E-Mail IMAGE: Two groups of fibrils, marked L2 and L4, converge and reconnect with each other. Two sets of newly formed fibrils, marked L1 and L3, then appear and retract from the... view more Credit: LI Leping Magnetic reconnection refers to the reconfiguration of magnetic field geometry. It plays an elemental role in the rapid release of magnetic energy and its conversion to other forms of energy in magnetized plasma systems throughout the universe. Researchers led by Dr. LI Leping from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) analyzed the evolution of magnetic reconnection and its nearby filament. The result suggested that reconnection is significantly accelerated by the propagating disturbance caused by the adjacent filament eruption.