Reconnection in explosive phenomena

Determine how and under what conditions magnetic reconnection acts as a driver or consequence of explosive phenomena, establish whether solar eruptions are triggered by torus instability, kink instability, or both, and characterize reconnection’s contribution to those eruptions.

Background

The paper connects reconnection with solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and disruptive fusion phenomena, while identifying unresolved questions about causal relationships and instability mechanisms. These problems extend beyond the facility’s immediate laboratory scope but motivate broader experimental and theoretical programs.

References

However, without detailed modelling, we cannot determine whether both sources were produced by external reconnection or whether one was related to reconnection underneath the flux rope.

— Triple coronal hard X-ray source observed by STIX during a failed filament eruption  (2609.16862 - Mrozek et al., 15 Sep 2026) in Section 5, Conclusions

Explosive phenomena problem: How, and under what conditions, does magnetic reconnection act either as a driver or a consequence of explosive phenomena such as solar flares, Coronal Mass Ejections, and disruptive phenomena in fusion plasmas? Are solar eruptions triggered by torus instability, kink instability, or a combination of both? How does reconnection contribute to these eruptions?

— The FLARE Facility  (2608.17332 - Ji et al., 18 Aug 2026) in Section 5, Future Upgrades and Collaborative Research

The internal eruption appears to commence prior to the brightenings of the outer footpoint sources, likely supporting the tether-cutting model \citep{2006GMS...165...43M}. However, it should be noted that we cannot rule out the possibility that the eruption was triggered by ideal MHD instabilities or a loss of equilibrium.

— Quadrupole White-light Sources in an X1.2 Flare Observed by ASO-S/LST/WST and SDO/HMI  (2608.18980 - Jing et al., 19 Aug 2026) in Section 4, Summary and Discussions

Whether this process genuinely constitutes an avalanche-like chain reaction, or whether the sequential brightenings are independently driven by a common external trigger such as progressive photospheric shearing and flux emergence, remains an open question.

— Sequential Magnetic Reconnections in a Fishbone-like Structure Leading to Recurrent Brightenings  (2608.25556 - Yang et al., 26 Aug 2026) in Section 4, Conclusion and Discussion