Another of the community's halting steps to advance from the 2D mindset of the CSHKP model. The observational keys to this have been the parallel motions of hard X-ray footpoints, first noted in the Yohkoh hard X-ray imaging observations, and now much better in RHESSI along with associated source motions in height. These observations call in question the simple extension of CSHKP to the impulsive phase, and to the naive interpretations of the so-called reconnection electric field (a.k.a. "convective field") introduced by Kopp & Poletto and by Forbes & Priest in 1984.
Note on style: note that this cartoon reverts to humble black and white, after a string of 7 consecutive colored cartoons prior to this one in the Archive. Hope it's not a trend. A PIL is a "photospheric inversion line."
August 24, 2008
December 26, 2008