  In this work we study the process of energy dissipation triggered by a slow
large scale motion of a magnetized conducting fluid. Our consideration is
motivated by the problem of heating the solar corona, which is believed to be
governed by fast reconnection events set off by the slow motion of magnetic
field lines anchored in the photospheric plasma. To elucidate the physics
governing the disruption of the imposed laminar motion and the energy transfer
to small scales, we propose a simplified model where the large-scale motion of
magnetic field lines is prescribed not at the footpoints but rather imposed
volumetrically. As a result, the problem can be treated numerically with an
efficient, highly-accurate spectral method, allowing us to use a resolution and
statistical ensemble exceeding those of the previous work. We find that, even
though the large-scale deformations are slow, they eventually lead to
reconnection events that drive a turbulent state at smaller scales. The
small-scale turbulence displays many of the universal features of field-guided
MHD turbulence like a well developed inertial range spectrum. Based on these
observations, we construct a phenomenological model that gives the scalings of
the amplitude of the fluctuations and the energy dissipation rate as functions
of the input parameters. We find a good agreement between the numerical results
and the predictions of the model.
