Characterizing Nanoflare Energy and Frequency through Field Line Analysis

Abstract We present a detailed analysis of a 3D MHD simulation of a subset of the magnetic flux in an active region. The simulation models the generation of nanoflares and response of the plasma to imposed photospheric motions. Our study focuses on characterizing the energy distribution and occurrence frequency of the nanoflares in the simulation that self-consistently heat the corona. This field line–based analysis reveals that the nanoflare energy distribution (energy per unit cross sectional area) follows a log-normal profile, where low-energy nanoflares are significantly more prevalent than those with high energy. When compared with the plasma cooling time, different energy nanoflares tend to repeat with different frequencies. Low-energy nanoflares repeat at high frequencies, while high-energy nanoflares repeat at low frequencies. However, the thermal evolution of plasma along the individual field lines is governed predominantly by the high-energy nanoflares. These findings provide critical insights into the role of small-scale magnetic reconnection events in heating the solar corona.