Arcade Flare Models

Abstract

Much of the recent work on magnetic arcades is motivated by eruptive phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, prominence eruptions, and large two-ribbon flares. Arcade models of these phenomena are based on a rapid release of magnetic energy stored in coronal currents. However, the mechanisms by which the energy release is triggered vary from model to model. Some models trigger the release by a loss of ideal-MHD equilibrium, while others use a non-ideal processes such as magnetic reconnection. Models which invoke reconnection require the presence of a current sheet prior to the eruption of the field, but models which are based on a loss of equilibrium do not. By examining the observational evidence for the existence of a current sheet prior to the eruption, it may be possible to determine the Type of mechanism which triggers an eruption.