Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Magnetic reconnection between emerging magnetic flux and the ambient coronal field fundamentally drives solar jets. We use 3D resistive-MHD simulations of eruptive flux emergence to investigate how the large-scale current sheet formed at the interface fragments during recurrent jet activity. The simulations show that jet formation and current sheet disruption are coupled elements of a single multiscale process. The current structures developing along open field lines and within the jet are relatively weak, exhibiting a predominantly filamentary morphology. In contrast, the larger structures linked to the closed-field topology are noticeably stronger, and the eruptive development of the emerging flux further increases both their number and strength. The parallel-current distributions within the closed magnetic field lines region exhibit Gaussian central cores with pronounced non-Gaussian tails, implying a small subset of strong, intermittent structures. Magnetic spectra follow a power law with a Kolmogorov-like slope in the large-scale range, becoming much steeper in the small-scale range—consistent with reconnection-mediated magnetic structuring. Box-counting analysis shows that the strongest current structures have a fractal dimension D f ≃ 2, indicating a fragmented population of sheet-like coherent structures. Cluster analysis further reveals broad power-law distributions of cluster volumes and their Ohmic dissipation energies, with individual events reaching ∼10 20 –10 25 erg over their estimated lifetimes. These results demonstrate that eruptive flux emergence can self-consistently transform a global reconnecting current sheet into a localized, intermittent, sheet-dominated dissipative network, providing a natural environment for impulsive coronal heating and motivating future particle-acceleration studies.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Institutions: University of Ioannina, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
Funder: University of Ioannina
OpenAlex ID: W7214117952