Introduction
“Magnetic field lines reconnecting”. At least that’s what the theorists in “A magnetic avalanche as the central engine powering a solar flare” by L. P. Chitta have latched onto to describe what is happening. Unfortunately these assumptions are based on a misunderstanding of the true mechanisms driving the solar Dynamo. This misunderstanding of the true mechanism of the solar dynamo is like saying a car moves on its own on the road as if by magical force, which in turn rotates its wheels on the road! What actually happens is the differential rotation of the solar plasma due to the suns rotation creates eddy vortices in the liquid plasma and what’s called the dynamo effect in these local vortices. These vortices are also synonymous with the sunspots and their observed polarity. The vortices of rotating plasma create the magnetic field by rotating the individual plasma atoms and in turn rotating their magnetic fields inducing overall positive or negative polarities in the vortices eddy depending on the relative rotation direction. Usually sunspot pairs have opposing rotations, thus opposing polarities in their induced magnetic fields. It is these opposing polarities which join up to contain or ‘create’ the plasma filaments in the ejected solar material. (Simple geometry tells us: For the arc to rotate in one direction the vortices or sunspots at the two ends of the arc must rotate in opposing directions) As both ends of the arced filaments rotate at different rates the filament becomes twisted and the “braiding” effect is observed. Either the braiding increases due to increase difference in rotation rates and breaks or two separate filaments cross over, interfere and break. Releasing the filament plasma to be ejected away from the sun by the pressure of the overall solar wind. Notice this is confirmed by observations as CME’s tend to either speed up or slowdown to match the solar wind speed. So essentially it is not magnetic field lines breaking and connecting, it is the physical rotation of the sunspots plasma due to differential rotation which in turn physically rotates the ejected plasma into focussed filaments which in turn induce the observed magnetic fields. When these rotating filaments cross or braid, they break and the constant intense solar wind pressure pushes the broken filament outwards.
Solar Dynamo mechanism
As the solar Dynamo model outlined in this paper cited here suggests, the magnetic fields, sunspots and solar flares are in fact created by the physical motion of the solar plasma due to differential rotation of the sun at and below the photosphere. This differential rotation creates vortices in the plasma. Rotations that when great enough become observable as sunspots. The direction of rotation defines the magnetic field of the dynamo mechanism within the sunspot vortex. And in turn this rotation is passed on to the filaments of plasma being ejected by the suns surface. Notice connecting filaments observed always connect opposing rotating vortices in the plasma. In other words a filament is always observed to connect between a positive and negative rotating vortices on the solar surface. They both rotate together. Two same direction rotations cannot connect physically as when they connect in an arch above the surface, they will rotating in opposite directions and not connect. It’s also noted in the Nature paper that the filaments rotate and become “braided”. This is because the rotations between two connecting vortices are unequal in rotation rates. One end of the filament arch is being rotated at a slightly different speed by its vortex source. The two rates mismatch and create braided structures in the filament.
As the sunspots become more tightly packed due to differential rotation near the height of the 11 year solar cycle, the rotating filaments also increase in number size and complexity. They increasingly overlap, braid, and cross over with others, interfere and and then break.
The magnetic fields observed don’t drive the motions and flares. It’s the other way round. The rotation of the plasma in the vortices drive the motions and rotation directions of the filaments of ejected plasma.
