Spectropolarimetric Insight into Plasma Sheet Dynamics of a Solar Flare

French, Ryan J. and Judge, Philip G. and Matthews, Sarah A. and Van Driel Gesztelyi, Lídia (2019) Spectropolarimetric Insight into Plasma Sheet Dynamics of a Solar Flare. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS, 887 (2). ISSN 2041-8205

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Abstract

We examine spectropolarimetric data from the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP) instrument, acquired during the evolution of the 201 September 10 X8.2 solar flare on the western solar limb. CoMP capture linearly polarized light from two emission lines of Fe XIII at 1074. and 1079.8 nm, from 1.03 to 1.5 solar radii. We focus here on the ho plasma sheet lying above the bright flare loops and beneath the ejecte coronal mass ejection. The polarization has a striking and coheren spatial structure, with unexpectedly small polarization aligned with th plasma sheet. By elimination, we find that small-scale magnetic fiel structure is needed to cause such significant depolarization, an suggest that plasmoid formation during reconnection (associated with th tearing-mode instability) creates magnetic structure on scales belo instrument resolution of 6 Mm. We conclude that polarizatio measurements with new coronagraphs, such as the upcoming Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope, will further enhance our understanding o magnetic reconnection and development of turbulence in the solar corona

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