Intermittent heating in a model of solar coronal loops

X-ray and EUV observations of the solar corona reveal a very complex and dy namic environment where there are many examples of structures that are beli eved to outline the Sun's magnetic field. In this present study, the author s investigate the temporal response of the temperature, density and pressur e of a solar coronal plasma contained within a magnetic loop to an intermit tent heating source generated by Ohmic dissipation. The energy input is pro duced by a one-dimensional MHD flare model. This model is able to reproduce some of the statistical properties derived from X-ray flare observations. In particular the heat deposition consists of both a sub-flaring background and much larger, singular dissipative events. Two different heating profil es are investigated: (a) the spatial average of the square of the current a long the loop and (b) the maximum of the square of the current along the lo op. For case (a), the plasma parameters appear to respond more to the globa l variations in the heat deposition about its average value rather than to each specific event. For case (b), the plasma quantities are more intermitt ent in their evolution. In both cases the density response is the least bur sty signal. It is found that the time-dependent energy input can maintain t he plasma at typical coronal temperatures. Implications of these results up on the latest coronal observations are discussed.