Numerical study on the effect of heat conduction on magnetic reconnection

The effect of heat conduction on 2.5D magnetic reconnection, similar to that in Kopp-Pneuman model, is numerically studied. It is shown that the heat conduction accelerates the reconnection, increases the amount of shrinkage of the closed field lines, and increases the average rise speed of the SXR loop. MHD slow shocks contribute to the SXR loop heating. When the timescale of heat conduction is shorter than the Alfven timescale, an adiabatic slow shock is dissociated into an isothermal slow shock and a heat conduction front. (C) 2000 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.