Equilibrium of magnetic fields with arbitrary interweaving of the lines of force. II - Discontinuities in the field

The surfaces of discontinuity (SDs) identified by Parker (1986) in the torsion of a force-free magnetic field in an infinitely conducting fluid contained betweeen two fixed boundary planes are characterized analytically. It is shown that field discontinuities (current sheets) occur whenever an SD terminates within the fluid or intersects with another SD, that intersections occur in most cases, and that the resulting current sheets are responsible for most field dissipation in highly conducting fluids. The astrophysical implications of these findings and a number of unresolved problems are discussed.