Linear evolution of current sheets in sheared force-free magnetic fields with discontinuous connectivity

Abstract

Thin current sheets arising in tenuous, magnetized solar coronal plasmas may constitute an important mechanism for energy buildups and subsequent energy releases; they could arise from the continuous-and-random motion of magnetic footprints associated with photospheric velocity fields. A model is presented for study of the quasi-static evolution of current sheets due to shearing of the footpoints, in a highly idealized geometry that incorporates an abrupt jump in field-line connectivity. The model highlights that formation of thin current layers and allows large shearing motions prior to violation of the linear approximation. Excess energy comparable to that released by solar flares can be stored in a sheared field.