Plasma Heating by Forced Magnetic Reconnection

A model of forced magnetic reconnection in a force-free magnetic field is considered, which allows calculation of the magnetic energy release during the current sheet reconnection. The dependence of this energy on characteristics of the magnetic configuration has been studied, and it was found that the released energy becomes very large when the field is near the marginal tearing stability. A persistent plasma heating provided by ongoing external driving and internal reconnection is also derived. It shows a typical relaxation-type dependence on the driving frequency, with dissipation becoming most efficient when the time-scales of the driving and reconnection are comparable. Possible implications of the obtained results for the problem of solar coronal heating are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cyclotron Heating of the Solar Corona

A physical model of the solar transition region and corona is presented, in which plasma flows in rapidly-diverging coronal funnels and holes are described within the framework of a two-fluid model including wave-particle interactions. The ions are heated by wave dissipation and accelerated by the pressure gradient of high-frequency Alfvén waves, which are assumed to originate at the bottom of the magnetic network by small-scale reconnection. The heating is assumed to be due to cyclotron-resonant damping of the waves near the local ion gyrofrequency. The EUV emission lines observed by the SUMER spectrometer on SOHO show very strong broadenings, which seem to be ordered according to the ion charge-per-mass ratio and thus to indicate cyclotron-resonant heating by waves. Based on quasilinear theory, a closure scheme for anisotropic multi-component fluid equations is developed for the wave-particle interactions of the ions with Alfvén waves. The acceleration and heating rates are calculated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

日冕三重无力场电流片的磁场重联

采用二维三分量磁流体力学模型,对日冕三重无力场电流片的磁场重联进行了数值研究,揭示了重联过程的基本物理特征．这类重联过程将加热和加速日冕等离子体,并导致多个高温、高密度、高磁螺度的磁岛的形成和向上喷发．这表明,多重无力场电流片的重联可能在日冕磁能释放、上行等离子体团的形成和太阳磁场螺度向行星际空间的逃逸方面起重要的作用．     

Heating Events in the Quiet Solar Corona

Sensitive observations of the quiet Sun observed by EIT on the SOHO satellite in high-temperature iron-line emission originating in the corona are presented. The thermal radiation of the quiet corona is found to fluctutate significantly, even on the shortest time scale of 2 min and in the faintest pixels. The power spectrum of the emission measure time variations is approximately a power law with an exponent of 1.79±0.08 for the brightest pixels and 1.69±0.08 for the average and the faintest pixels. The more prominent enhancements are identified with previously reported X-ray network flares (Krucker et al., 1997) above the magnetic network of the quiet chromosphere. In coronal EUV iron lines they are amenable to detailed analysis suggesting that the brightenings are caused by additional plasma injected from below and heated to slightly higher temperature than the preexisting corona. Statistical investigations are consistent with the hypothesis that the weaker emission measure enhancements originate from the same parent population. The power input derived from the impulsive brightenings is linearly proportional to the radiative loss in the observed part of the corona. The absolute amount of impulsive input is model-dependent. It cannot be excluded that it can satisfy the total requirement for heating. These observations give strong evidence that a significant fraction of the heating in quiet coronal regions is impulsive.     

Reconnection in the Solar Corona: Role of the Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability

We consider the stability of current sheets where a normal component of the field is present. It is well known that reconnection in such systems progresses orders of magnitude too slow to explain observations, even when full kinetic models are used. We consider here a new possible mechanism for fast reconnection in such systems. We consider the effect of the possible presence of velocity shear that can drive the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI). The effect of the KHI is shown to convert shear flow into compression flow that drives reconnection. Three scaling effects can be discerned in the simulations. First, the reconnection rate is directly controlled by the driving mechanism which is provided by the KHI. The result of this new mechanism is that fast reconnection can be achieved even in absence of anomalous resistivity. Second, the effect of varying the initial sheared flow along the main magnetic field direction enhances the reconnection process. Finally, the reconnection rate is insensitive to the value of resistivity.     

Possible Role of mhd Waves in Heating the Solar Corona

Heating of the solar corona by MHD waves has been investigated. Taking account of dissipation mechanisms self-consistently, a new general dispersion relation has been derived for waves propagating in a homogeneous plasma. Solution of this sixth-order dispersion relation provides information on how the damping of both slow and fast mode waves depends upon the plasma density, temperature, field strength, and angle of propagation relative to the background magnetic field. Wave quantities with and without dissipation are presented. In particular, we consider one of the most important clues from space observations that viscosity of coronal plasma may be orders of magnitude different from its classical value in heating of the corona by MHD waves.     

