MAGNETIC EXPLOSIONS: ROLE OF THE INDUCTIVE ELECTRIC FIELD

Inclusion of the inductive electric field, E-ind, due to the temporally changing B, in magnetic explosions is discussed, with emphasis on solar flares. Several roles played by E-ind are identified: on a global scale, E-ind produces the electromotive force that drives the explosion; the associated E-ind x B drift is identified with the inflow of magnetic field lines into a reconnection region; the polarization current, associated with partial derivative E-ind/partial derivative t, implies a J x B force that accelerates this inflow; and the component of E-ind parallel to B accelerates the energetic electrons that cause hard X-ray emission and type III radio bursts. Some simple models that describe these effects are presented. A resolution of the long-standing number problem in solar flares is suggested.