broad depression in B containing a current sheet moved past V2 from days 320 to 345, 2013. The R- and N-components of the plasma velocity changed across the current sheet.

The Formation of Magnetic Depletions and Flux Annihilation Due to Reconnection in the Heliosheath

Abstract The misalignment of the solar rotation axis and the magnetic axis of the Sun produces a periodic reversal of the Parker spiral magnetic field and the sectored solar wind. The compression of the sectors is expected to lead to reconnection in the heliosheath (HS). We present particle-in-cell simulations of the sectored HS that reflect the plasma environment along the Voyager 1 and 2 trajectories, specifically including unequal positive and negative azimuthal magnetic flux as seen in the Voyager data. Reconnection proceeds on individual current sheets until islands on adjacent current layers merge. At late time, bands of the dominant flux survive, separated by bands of deep magnetic field depletion. The ambient plasma pressure supports the strong magnetic pressure variation so that pressure is anticorrelated with magnetic field strength. There is little variation in the magnetic field direction across the boundaries of the magnetic depressions. At irregular intervals within the magnetic depressions are long-lived pairs of magnetic islands where the magnetic field direction reverses so that spacecraft data would reveal sharp magnetic field depressions with only occasional crossings with jumps in magnetic field direction. This is typical of the magnetic field data from the Voyager spacecraft. Voyager 2 data reveal that fluctuations in the density and magnetic field strength are anticorrelated in the sector zone, as expected from reconnection, but not in unipolar regions. The consequence of the annihilation of subdominant flux is a sharp reduction in the number of sectors and a loss in magnetic flux, as documented from the Voyager 1 magnetic field and flow data.

Various Local Heating Events in the Earliest Phase of Flux Emergence

Abstract Emerging flux regions (EFRs) are known to exhibit various sporadic local heating events in the lower atmosphere. To investigate the characteristics of these events, especially to link the photospheric magnetic fields and atmospheric dynamics, we analyze Hinode, Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and Solar Dynamics Observatory data of a new EFR in NOAA AR 12401. Out of 151 bright points (BPs) identified in Hinode/SOT Ca images, 29 are overlapped by an SOT/SP scan. Seven BPs in the EFR center possess mixed-polarity magnetic backgrounds in the photosphere. Their IRIS UV spectra (e.g., Si iv 1402.8 Å) are strongly enhanced and red- or blueshifted, with tails reaching , which is highly suggestive of bi-directional jets; each brightening lasts for 10–15 minutes, leaving flare-like light curves. Most of this group show bald patches, the U-shaped photospheric magnetic loops. Another 10 BPs are found in unipolar regions at the EFR edges. They are generally weaker in UV intensities and exhibit systematic redshifts with Doppler speeds up to , which could exceed the local sound speed in the transition region. Both types of BPs show signs of strong temperature increase in the low chromosphere. These observational results support the physical picture that heating events in the EFR center are due to magnetic reconnection within cancelling undular fields like Ellerman bombs, while the peripheral heating events are due to shocks or strong compressions caused by fast downflows along the overlying arch filament system.

Decay of Activity Complexes, Formation of Unipolar Magnetic Regions, and Coronal Holes in Their Causal Relation

North-south asymmetry of sunspot activity resulted in an asynchronous reversal of the Sun's polar fields in the current cycle. The asymmetry is also observed in the formation of polar coronal holes. A stable coronal hole was first formed at the South Pole, despite the later polar-field reversal there. The aim of this study is to understand processes making this situation possible. Synoptic magnetic maps from the Global Oscillation Network Group and corresponding coronal-hole maps from the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory are analyzed here to study a causal relationship between the decay of activity complexes, evolution of large-scale magnetic fields, and formation of coronal holes. Ensembles of coronal holes associated with decaying active regions and activity complexes are presented. These ensembles take part in global rearrangements of the Sun's open magnetic flux. In particular, the south polar coronal hole was formed from an ensemble of coronal holes that originated after the decay of multiple activity complexes observed during 2014.

A Remarkable Recent Transition in the Solar Dynamo

We summarize the major aspects of the remarkable, fairly long lasting period ( $\sim 2005$ to $\sim 2010$ ) of low solar activity, that we will call the Transition. It is the transitional stage between the Grand Maximum of the 20th century and a forthcoming (most probably Regular) episode of solar activity. The various kinds of activity in the functioning of the equatorial components of the solar dynamo before and during the Transition are summarized. While the behavior of unipolar magnetic regions and their rest-latitudes already gave very early indications – mid 20th century – of the forthcoming Transition, more such indications became available around 1995 and the main part of it occurred between 2005 and 2010. Some of the inferences are discussed. We submit the hypothesis that the solar tachocline undergoes pulsations and we present some helioseismic evidences. In that scenario we find that its equatorial part has moved downward over a fairly small semi-amplitude ( $\sim 0.03$ solar radii) during the time of the Transition. There are several indications, apart from this ‘pulsation’, that the tachocline may even be pulsating with still smaller amplitudes in more modes. We speculate about the physical mechanism(s).

