Fermi acceleration in plasmoids interacting with fast shocks of reconnection via fractal reconnection.

We propose the particle acceleration model coupled with multiple plasmoid ejections in a solar flare. Unsteady reconnection produces plasmoids in a current sheet and ejects them out to the fast shocks, where particles in a plasmoid are reflected upstream the shock front by magnetic mirror effect. As the plasmoid passes through the shock front, the reflection distance becomes shorter and shorter driving Fermi acceleration, until it becomes proton Larmor radius.

Superflares on solar-type stars.

Solar flares are caused by the sudden release of magnetic energy stored near sunspots. They release 10(29) to 10(32) ergs of energy on a timescale of hours. Similar flares have been observed on many stars, with larger 'superflares' seen on a variety of stars, some of which are rapidly rotating and some of which are of ordinary solar type.

Magneto-thermal convection in solar prominences.

Coronal cavities are large low-density regions formed by hemispheric-scale magnetic flux ropes suspended in the Sun's outer atmosphere. They evolve over time, eventually erupting as the dark cores of coronal mass ejections. Although coronal mass ejections are common and can significantly affect planetary magnetospheres, the mechanisms by which cavities evolve to an eruptive state remain poorly understood.

Chromospheric anemone jets as evidence of ubiquitous reconnection.

The heating of the solar chromosphere and corona is a long-standing puzzle in solar physics. Hinode observations show the ubiquitous presence of chromospheric anemone jets outside sunspots in active regions. They are typically 3 to 7 arc seconds = 2000 to 5000 kilometers long and 0.

Filamentary structure on the Sun from the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

Magnetic flux emerges from the solar surface as dark filaments connecting small sunspots with opposite polarities. The regions around the dark filaments are often bright in X-rays and are associated with jets. This implies plasma heating and acceleration, which are important for coronal heating.

Extraction of black hole rotational energy by a magnetic field and the formation of relativistic jets.

Using numerical simulations, we modeled the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic behavior of a plasma flowing into a rapidly rotating black hole in a large-scale magnetic field. The results show that a torsional Alfvén wave is generated by the rotational dragging of space near the black hole. The wave transports energy along the magnetic field lines outward, causing the total energy of the plasma near the hole to decrease to negative values.