Electric resistivity of partially ionized plasma in the lower solar atmosphere

The lower solar atmosphere is a gravitationally stratified layer of partially ionized plasma. We calculate the electric resistivity in the solar photosphere and chromosphere, which is the key parameter that controls the rate of magnetic reconnection in a Sweet-Parker current sheet. The calculation t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in astronomy and astrophysics 2021-11, Vol.21 (9), p.232-201
Main Authors: Chae, Jongchul, Litvinenko, Yuri E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambipolar diffusion
Atmosphere
Atomic collisions
atomic processes
Chromosphere
Current sheets
Diffusion
Electrical resistivity
Electrons
Hydrogen
Hydrogen atoms
Ionization
Lower atmosphere
Magnetic fields
Magnetic flux
Magnetic reconnection
magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
Mathematical analysis
Photosphere
plasmas
Quiet Sun
Solar atmosphere
Strata
Sun: atmosphere
Sun: chromosphere
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Summary:The lower solar atmosphere is a gravitationally stratified layer of partially ionized plasma. We calculate the electric resistivity in the solar photosphere and chromosphere, which is the key parameter that controls the rate of magnetic reconnection in a Sweet-Parker current sheet. The calculation takes into account the collisions between ions and hydrogen atoms as well as the electron-ion collisions and the electron-hydrogen atom collisions. We find that under the typical conditions of the quiet Sun, electric resistivity is determined mostly by the electron-hydrogen atom collisions in the photosphere, and mostly by the ion-hydrogen collisions, i.e. ambipolar diffusion, in the chromosphere. In magnetic reconnection events with strong magnetic fields, the ambipolar diffusion, however, may be insignificant because the heating by the reconnection itself may lead to the full ionization of hydrogen atoms. We conclude that ambipolar diffusion may be the most important source of electric resistivity responsible for the magnetic flux cancelation and energy release in chromospheric current sheets that can keep a significant fraction of neutral hydrogen atoms.
ISSN:1674-4527
DOI:10.1088/1674-4527/21/9/232