3D MHD simulation of flare supra-arcade downflows in a turbulent current sheet medium

Abstract

Supra-arcade downflows (SADs) are sunward, generally dark, plasma density depletions originated above posteruption flare arcades. In this paper, using 3D MHD simulations we investigate whether the SAD cavities can be produced by a direct combination of the tearing mode and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities leading to a turbulent current sheet (CS) medium or if the current sheet is merely the background where SADs are produced, triggered by an impulsive deposition of energy. We find that to give an account of the observational dark lane structures an addition of local energy, provided by a reconnection event, is required. We suggest that there may be a closed relation between characteristic SAD sizes and CS widths that must be satisfied to obtain an observable SAD.