Quantifying non-thermal particle heating of the blob

Quantify the contribution of energy deposition by non-thermal particles to the heating of the tracked plasma blob within the 2017 September 10 current sheet, and determine its relative importance compared to other mechanisms such as wave or turbulent dissipation and shock heating associated with reconnection outflows.

Background

Multiple heating mechanisms may act on the tracked blob as it propagates along the current sheet, including turbulent or wave dissipation, shock-related heating from reconnection outflows, and deposition by non-thermal particles. While the authors infer that impulsive heating dominates, the detailed contributions of each mechanism remain uncertain.

In particular, the potential role of non-thermal particle energy deposition is acknowledged but is not quantified. Establishing quantitative bounds on this contribution is important for interpreting the observed EUV signatures in the context of particle acceleration and transport in reconnection regions.