========================================================================

                              G C N E W S
                             * Newsflash *

            - The Newsletter for Galactic Center Research -

gcnews@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de             http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/gcnews
========================================================================
Vol. 12, No. 19                                              Nov 21, 2000


Recently submitted papers:
--------------------------

1) The Snake - a Reconnecting Coil in a Twisted Magnetic Flux Tube 
   (Bicknell & Li, ApJL)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Email    : geoff@mso.anu.edu.au
Title    : The Snake - a Reconnecting Coil in a Twisted Magnetic Flux 
           Tube
Author(s): Geoffrey V. Bicknell(1) Jianke Li(2,3)
Institute: (1) Research School of Astronomy \& Astrophysics and 
           Department of Physics and Theoretical Physics, Australian 
           National University (2) School of Mathematical Sciences and 
           Research School of Astronomy \& Astrophysics, Australian 
           National University (3) Current address: Department of 
           Education, Training and Youth Affairs, 14 Mort Street, 
           Civic, Canberra, Australia
Paper    : ApJ Letters, submitted

Abstract:
We propose that the curious Galactic Center filament known as ``The 
Snake'' is a twisted giant magnetic flux tube, anchored in rotating 
molecular clouds. The MHD kink instability generates coils in the tube 
and subsequent magnetic reconnection injects relativistic electrons. 
Electrons diffuse away from a coil at an energy-dependent rate 
producing a flat spectral index at large distances from it. Our fit to 
the data of Gray et al. 1995 shows that the magnetic field 0.4 mG is 
large compared to the ambient 7 muG field, indicating that the flux 
tube is force-free. If the relative level of turbulence in the Snake 
and the general interstellar medium are similar, then electrons have 
been diffusing in the Snake for about 3 * 10^5 yr, comparable to the 
timescale at which magnetic energy is annihilated in the major kink. 
Estimates of the magnetic field in the G359.19-0.05 molecular complex 
are similar to our estimate of the magnetic field in the Snake 
suggesting a strong connection between the physics of the anchoring 
molecular regions and the Snake. We suggest that the physical processes 
considered here may be relevant to many of the radio filaments near the 
Galactic Center. We also suggest further observations of the Snake and 
other filaments that would be useful for obtaining further insights 
into the physics of these objects.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


(Older versions of the Newsflash can be found at the gcnews web-page)
========================================================================
			       Edited by
    Angela Cotera                       Heino Falcke & Sera Markoff
(cotera@as.arizona.edu)             (hfalcke,smarkoff@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de) 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 For Abstract submission please send the (La)Tex file of your paper to
                          gcnews@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
========================================================================