Implications of High-density, High-temperature Ridges Observed in Some Two-ribbon Flares

Several two-ribbon solar flares observed on the disk, notably including the Bastille flare of 2000 July 14, show an extended ridge of plasma running along the loop tops of the post-reconnection arcade. In that and two more recent examples, the ridge is visible in emission by Fe xxiv at roughly 17 MK, with a high, steadily increasing emission measure suggesting an expanding column of very dense plasma. We find that ridges are consistent with overhead views of long, vertical plasma sheets, such as seen above certain limb flares. Those vertical features show enhanced temperature and density over their entire lengths, making explanations in terms of termination shocks and evaporation collision seem less plausible. We use observations of several ridge events to argue in favor of compression and heating by slow magnetosonic shocks in the reconnection outflow. In this scenario, the ridge is built up as retracting flux piles hot, compressed plasma atop the post-flare arcade. Thanks to the overhead perspective offered by the ridge observations, we are able to measure the reconnection rate and show it to be consistent with the rate of increase in column emission measure across the ridge. This consistency supports the hypothesis that slow shocks and retraction compress the plasma seen in ridges, vertical plasma sheets, and possibly the high-temperature fans through which post-reconnection downflows are observed. Such a unified picture of these diverse features enhances our understanding of the role played by magnetic reconnection in solar flares.