0619721 - ASÚ 2026 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Lörinčík, J. - Dudík, Jaroslav - Sainz Dalda, A. - Aulanier, G. - Polito, V. - de Pontieu, B.
Observation of super-Alfvénic slippage of reconnecting magnetic field lines on the Sun.
Nature Astronomy. Roč. 9, č. 1 (2025), s. 45-54. ISSN 2397-3366. E-ISSN 2397-3366
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA20-07908S
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : magnetic reconnection * slip-running reconnection * slipping motion * solar flares * IRIS observations
OECD category: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Impact factor: 13.3, year: 2023 ; AIS: 6.064, rok: 2023
Method of publishing: Open access
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02396-4

Slipping motions of magnetic field lines are a distinct signature of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection, a fundamental process driving solar and stellar flares. While being a key prediction of numerical experiments, the rapid super-Alfvénic field line slippage driven by the ‘slip-running’ reconnection has remained elusive in previous observations. New frontiers into exploring transient flare phenomena were introduced by recently designed high cadence observing programs of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). By exploiting high temporal resolution imagery (~2 s) of IRIS, here we reveal slipping motions of flare kernels at speeds reaching thousands of kilometres per second. The fast kernel motions are direct evidence of slip-running reconnection in quasi-separatrix layers, regions where magnetic field strongly changes its connectivity. Our results provide observational proof of theoretical predictions unaddressed for nearly two decades and extend the range of magnetic field configurations where reconnection-related phenomena can occur.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0366361