太阳大气中磁重联的MHD数值模拟

回顾了近３０年太阳大气中磁重联过程的ＭＨＤ数值模拟工作取得的进展。着重描述了在验证理论模型,解释观测现象,以及研究各种因素对重联的影响三个方面的成果,如快速磁重联,太阳耀斑机制及色球,日冕中的各种爆发现象等。指出了在数值模拟中应注意的几个问题,并对该领域今后的发展作了简要的展望。     

Numerical Studies of Magnetic Reconnection and Heating Mechanisms for the Ellerman Bomb

An Ellerman Bomb(EB) is a kind of small scale reconnection event, which is ubiquitously formed in the upper photosphere or the lower chromosphere. The low temperature(<10,000 K) and high density(～1019–1022) plasma there makes the magnetic reconnection process strongly influenced by partially ionized effects and radiative cooling. This work studies the high β magnetic reconnection near the solar temperature minimum region based on high-resolution 2.5D magnetohydrodynamics simulations. The time...     

Differential Rotation of the Solar Corona from Magnetic Field Data

A method for investigating the differential rotation of the solar corona using the coronal magnetic field as a tracer is proposed. The magnetic field is calculated in the potential approximation from observational data at the photospheric level. The time interval from June 24, 1976, to December 31, 2004, is considered. The magnetic field has been calculated for all latitudes from the equator to ±75? with a 5? step at distances from the base of the corona 1.0 R_⊙ to 2.45 R_⊙ near the source surface. The coronal rotation periods at 14 distances from the solar center have been determined by the method of periodogram analysis. The coronal rotation is shown to become progressively less differential with increasing heliocentric distance; it does not become rigid even near the source surface. The change in the coronal rotation periods with time is considered. At the cycleminimumthe rotation has been found to bemost differential, especially at small distances from the solar center. The change in coronal rotation with time is consistent with the tilt of the solar magnetic equator. The results from the magnetic field are compared with those obtained from the brightness of the green coronal Fe XIV 530.3 nm line. The consistency between these results confirms the reliability of the proposed method for studying the coronal rotation. Studying the rotation of the coronal magnetic field gives hope for the possibility of using this method to diagnose the differential rotation in subphotospheric layers.     

The Magnetic Field of the Solar Corona from Pulsar Observations

We present a novel experiment with the capacity to independently measure both the electron density and the magnetic field of the solar corona. We achieve this through measurement of the excess Faraday rotation resulting from propagation of the polarised emission from a number of pulsars through the magnetic field of the solar corona. This method yields independent measures of the integrated electron density, via dispersion of the pulsed signal and the magnetic field, via the amount of Faraday rotation. In principle this allows the determination of the integrated magnetic field through the solar corona along many lines of sight without any assumptions regarding the electron density distribution. We present a detection of an increase in the rotation measure of the pulsar J1801-2304 of approximately 170 rad m² at an elongation of 0.96° from the centre of the solar disc. This corresponds to a lower limit of the magnetic field strength along this line of sight of >41.8 nT. The lack of precision in the integrated electron density measurement restricts this result to a limit, but application of coronal plasma models can further constrain this to approximately 0.5 μT, along a path passing 2.7 solar radii from the solar limb, which is consistent with predictions obtained using extensions to the source surface models published by the Wilcox Solar Observatory.     

Non-equilibrium of Magnetic Flux Tubes emerging into the Solar Corona

A lack of equilibrium of twisted magnetic flux tubes emerging from the photosphere into the corona is considered. Assuming mass and flux conservation in the tube and an isothermal tube that is in thermal equilibrium with the surrounding plasma, it is shown that a sufficently rapid temperature increase through the transition zone may lead to the loss of magnetohydrostatic equilibrium of the emerging flux tube due to the enhancement of the plasma pressure inside the tube. The non-equilibrium leads to a rapid expansion of the tube to reach a new equilibrium state. The rise and expansion of the tube before and after the non-equilibrium are accompanied by an increase in the twist of the magnetic field. This may lead to the field exceeding the threshold for the onset of the kink instability and a subsequent explosive release of magnetic energy.     

