Title: Observation of "Topological" Microflares in the Solar Atmosphere,
Abstract: We report on observation of the unusual kind of solar microflares, presumably
associated with the so-called "topological trigger" of magnetic reconnection,
which was theoretically suggested long time ago by Gorbachev et al. (Sov. Ast.
1988, v.32, p.308) but has not been clearly identified so far by observations.
As can be seen in pictures by Hinode SOT in CaII line, there may be a bright
loop connecting two sunspots, which looks at the first sight just as a magnetic
field line connecting the opposite poles. However, a closer inspection of SDO
HMI magnetograms shows that the respective arc is anchored in the regions of
the same polarity near the sunspot boundaries. Yet another peculiar feature is
that the arc flashes almost instantly as a thin strip and then begins to expand
and decay, while the typical chromospheric flares in CaII line are much wider
and propagate progressively in space. A qualitative explanation of the unusual
flare can be given by the above-mentioned model of topological trigger. Namely,
there are such configurations of the magnetic sources on the surface of
photosphere that their tiny displacements result in the formation and fast
motion of a 3D null point along the arc located well above the plane of the
sources. So, such a null point can quickly ignite a magnetic reconnection along
the entire its trajectory. Pictorially, this can be presented as flipping the
so-called two-dome magnetic-field structure (which is just the reason why such
mechanism was called topological). The most important prerequisite for the
development of topological instability in the two-dome structure is a cruciform
arrangement of the magnetic sources in its base, and this condition is really
satisfied in the case under consideration.