194 research outputs found
On the nature of reconnection at a solar coronal null point above a separatrix dome
Three-dimensional magnetic null points are ubiquitous in the solar corona,
and in any generic mixed-polarity magnetic field. We consider magnetic
reconnection at an isolated coronal null point, whose fan field lines form a
dome structure. We demonstrate using analytical and computational models
several features of spine-fan reconnection at such a null, including the fact
that substantial magnetic flux transfer from one region of field line
connectivity to another can occur. The flux transfer occurs across the current
sheet that forms around the null point during spine-fan reconnection, and there
is no separator present. Also, flipping of magnetic field lines takes place in
a manner similar to that observed in quasi-separatrix layer or slip-running
reconnection.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Fragment Driven Magnetic Reconnection
In this paper, we investigate a simple model where two, initially
unconnected, flux systems are forced to interact in response to the imposed
boundary driving by solving the non-ideal 3D MHD equations numerically. The
reconnection rate of the dynamical process is determined and compared with the
corresponding rate for the potential evolution of the magnetic field. This
shows that the dynamic reconnection rate is about a factor of two smaller than
the potential (perfect, instantaneous) rate for realistic solar driving
velocities demonstrating that this three-dimensional magnetic reconnection
process is fast.
The energy input for a fixed advection distance is found to be independent of
the driving velocity. The Joule dissipation associated with the reconnection
process is also found to be basically dependent on the advection distance
rather than driving velocity. This implies that the timescale for the event
determines the effect the heating has on the temperature increase.
Finally, the numerical experiments indicate that the observational structure
of the reconnection site changes dramatically depending on the phase of the
evolution of the passage of the two flux sources. In the initial phase, where
the sources become connected, the heating is confined to a compact region. For
the disconnecting phase the energy gets distributed over a larger area due to
the reconnected field line connectivity.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures. Procedings of SOHO 15 Coronal Heating, ESA
publicatio
Resistive magnetohydrodynamic reconnection : resolving long-term, chaotic dynamics
We acknowledge financial support from the EC FP7/2007-2013 Grant Agreement SWIFF (No. 263340) and from project GOA/2009/009 (KU Leuven). This research has been funded by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles Programme initiated by the Belgian Science Policy Office (IAP P7/08 CHARM). Part of the simulations used the infrastructure of the VSC-Flemish Supercomputer Center, funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Government-Department EWI. Another part of the simulations was done at the former Danish Center for Scientific Computing at Copenhagen University which is now part of DeIC Danish e-Infrastructure Cooperation.In this paper, we address the long-term evolution of an idealised double current system entering reconnection regimes where chaotic behavior plays a prominent role. Our aim is to quantify the energetics in high magnetic Reynolds number evolutions, enriched by secondary tearing events, multiple magnetic island coalescence, and compressive versus resistive heating scenarios. Our study will pay particular attention to the required numerical resolutions achievable by modern (grid-adaptive) computations, and comment on the challenge associated with resolving chaotic island formation and interaction. We will use shock-capturing, conservative, grid-adaptive simulations for investigating trends dominated by both physical (resistivity) and numerical (resolution) parameters, and confront them with (visco-)resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations performed with very different, but equally widely used discretization schemes. This will allow us to comment on the obtained evolutions in a manner irrespective of the adopted discretization strategy. Our findings demonstrate that all schemes used (finite volume based shock-capturing, high order finite differences, and particle in cell-like methods) qualitatively agree on the various evolutionary stages, and that resistivity values of order 0.001 already can lead to chaotic island appearance. However, none of the methods exploited demonstrates convergence in the strong sense in these chaotic regimes. At the same time, nonperturbed tests for showing convergence over long time scales in ideal to resistive regimes are provided as well, where all methods are shown to agree. Both the advantages and disadvantages of specific discretizations as applied to this challenging problem are discussed.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
A Contemporary View of Coronal Heating
Determining the heating mechanism (or mechanisms) that causes the outer
atmosphere of the Sun, and many other stars, to reach temperatures orders of
magnitude higher than their surface temperatures has long been a key problem.
For decades the problem has been known as the coronal heating problem, but it
is now clear that `coronal heating' cannot be treated or explained in isolation
and that the heating of the whole solar atmosphere must be studied as a highly
coupled system. The magnetic field of the star is known to play a key role,
but, despite significant advancements in solar telescopes, computing power and
much greater understanding of theoretical mechanisms, the question of which
mechanism or mechanisms are the dominant supplier of energy to the chromosphere
and corona is still open. Following substantial recent progress, we consider
the most likely contenders and discuss the key factors that have made, and
still make, determining the actual (coronal) heating mechanism (or mechanisms)
so difficult
Magnetohydrodynamic evolution of magnetic skeletons
The heating of the solar corona is likely to be due to reconnection of the
highly complex magnetic field that threads throughout its volume. We have run a
numerical experiment of an elementary interaction between the magnetic field of
two photospheric sources in an overlying field that represents a fundamental
building block of the coronal heating process. The key to explaining where, how
and how much energy is released during such an interaction is to calculate the
resulting evolution of the magnetic skeleton. A skeleton is essentially the web
of magnetic flux surfaces (called separatrix surfaces) that separate the
coronal volume into topologically distinct parts. For the first time the
skeleton of the magnetic field in a 3D numerical MHD experiment is calculated
and carefully analysed, as are the ways in which it bifurcates into different
topologies. A change in topology normally changes the number of magnetic
reconnection sites.