Segmentation of Coronal Holes Using Active Contours Without Edges

An application of active contours without edges is presented as an efficient and effective means of extracting and characterizing coronal holes. Coronal holes are regions of low-density plasma on the Sun with open magnetic field lines. As the source of the fast solar wind, the detection and characterization of these regions is important for both testing theories of their formation and evolution and from a space weather perspective. Coronal holes are detected in full disk extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of the corona obtained with the Solar Dynamics Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA). The proposed method detects coronal boundaries without determining any fixed intensity value in the data. Instead, the active contour segmentation employs an energy-minimization in which coronal holes are assumed to have more homogeneous intensities than surrounding active regions and quiet Sun. The segmented coronal holes tend to correspond to unipolar magnetic regions, are consistent with concurrent solar wind observations, and qualitatively match the coronal holes segmented by other methods. The means to identify a coronal hole without specification of a final intensity threshold may allow this algorithm to be more robust across multiple datasets, regardless of data type, resolution, and quality.

The reversal of the Sun’s magnetic field in cycle 24

Analysis of synoptic data from the Vector Spectromagnetograph (VSM) of the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) and the NASA/NSO Spectromagnetograph (SPM) at the NSO/Kitt Peak Vacuum Telescope facility shows that the reversals of solar polar magnetic fields exhibit elements of a stochastic process, which may include the development of specific patterns of emerging magnetic flux, and the asymmetry in activity between Northern and Southern hemispheres. The presence of such irregularities makes the modeling and prediction of polar field reversals extremely hard if possible. In a classical model of solar activity cycle, the unipolar magnetic regions (UMRs) of predominantly following polarity fields are transported polewards due to meridional flows and diffusion. The UMRs gradually cancel out the polar magnetic field of the previous cycle, and rebuild the polar field of opposite polarity setting the stage for the next cycle. We show, however, that this deterministic picture can be easily altered by the developing of a strong center of activity, or by the emergence of an extremely large active region, or by a ‘strategically placed’ coronal hole. We demonstrate that the activity occurring during the current cycle 24 may be the result of this randomness in the evolution of the solar surface magnetic field.

Инверсия магнитного поля Солнца в 24-м цикле

Analysis of synoptic data from the Vector Spectromagnetograph (VSM) of the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) and the NASA/NSO Spectromagnetograph (SPM) at the NSO/Kitt Peak Vacuum Telescope facility shows that the reversals of solar polar magnetic fields exhibit ele-ments of a stochastic process, which may include the development of specific patterns of emerging magnetic flux, and the asymmetry in activity between northern and southern hemispheres. The presence of such irregu-larities makes the modeling and prediction of polar field reversals extremely hard if possible. In a classical model of solar activity cycle, the unipolar magnetic regions (UMRs) of predominantly following polarity fields are transported polewards due to meridional flows and dif-fusion. The UMRs gradually cancel out the polar mag-netic field of the previous cycle, and rebuild the polar field of opposite polarity setting the stage for the next cycle. We show, however, that this deterministic picture can be easily altered by the developing of a strong cen-ter of activity, or by the emergence of an extremely large active region, or by a ‘strategically placed’ coronal hole. We demonstrate that the activity occurring during the current cycle 24 may be the result of this random-ness in the evolution of the solar surface magnetic field.

HELIOSHEATH MAGNETIC FIELD AND PLASMA OBSERVED BY VOYAGER 2 DURING 2012 IN THE RISING PHASE OF SOLAR CYCLE 24

ABSTRACT We discuss magnetic field and plasma observations of the heliosheath made by Voyager 2 (V2) during 2012, when V2 was observing the effects of increasing solar activity following the solar minimum in 2009. The average magnetic field strength B was 0.14 nT and B reached 0.29 nT on day 249. V2 was in a unipolar region in which the magnetic polarity was directed away from the Sun along the Parker spiral 88% of the time, indicating that V2 was poleward of the heliospheric current sheet throughout most of 2012. The magnetic flux at V2 during 2012 was constant. A merged interaction region (MIR) was observed, and the flow speed increased as the MIR moved past V2. The MIR caused a decrease in the >70 MeV nuc−1 cosmic-ray intensity. The increments of B can be described by a q-Gaussian distribution with q = 1.2 ± 0.1 for daily averages and q = 1.82 ± 0.03 for hour averages. Eight isolated current sheets (“PBLs”) and four closely spaced pairs of current sheets were observed. The average change of B across the current sheets was a factor of ≈2, and B increased or decreased with equal probability. Magnetic holes and magnetic humps were also observed. The characteristic size of the PBLs was ≈6 R L, where R L is the Larmor radius of protons, and the characteristic sizes of the magnetic holes and humps were ≈38 R L and ≈11 R L, respectively.

Electron heating in capacitively coupled RF plasmas: a unified scenario

Electron heating in radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas (RF-CCP) is studied from first principles. The starting points are the electron equations of continuity and motion, with ionization neglected but electric and pressure forces and elastic collisions with the neutral background taken into account. Poisson’s equation self-consistently calculates the electric field; the ion density is assumed as a given. Postulating that the Debye length is small compared to the sheath length scale l and the applied frequency is small compared to the electron plasma frequency , an asymptotic expansion in the smallness parameter is conducted. As has been demonstrated before (Brinkmann 2015 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 24 064002), this ansatz gives an expression—the smooth step model (SSM)—which yields (i) the space charge field in the unipolar region, (ii) the generalized Ohmic field in the ambipolar region, and (iii) a smooth interpolation for the rapid transition in between. Using the SSM and formulas for the electron density and the electron flux, expressions for the electric force and the electric power density are established which hold up to . Integrating over the sheath and taking the phase average, a representation for the total dissipated power is found as a sum of four physically distinct contributions. All terms correspond to electron heating mechanisms which are (explicitly or implicitly) already known but were so far discussed only within mutually incompatible frameworks.