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Laboratory demonstration of slow rise to fast acceleration of arched magnetic flux ropes
Author(s) -
Ha Bao N.,
Bellan Paul M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl069744
Subject(s) - strapping , rope , acceleration , flux (metallurgy) , physics , magnetic flux , magnetic field , instability , plasma , field (mathematics) , mechanics , classical mechanics , materials science , nuclear physics , mathematics , structural engineering , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , engineering , metallurgy , composite material
We demonstrate the slow rise to fast acceleration of an arched plasma‐filled magnetic flux rope. The flux rope expansion is inhibited by an externally applied customizable strapping field. When the strapping field is not too strong and not too weak, expansion forces build up while the flux rope is in the strapping field region. When the flux rope moves to a critical height beyond the peak strapping field region, the plasma accelerates quickly corresponding to the observed slow rise to fast acceleration of solar eruptions. This behavior is in agreement with the predictions of the torus instability.