The extended cellular automaton (X-CA) model for solar flares

We have developed a new type of cellular automaton (CA) model, the extended CA (X-CA), for the study of solar flares. The X-CA model is consistent with the MHD approach, in contrast to the previously proposed CA models (classical CAs), it consistently yields all the relevant physical variables, and it successfully reproduces the observed distributions of total energy, peak flux, and duration of solar flares. We present and discuss the relevant plasma processes and set-up which are implemented by the X-CA model in the framework of a commonly accepted solar flare scenario.