In our experiment, the magnetic field evolves through a total of six distinct
topologies. Initially, no magnetic flux joins the two sources. Then a new type
of bifurcation, called a global double-separator bifurcation, takes place: this
bifurcation is likely to be one of the main ways in which new separators are
created in the corona (separators are field lines at which 3D reconnection
takes place). This is the first of five bifurcations in which the skeleton
becomes progressively more complex before simplifying. Surprisingly, for such a
simple initial state, at the peak of complexity there are five separators and
eight flux domains present.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
Elementary Heating Events - Magnetic Interactions Between Two Flux Sources. III Energy Considerations
The magnetic field plays a crucial role in heating the solar corona, but the
exact energy release mechanism(s) is(are) still unknown. Here, we investigate
in detail, the process of magnetic energy release in a situation where two
initially independent flux systems are forced into each other. Work done by the
foot point motions goes in to building a current sheet in which magnetic
reconnection takes place. The scaling relations of the energy input and output
are determined as functions of the driving velocity and the strength of fluxes
in the independent flux systems. In particular, it is found that the energy
injected into the system is proportional to the distance travelled not the rate
of travel. Similarly, the rate of Joule dissipation is related to the distance
travelled. Hence, rapidly driven foot points lead to bright, intense, but
short-lived events, whilst slowly driven foot points produce weaker, but
longer-lived brightenings. Integrated over the lifetime of the events both
would produce the same heating if all other factors were the same. A strong
overlying field has the affect of creating compact flux lobes from the sources.
These appear to lead to a more rapid injection of energy, as well as a more
rapid release of energy. Thus, the stronger the overlying field the more
compact and more intense the heating. This means observers must know the rate
of movement of the magnetic fragments involved in an events, as well as
determine the strength and orientation of the surrounding field to be able to
predict anything about the energy dissipated.Comment: A&A accepted, 24 pages, 11 figure
Three-Dimensional Magnetic Reconnection
The importance of magnetic reconnection as an energy release mechanism in
many solar, stellar, magnetospheric and astrophysical phenomena has long been
recognised. Reconnection is the only mechanism by which magnetic fields can
globally restructure, enabling them to access a lower energy state. Over the
past decade, there have been some major advances in our understanding of
three-dimensional reconnection. In particular, the key characteristics of 3D
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) reconnection have been determined. For instance, 3D
reconnection (i) occurs with or without nulls, (ii) occurs continuously and
continually throughout a diffusion region and (iii) is driven by counter
rotating flows.
Furthermore, analysis of resistive 3D MHD magnetic experiments have revealed
some intriguing effects relating to where and how reconnection occurs. To
illustrate these new features, a series of constant-resistivity experiments,
involving the interaction of two opposite-polarity magnetic sources in an
overlying field, are considered. Such a simple interaction represents a typical
building block of the Sun's magnetic atmosphere. By following the evolution of
the magnetic topology, we are able to explain where, how and at what rate the
reconnection occurs. Remarkably there can be up to five energy release sites at
anyone time (compared to one in the potential case) and the duration of the
interaction increases (more than doubles) as the resistivity decreases (by a
factor of 16). The decreased resistivity also leads to a higher peak ohmic
dissipation and more energy being released in total, as a result of a greater
injection of Poynting flux.Comment: To appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the
Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S.S. Hasan and R.J. Rutten, Astrophysics and
Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 200
Phase Mixing of Alfvén Waves Near a 2D Magnetic Null Point
The propagation of linear Alfvén wave pulses in an inhomogeneous plasma near a 2D coronal null point is investigated. When a uniform plasma density is considered, it is seen that an initially planar Alfvén wavefront remains planar, despite the varying equilibrium Alfvén speed, and that all the wave collects at the separatrices. Thus, in the non-ideal case, these Alfvénic disturbances preferentially dissipate their energy at these locations. For a non-uniform equilibrium density, it is found that the Alfvén wavefront is significantly distorted away from the initially planar geometry, inviting the possibility of dissipation due to phase mixing. Despite this however, we conclude that for the Alfvén wave, current density accumulation and preferential heating still primarily occur at the separatrices, even when an extremely non-uniform density profile is considered
Jets in coronal holes: Hinode observations and 3D computer modelling
Recent observations of coronal hole areas with the XRT and EIS instruments
onboard the Hinode satellite have shown with unprecedented detail the launching
of fast, hot jets away from the solar surface. In some cases these events
coincide with episodes of flux emergence from beneath the photosphere. In this
letter we show results of a 3D numerical experiment of flux emergence from the
solar interior into a coronal hole and compare them with simultaneous XRT and
EIS observations of a jet-launching event that accompanied the appearance of a
bipolar region in MDI magnetograms. The magnetic skeleton and topology that
result in the experiment bear a strong resemblance to linear force-fee
extrapolations of the SOHO/MDI magnetograms. A thin current sheet is formed at
the boundary of the emerging plasma. A jet is launched upward along the open
reconnected field lines with values of temperature, density and velocity in
agreement with the XRT and EIS observations. Below the jet, a split-vault
structure results with two chambers: a shrinking one containing the emerged
field loops and a growing one with loops produced by the reconnection. The
ongoing reconnection leads to a horizontal drift of the vault-and-jet
structure. The timescales, velocities, and other plasma properties in the
experiment are consistent with recent statistical studies of this type of
events made with Hinode data.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Revised version submitted to ApJ Letter
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