Flare loop radiative hydrodynamics. II. Thermal stability of empirical models

The importance of loop structures in the corona, both for flares and for the quiet Sun, has stimulated considerable attention to questions of their thermal stability. Previous studies have focused attention on the coronal part of the loop. In this paper we examine loop stability by treating the entire observable loop, from its photospheric footpoints to its coronal apex. This approach allows the chromosphere and corona to interact naturally, thus avoiding possibly artificial boundary conditions imposed at transition region footpoints