HR: 16:45h
AN: SP14A-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Are Coronal Loops Self-organized Critical Systems?
AU: * Lopez-Fuentes, M C
EM: lopezf@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7675, 4555 Overlook Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: * Lopez-Fuentes, M C
EM: lopezf@nrl.navy.mil
AF: George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 United States
AU: Klimchuk, J A
EM: james.klimchuk@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7675, 4555 Overlook Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: Mandrini, C H
EM: mandrini@iafe.uba.ar
AF: Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio, C.C. 67, suc. 28, Buenos Aires, 1428 Argentina
AB: In Lopez-Fuentes et al. 2004 we studied a set of loops observed by GOES/SXI and found that loop evolution can be separated in three phases (rise, main and decay). We found that the time scales of all three phases are long compared to a cooling time. In this work we explore whether this evolution is consistent with the development of a self-organized critical (SOC) system. We compare the observed soft X-ray light curves with light curves predicted by a simple SOC model, and we examine how the rise and decay times are related to the properties of the system driver. The physical picture we have in mind is the shuffling of elemental flux tubes by photospheric motions, as first advocated by Parker. Work funded by NASA and ONR. Lopez Fuentes, M.C., Mandrini, C.H., & Klimchuk, J.A., 2004, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 204, 5602L
DE: 7500 SOLAR PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTRONOMY
DE: 7509 Corona
DE: 7524 Magnetic fields
DE: 7554 X rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos
SC: Solar Physics Division - AAS [SP]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly