| Session Details | |
| Section | ST - Solar & Terrestrial Sciences |
| Session Title | Magnetic Reconnection In The Partially Ionized Lower Solar Atmosphere |
| Main Convener | Dr. Hui Tian (Peking University, China) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Yukio Katsukawa (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan) Dr. Lei Ni (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China) Dr. Brigitte Schmieder (Observatoire de Paris, France) |
| Session Description | The lower solar atmosphere is collisional and not fully ionized. Magnetic reconnection in such a plasma environment is less investigated and thus not well understood. Recent high-resolution observations from both space missions and ground based telescopes (HINODE/SOT, IRIS, NST, SST, NVST, et al.) have revealed the prevalence of small-scale jet-like features and compact bright structures ("bombs", dots, grains, et al.) in various regions (sunspots, plage regions, coronal holes, et al.) of the lower atmosphere. Many of these bursty events likely result from magnetic reconnection in the partially ionized chromosphere or even deep in the photosphere. Meanwhile, several recent numerical simulations have shown that partial ionization effects can significantly modify the dynamics of magnetic reconnection. It is also suggested that MHD waves generated through the magnetic reconnection sometimes contribute to driving jets and heating the atmosphere. In this session, we solicit contributions about both observations and modelings of magnetic reconnection in the chromosphere and photosphere. We will discuss how to use observations to constrain and improve modeling of partially ionized reconnection. We also expect to have a fruitful discussion on how to properly interpret recent observations based on realistic reconnection simulations. |