Coronal general magnetic field evolution as a new parameter of the solar cycle

The magnetic field lines of the corona associated with the solar-cycle surface general magnetic field are calculated by a potential-field approximation to study the solar-cycle evolution of the geometry of the coronal field. The surface field evolution used here is the radial field evolution, predicted by a model of the solar cycle driven by the dynamo action of the global convection, and justified observationally using Mount Wilson magnetic synoptic chart data. The evolution of the calculated coronal general field is now good for comparison with observations and shows the following. (i) The field of the polar and high-altitude corona has dipolar structure in almost all phases of the solar cycle except in a short time interval around maximum phase despite the quadrupolar structure of the general magnetic field at the surface; quadrupolar field forms loop-like structure in the lower corona. The almost-dipolar structure of the polar and high-latitude corona and the loop formation of the equatorial lower corona explain the appearance of the undisturbed minimum corona observed at eclipses. (ii) The polar field lines are directed almost radially at the minimum phase, which should be responsible for polar plumes. The field lines slowly open up to participate in the loop-like structure of the equatorial lower corona, and rapidly change their structure and polarity at the maximum phase, to resume the almost radial configuration slowly, (iii) During the rapidly changing maximum phase, the field lines do not penetrate deep into the interplanetary space resulting in the absence of polar plumes and the appearance of the circular corona- the maximum corona. In this phase, the coronal field should not be approximated by a dipole field. The surface field evolution which can explain such behaviors of the corona is characteristic of the solar-cycle process dominated by the latitudinal gradient of the differential rotation. If the radial gradient dominated in the subsurface process, the coronal evolution would look quite different and would show latitudinal propagation of enhancement of activity. Although nonaxisymmetric features should be superposed on the axisymmetric general field to express the real corona, the general field can be a basic coronal field in studying long-term interaction between the convection zone and the interstellar space especially in studying the magnetic braking of the solar rotation.