Current-Sheet Buildup and Magnetic Reconnection in Weakly Ionized Solar Lower Atmosphere

Solar observations show that magnetic reconnection can occur in the Sun's weakly ionized lower atmosphere (magnetic cancellation, Ellerman bombs and type II white-light flares). Unlike what the usual reconnection models have predicted, such a reconnection is accompanied by temperature enhancements which are less than 10%. To overcome this difficulty, we have reexamined the reconnection in a two-fluid model using a 2D numerical simulation. The numerical solutions demonstrate the following results: (1) Under the influence of Lorentz force, ionized gas carries the magnetic field into a diffusion region where part of the field is annihilated, and the current-sheet scaling laws for the weakly ionized plasma are basically the same as in the fully ionized case. (2) Though the neutral gas is not directly affected by the magnetic field due to frictional forces, its motion is almost the same as the ionized gas except in the region near stagnation point where the streamlines of both species differ appreciably. (3) The pressure of neutrals which governs the distribution of total pressure and temperature varies slightly. So the temperature of the whole domain is nearly uniform in space and constant in time. These results support the idea that magnetic cancellation, Ellerman bombs, and type II white-light flares are due to magnetic reconnection in the Sun's lower atmosphere.     

磁能和磁复杂性向日冕的传输

本文讨论了从太阳光球向日冕传输磁能和磁复杂性的过程。活动日冕，作为由电磁场和粒子组成的系统，其唯一的开场表面是太阳光球。光球层等离子体的运动和磁场的相互作用，是造成磁能和磁复杂性向日冕传播的主要根源；同时，光球上的耗散过程也对日冕磁能和磁复杂性的积累有不可忽视的贡献。     

Observation of a 3d Magnetic Null Point in the Solar Corona

A saddle-like structure is clearly discerned in SOHO EIT images in the Fe wavebands in the active region NOAA 8113, from 6 to 10 December 1997, when the active region reached the solar limb. It appears after the emergence of a small patch of parasitic polarity near the footpoints of the loops forming the outer boundary of an arcade. There is a 3D null point in the center of the saddle. The height of the null is in good agreement with the relationship between the parasitic flux and the background magnetic field. In spite of the fact that a saddle-like or hyperbolic magnetic configuration is usually assumed as the necessary condition for magnetic field-line reconnection and magnetic energy release, no additional heating is observed inside the saddle structure. Moreover, interior parts of the saddle seem to be darker than the neighbouring loops of the arcade.     

Connections Between the White-Light Eclipse Corona and Magnetic Fields over the Solar Cycle

Observations of ten solar eclipses (1973–1999) enabled us to reveal and describe mutual relations between the white-light corona structures (e.g., global coronal forms and most conspicuous coronal features, such as helmet streamers and coronal holes) and the coronal magnetic field strength and topology. The magnetic field strength and topology were extrapolated from the photospheric data under the current-free assumption. In spite of this simplification the found correspondence between the white-light corona structure and magnetic field organization strongly suggests a governing role of the field in the appearance and evolution of local and global structures. Our analysis shows that the study of white-light corona structures over a long period of time can provide valuable information on the magnetic field cyclic variations. This is particularly important for the epoch when the corresponding measurements of the photospheric magnetic field are absent.     

Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Flares and a Unified Model of Flares

The solar X-ray observing satellite Yohkoh has discovered various new dynamic features in solar flares and corona, e.g., cusp-shaped flare loops, above-the-loop-top hard X-ray sources, X-ray plasmoid ejections from impulsive flares, transient brightenings (spatially resolved microflares), X-ray jets, large scale arcade formation associated with filament eruption or coronal mass ejections, and so on. It has soon become clear that many of these features are closely related to magnetic reconnection. We can now say that Yohkoh established (at least phenomenologically) the magnetic reconnection model of flares. In this paper, we review various evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares and corona, and present unified model of flares on the basis of these new Yohkoh observations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comments on ‘Possible Role of MHD Waves in Heating the Solar Corona’ by Dwivedi and Pandey

We comment on the recent paper by Dwivedi and Pandey (Solar Physics 216, 59, 2003). Parts of that paper closely reproduce, without reference, material that we had published previously, while other parts that deviate from our earlier analysis contain several critical flaws. We show that magnetoacoustic waves are capable of heating the corona with a modest enhancement in the coefficient of compressive viscosity.     

Time-Latitudinal Dynamics of Magnetic Fields and the Green Corona Over Three Solar Cycles

Time-latitudinal distributions of the solar-surface magnetic fields and the green corona (530.3 nm, Fe XIV) intensities in the period 1975 – 2004 are analyzed. Meridional migration maps show that time-varying components consist of both the poleward and equatorward belts over a solar cycle. The green-corona maps are, for the first time, directly compared with magnetic flux charts, yielding a good association between the green corona and magnetic fields; this is most reliably seen at high latitudes.