Synthetic EUV signatures of small-scale plasmoids

Determine how and to what extent small-scale plasmoids and flux-rope structures produced in higher-resolution three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations appear in synthetic extreme-ultraviolet emission.

Background

The paper compares observed bright blobs in breakout and flare current sheets with plasmoids generated in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. It notes that the simulated plasmoid population is resolution dependent: higher-resolution calculations should retain large plasmoids while resolving additional smaller structures and flux ropes.

Because the simulations use an isothermal plasma and synthetic EUV emission proportional to the square of plasma density, small-scale, enhanced-density structures could produce observable bright features. The authors explicitly identify the relationship between these unresolved simulated structures and synthetic EUV observations as a question for future simulation studies.