  A model for the solar coronal magnetic field is proposed where multiple
directed loops evolve in space and time. Loops injected at small scales are
anchored by footpoints of opposite polarity moving randomly on a surface.
Nearby footpoints of the same polarity aggregate, and loops can reconnect when
they collide. This may trigger a cascade of further reconnection, representing
a solar flare. Numerical simulations show that a power law distribution of
flare energies emerges, associated with a scale free network of loops,
indicating self-organized criticality.

Statistical Mechanics;Plasma Physics;Space Physics