  The response of the solar coronal magnetic field to small-scale photospheric
boundary motions including the possible formation of current sheets via the
Parker scenario is one of open questions of solar physics. Here we address the
problem via a numerical simulation. The three-dimensional evolution of a
braided magnetic field which is initially close to a force-free state is
followed using a resistive MHD code. A long-wavelength instability takes place
and leads to the formation of two thin current layers. Magnetic reconnection
occurs across the current sheets with three-dimensional features shown,
including an elliptic magnetic field structure about the reconnection site, and
results in an untwisting of the global field structure.
