14 research outputs found

    Buildup of Magnetic Shear and Free Energy During Flux Emergence and Cancellation

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    We examine a simulation of flux emergence and cancellation, which shows a complex sequence of processes that accumulate free magnetic energy in the solar corona essential for the eruptive events such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), filament eruptions and flares. The flow velocity at the surface and in the corona shows a consistent shearing pattern along the polarity inversion line (PIL), which together with the rotation of the magnetic polarities, builds up the magnetic shear. Tether-cutting reconnection above the PIL then produces longer sheared magnetic field lines that extend higher into the corona, where a sigmoidal structure forms. Most significantly, reconnection and upward energy-flux transfer are found to occur even as magnetic flux is submerging and appears to cancel at the photosphere. A comparison of the simulated coronal field with the corresponding coronal potential field graphically shows the development of nonpotential fields during the emergence of the magnetic flux and formation of sunspots

    Simulation of Flux Emergence from the Convection Zone to the Corona

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    Here, we present numerical simulations of magnetic flux buoyantly rising from a granular convection zone into the low corona. We study the complex interaction of the magnetic field with the turbulent plasma. The model includes the radiative loss terms, non-ideal equations of state, and empirical corona heating. We find that the convection plays a crucial role in shaping the morphology and evolution of the emerging structure. The emergence of magnetic fields can disrupt the convection pattern as the field strength increases, and form an ephemeral region-like structure, while weak magnetic flux emerges and quickly becomes concentrated in the intergranular lanes, i.e. downflow regions. As the flux rises, a coherent shear pattern in the low corona is observed in the simulation. In the photosphere, both magnetic shearing and velocity shearing occur at a very sharp polarity inversion line (PIL). In a case of U-loop magnetic field structure, the field above the surface is highly sheared while below it is relaxed

    Dynamic Coupling of Convective Flows and Magnetic Field during Flux Emergence

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    We simulate the buoyant rise of a magnetic flux rope from the solar convection zone into the corona to better understand the energetic coupling of the solar interior to the corona. The magnetohydrodynamic model addresses the physics of radiative cooling, coronal heating and ionization, which allow us to produce a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere. The simulation illustrates the process by which magnetic flux emerges at the photosphere and coalesces to form two large concentrations of opposite polarities. We find that the large-scale convective motion in the convection zone is critical to form and maintain sunspots, while the horizontal converging flows in the near surface layer prevent the concentrated polarities from separating. The foot points of the sunspots in the convection zone exhibit a coherent rotation motion, resulting in the increasing helicity of the coronal field. Here, the local configuration of the convection causes the convergence of opposite polarities of magnetic flux with a shearing flow along the polarity inversion line. During the rising of the flux rope, the magnetic energy is first injected through the photosphere by the emergence, followed by energy transport by horizontal flows, after which the energy is subducted back to the convection zone by the submerging flows

    Radiative Hydrodynamic Models of the Optical and Ultraviolet Emission from Solar Flares

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    We report on radiative hydrodynamic simulations of moderate and strong solar flares. The flares were simulated by calculating the atmospheric response to a beam of non-thermal electrons injected at the apex of a one-dimensional closed coronal loop, and include heating from thermal soft X-ray, extreme ultraviolet and ultraviolet (XEUV) emission. The equations of radiative transfer and statistical equilibrium were treated in non-LTE and solved for numerous transitions of hydrogen, helium, and Ca II allowing the calculation of detailed line profiles and continuum emission. This work improves upon previous simulations by incorporating more realistic non-thermal electron beam models and includes a more rigorous model of thermal XEUV heating. We find XEUV backwarming contributes less than 10% of the heating, even in strong flares. The simulations show elevated coronal and transition region densities resulting in dramatic increases in line and continuum emission in both the UV and optical regions. The optical continuum reaches a peak increase of several percent which is consistent with enhancements observed in solar white light flares. For a moderate flare (~M-class), the dynamics are characterized by a long gentle phase of near balance between flare heating and radiative cooling, followed by an explosive phase with beam heating dominating over cooling and characterized by strong hydrodynamic waves. For a strong flare (~X-class), the gentle phase is much shorter, and we speculate that for even stronger flares the gentle phase may be essentially non-existent. During the explosive phase, synthetic profiles for lines formed in the upper chromosphere and transition region show blue shifts corresponding to a plasma velocity of ~120 km/s, and lines formed in the lower chromosphere show red shifts of ~40 km/s.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures. Will appear in 2005 September 1 issue of the Ap
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