Quantitative Examination of Supra-arcade Downflows in Eruptive Solar Flares

Abstract

Downward motions above post-coronal mass ejection flare arcades are an unanticipated discovery of the Yohkoh mission, and have subsequently been detected with TRACE, SOHO/LASCO, SOHO/SUMER, and Hinode/XRT. These supra-arcade downflows are interpreted as outflows from magnetic reconnection, consistent with a three-dimensional generalization of the standard reconnection model of solar flares. We present results from our observational analyses of downflows, which include a semiautomated scheme for detection and measurement of speeds, sizes, and—for the first time—estimates of the magnetic flux associated with each shrinking flux tube. Though model dependent, these findings provide an empirical estimate of the magnetic flux participating in individual episodes of patchy magnetic reconnection, and the energy associated with the shrinkage of magnetic flux tubes.