scholarly journals Simulating the Coronal Evolution of Bipolar Active Regions to Investigate the Formation of Flux Ropes

Solar Physics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 296 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Yardley ◽  
D. H. Mackay ◽  
L. M. Green

AbstractThe coronal magnetic field evolution of 20 bipolar active regions (ARs) is simulated from their emergence to decay using the time-dependent nonlinear force-free field method of Mackay, Green, and van Ballegooijen (Astrophys. J. 729, 97, 2011). A time sequence of cleaned photospheric line-of-sight magnetograms, which covers the entire evolution of each AR, is used to drive the simulation. A comparison of the simulated coronal magnetic field with the 171 and 193 Å observations obtained by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), is made for each AR by manual inspection. The results show that it is possible to reproduce the evolution of the main coronal features such as small- and large-scale coronal loops, filaments and sheared structures for 80% of the ARs. Varying the boundary and initial conditions, along with the addition of physical effects such as Ohmic diffusion, hyperdiffusion and a horizontal magnetic field injection at the photosphere, improves the match between the observations and simulated coronal evolution by 20%. The simulations were able to reproduce the build-up to eruption for 50% of the observed eruptions associated with the ARs. The mean unsigned time difference between the eruptions occurring in the observations compared to the time of eruption onset in the simulations was found to be ≈5 hrs. The simulations were particularly successful in capturing the build-up to eruption for all four eruptions that originated from the internal polarity inversion line of the ARs. The technique was less successful in reproducing the onset of eruptions that originated from the periphery of ARs and large-scale coronal structures. For these cases global, rather than local, nonlinear force-free field models must be used. While the technique has shown some success, eruptions that occur in quick succession are difficult to reproduce by this method and future iterations of the model need to address this.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S320) ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
M. S. Wheatland ◽  
S. A. Gilchrist

AbstractWe review nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) modeling of magnetic fields in active regions. The NLFFF model (in which the electric current density is parallel to the magnetic field) is often adopted to describe the coronal magnetic field, and numerical solutions to the model are constructed based on photospheric vector magnetogram boundary data. Comparative tests of NLFFF codes on sets of boundary data have revealed significant problems, in particular associated with the inconsistency of the model and the data. Nevertheless NLFFF modeling is often applied, in particular to flare-productive active regions. We examine the results, and discuss their reliability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S294) ◽  
pp. 553-554
Author(s):  
Y. Guo ◽  
M. D. Ding

AbstractWe test a nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) optimization code in spherical geometry with an analytical solution from Low and Lou. The potential field source surface (PFSS) model is served as the initial and boundary conditions where observed data are not available. The analytical solution can be well recovered if the boundary and initial conditions are properly handled. Next, we discuss the preprocessing procedure for the noisy bottom boundary data, and find that preprocessing is necessary for NLFFF extrapolations when we use the observed photospheric magnetic field as bottom boundaries. Finally, we apply the NLFFF model to a solar area where four active regions interacting with each other. An M8.7 flare occurred in one active region. NLFFF modeling in spherical geometry simultaneously constructs the small and large scale magnetic field configurations better than the PFSS model does.


2019 ◽  
Vol 631 ◽  
pp. A162 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zhu ◽  
T. Wiegelmann

Context. On the sun, the magnetic field vector is measured routinely solely in the photosphere. By using these photospheric measurements as a boundary condition, we developed magnetohydrostatic (MHS) extrapolation to model the solar atmosphere. The model makes assumptions about the relative importance of magnetic and non-magnetic forces. While the solar corona is force-free, this is not the case with regard to the photosphere and chromosphere. Aims. The model has previously been tested with an exact equilibria. Here we present a more challenging and more realistic test of our model with the radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a solar flare. Methods. By using the optimization method, the MHS model computes the magnetic field, plasma pressure and density self-consistently. The nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) and gravity-stratified atmosphere along the field line are assumed as the initial conditions for optimization. Results. Compared with the NLFFF, the MHS model provides an improved magnetic field not only in magnitude and direction, but also in magnetic connectivity. In addition, the MHS model is capable of recovering the main structure of plasma in the photosphere and chromosphere.


Solar Physics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. I. Egorov ◽  
V. G. Fainshtein ◽  
I. I. Myshyakov ◽  
S. A. Anfinogentov ◽  
G. V. Rudenko

1994 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 159-171
Author(s):  
Ester Antonucci

The coronal features observed in X-ray emission, varying from the small-scale, short-lived bright points to the large-scale, long-lived coronal holes, are closely associated with the coronal magnetic field and its topology, and their variability depends strongly on the solar cycle. Here we discuss the spatial distribution of the coronal structures, the frequency distribution of the brightness variations in active regions, and the role of magnetic reconnection in determining the variability of the coronal features, on the basis of the new observations of the soft X-ray emission recently obtained with the Yohkoh satellite and the NIXT experiment.


Solar Physics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 277 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tilaye Tadesse ◽  
T. Wiegelmann ◽  
B. Inhester ◽  
A. Pevtsov

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (S340) ◽  
pp. 81-82
Author(s):  
A. Prasad ◽  
R. Bhattacharyya ◽  
Q. Hu ◽  
S. S. Nayak ◽  
Sanjay Kumar

AbstractThe solar active region (AR) 12192 was one of the most flare productive region of solar cycle 24, which produced many X-class flares; the most energetic being an X3.1 flare on October 24, 2014 at 21:10 UT. Customarily, such events are believed to be triggered by magnetic reconnection in coronal magnetic fields. Here we use the vector magnetograms from solar photosphere, obtained from Heliospheric Magnetic Imager (HMI) to investigate the magnetic field topology prior to the X3.1 event, and ascertain the conditions that might have caused the flare. To infer the coronal magnetic field, a novel non-force-free field (NFFF) extrapolation technique of the photospheric field is used, which suitably mimics the Lorentz forces present in the photospheric plasma. We also highlight the presence of magnetic null points and quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) in the magnetic field topology, which are preferred sites for magnetic reconnections and discuss the probable reconnection scenarios.


2001 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 341-343
Author(s):  
Y. Yan

In this paper we describe the available methods for the non-constant-α force-free field reconstruction and study the associations between reconstructed 3-d coronal fields by a new technique and the 2B/X2 flare process from observations in AR 8100 on 4 November 1997.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S320) ◽  
pp. 175-178
Author(s):  
Toshifumi Shimizu ◽  
Satoshi Inoue ◽  
Yusuke Kawabata

AbstractThe spectro-polarimeter in the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) is one of the powerful instruments for the most accurate measurements of vector magnetic fields on the solar surface. The magnetic field configuration and possible candidates for flare trigger are briefly discussed with some SOT observations of solar flare events, which include X5.4/X1.3 flares on 7 March 2012, X1.2 flare on 7 January 2014 and two M-class flares on 2 February 2014. Especially, using an unique set of the Hinode and SDO data for the X5.4/X1.3 flares on 7 March 2012, we briefly reviewed remarkable properties observed in the spatial distribution of the photospheric magnetic flux, chromospheric flare ribbons, and the 3D coronal magnetic field structure inferred by non-linear force-free field modeling with the Hinode photospheric magnetic field data.


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