To derive coronal temperature, electron density and nonthermal velocity, we have analyzed high resolution spectra (e.g., Fe XII 338.3, Fe XII 352.1, Fe XIV 334.2, Fe XIV 353.8, Fe XV 284.2, Fe XV 321.8, Fe XV 327.0, Fe XVI 335.4, and Fe XVI 360.8) taken from AR 6615 by SERTS (Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph). Important findings emerging from the present study are as follows: (1) Temperature estimated from Fe XVI 335.4 and Fe XIV, 334.2 is ~2.4 × 106 K and no systematic difference in temperature is found between the active region and its adjacent quiet region; (2) Mean electron density estimated from Fe XV is ~3 × 109 cm -3 and ~10 10 cm-3 from Fe XII and Fe XIV; (3) Mean density of the active region is found to be higher than that of the quiet region by a factor of 2; (4) Nonthermal velocity estimated from Fe XV and Fe XVI is 20 ~ 25 km s-l which decreases with increasing ionization temperatures. This supports the notion that the nonthermal velocity declines outwards above the transition region.

The magnetic reconnection mechanism is a primary candidate for "flare" processes in solar coronal regions. Numerical simulations of two-dimensional magnetic reconnection are carried out for four different cases: (1) adiabatic condition with constant resistivity, (2) adiabatic condition with temperature-dependent resistivity, (3) energetics with radiation loss and constant resistivity and (4) energetics with radiation loss and temperature-dependent resistivity. It is found that the thermal instability prompts the magnetic reconnection process, thus increasing the conversion rate of magnetic energy into kinematic energy of the fluid. We demonstrated that the observed microflares can be accounted for by our magnetic reconnection models, when the effects of the radiation loss and the temperature-dependent resistivity are taken into account.