  Magnetic reconnection is widely believed to be the fundamental process in the
solar atmosphere that underlies magnetic energy release and particle
acceleration. This process is responsible for the onset of solar flares,
coronal mass ejections, and other explosive events (e.g., jets). Here, we
report direct imaging of a prolonged plasma/current sheet along with
quasiperiodic magnetic reconnection in the solar corona using
ultra-high-resolution observations from the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope
(GST) at BBSO and Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly
(SDO/AIA). The current sheet appeared near a null point in the fan-spine
topology and persisted over an extended period (~20 hours). The length and
apparent width of the current sheet were about 6 arcsec and 2 arcsec
respectively, and the plasma temperature was ~10-20 MK. We observed
quasiperiodic plasma inflows and outflows (bidirectional jets with plasmoids)
at the reconnection site/current sheet. Furthermore, quasiperiodic reconnection
at the long-lasting current sheet produced recurrent eruptions (small flares
and jets) and contributed significantly to the recurrent impulsive heating of
the active region. Direct imaging of a plasma/current sheet and recurrent
null-point reconnection for such an extended period has not been reported
previously. These unprecedented observations provide compelling evidence that
supports the universal model for solar eruptions (i.e., the breakout model) and
have implications for impulsive heating of active regions by recurrent
reconnection near null points. The prolonged and sustained reconnection for
about 20 hours at the breakout current sheet provides new insights into the
dynamics and energy release processes in the solar corona.
