Turbulent Features of Reconnecting Current Sheets in CME/Flare Processes

Jun Lin (Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, China)

Eruptive solar flares involve the formation of long current sheets (CS) connecting coronal mass ejections (CME) to the associated flares. Observations also indicated that the CME/flare CS is thick, and could be as thick as ~10^5 km. This constitutes a serious challenge to our previous understanding and knowledge of the reconnecting CS. This presentation will go through the development of theories of the CS and the consequent observations, present possible mechanisms for large scale CS, and discuss the coupling of various scales of processes through which magnetic reconnection takes place in the thick CS at a reasonably fast rate required for the rapid energy release during the major flare. The results of the most recent observations and numerical experiments will also be displayed and discussed.