Quasi-separatrix layers in a reduced magnetohydrodynamic model of a coronal loop

We run a pseudospectral magnetohydrodynamic code to simulate reconnection between two flux tubes inside a solar coronal loop. We apply a stationary velocity held at one of the footpoints consisting of two vortices in such a way as to induce the development of a current layer and force the held lines to reconnect. During the process we find a remarkable coincidence between the location of the current layer and the location of quasi-separatrix layers, which are thin magnetic volumes where the held line connectivity changes abruptly. This result lends support to a scenario in which quasi-separatrix layers are the most likely locations for impulsive energy release in the solar corona. Another important result of this simulation is the observed transient of strong magnetohydrodynamic turbulence characterized by a k(-3/2) energy spectrum. This transient reaches its peak activity in coincidence with a maximum in the energy dissipation rate, thus suggesting that the direct energy cascade associated with this turbulent transient plays a key role in enhancing energy dissipation in magnetic reconnection processes.