Non-thermal velocities and turbulent flows around termination shocks

Investigate non-thermal velocities around solar flare termination shocks and determine how the termination shock front influences turbulent plasma flows in and around the current sheet, enabling quantitative comparison between spectroscopic diagnostics (e.g., Fe XXIV 192.04 Å) and models of reconnection-driven turbulence.

Background

The paper reports a sharp decline in both Doppler and non-thermal velocities at the base of the plasma sheet in the September 10, 2017 solar flare, consistent with the presence of a termination shock. While this aligns with model expectations, the authors note that non-thermal velocities inferred from Fe XXIV observations may be influenced by multiple-scale hot plasma flows along the line of sight, complicating quantitative comparisons.

Due to these complications, the authors explicitly defer a detailed quantitative assessment of non-thermal velocities and the shock’s impact on turbulent flows, identifying it as a topic requiring further investigation to clarify how termination shocks modulate turbulence in the flare environment.