太阳活动区常α无力场数值计算及其在耀斑预报中的可能应用

本文综述作者及其合作者近年来在太阳活动区无力场数值计算及其应用方面的研究概况。文中简要评价了现有几种太阳活动区常α无力场数值计算表达式,并且叙述了把常α无力场数值计算应用于耀斑研究的结果。得到的主要结论为:(1)现有几种活动区常α无力场数值计算表达式中,Chiu的公式比较好;(2)用Chiu公式外推得到的活动区磁场结构,能够较好地解释观测到的许多现象,表明常α无力场近似仍不失为一种可以接受的活动区磁场模型;(3)活动区无力场的某些参数,如无力因子α和自由磁场能ΔE(定义为无力场能与势场能之差),与耀斑发生率密切相关,可以作为耀斑预报的判据。     

质子耀斑活动区特征与无力磁场

本文在综合分析质子耀斑活动区观测特点的基础上,指出在密集的多极黑子构成的局部区域中,同极黑子分裂,互相排斥,异极黑子相互靠近,向异极区中场强较弱部分的挤压和渗入,是一大批质子耀斑活动区的共同特点.这种黑子间的相对运动,使中性线严重扭曲,呈现出质子耀斑活动区特有的“S”型。根据这些观测特点,寻找到了一种定量估计无力因子的方法。对三个典型的质子耀斑活动区估计了无力因子的变化,并在常无力因子的假定下进行了无力场结构和势场磁能的计算。计算表明质子耀斑发生前无力因子逐渐增加,而势场磁能逐渐减小,减少的势场能量可能正是无力场得到发展的能源,足够质子耀斑的需要。     

1980年4月Hale 16747活动区的三维磁场结构和演化特征

本文利用太阳活动区无力场模型,以观测的光球磁场为边值,外推Hale 16747活动区在4月5—9日的三维磁场,并且讨论了这些磁场结构和演化特征。结果表明:(1)此活动区的磁流管在快速升浮的同时,还在不断扭绞;(2)产生磁力线扭绞的主要原因是前导黑子的逆时针旋转,以及中部δ结构的发展;(3)4月5日在前导黑子东侧看到的一些细长纤维的走向为横场方向,因而可能是气团运动的轨迹;(4)活动区耀斑产率随时间的变化可以用活动区磁场演化来说明;(5)4月7日和8日发生了二个相似耀斑,各有4块近于直线排列的亮区,是由于存在二组串排的弧拱状磁力线造成的。这些结果不同程度地支持了文[1]和[2]中的一些推测。     

大型太阳活动区磁场的一个模型

用时间缓变的非线性无力场模拟超级活动区（弧岛式大型δ黑子）的磁场位形。这个复杂磁场包含了向量磁场的主要观测特征：正负磁流极端不平衡性（正负磁流之比为１：６）,Ｕ形磁反变线,局域磁场的二极子、四极子差异性。模拟结果厅用来解释一些观测结果：（１）大耀斑主要产生在Ｕ形中性线的磁性混杂区或四极子区（２）Ｕ形反变线的准双极性区几乎没有大耀斑很小。（３）活动区内部的大型旋转运动和磁沲运动会导致四极子场磁拓扑分     

无力场的运动学特征

无力场在太阳物理中是常遇到的,特别是色球和日冕活动区中,那里的磁场位形都应该是无力场。通常认为,磁力线的扭绞过程可以将势场变为有电流的无力场,从而在活动区中储存能量。在我们碰到的太阳大气活动的实际问题中,磁雷诺数R_m≈10~3>>1,所以对这种条件下的无力场必须作专门讨论。本文利用冻结型无力场的一般结果,讨论了太阳大气中等离子体的运动状况及无力场的运动学特征。     

1988年3月黑子磁场的演化(英文)

024黑子(S.G.D编号为4964)是1988年3月份太阳上最大、磁场最强的黑子群。在日面上出现的半个月里,始终有耀斑产生。北京天文台怀柔太阳磁场望远镜对这个活动区作了常规观测,并获得了磁场和速度场资料。 024活动区是由一个偶极黑子和δ黑子组成的。12日01~h49~mUT,黑子刚从东部出现时就有耀斑和活动日珥产生。从速度场与H_β色球单色像对比来看,耀斑内有物质向里流动,而暗条中有物质向外抛射。024活动区的磁场十分复杂,S极、N极磁场互相包含、渗入、剪切,形成许多海湾结构。可能这就是产生了许多各种形状的耀斑的缘故。本文对磁场的形态作了描述。     

太阳线性无力场评注和快速傅氏分析法的应用

首先对30年来用无力场计算太阳活动区磁场方法作了一些评注，特别研究了线性无力场解中的几个误区，提出了准线性无力场方法并探讨了快速傅氏变换在线性无力场计算中的应用，以2000年9月15日NOAA 9165活动区磁场为例，应用3种不同的方法计算出磁力线走向，然后同紫金山天文台赣榆观测站观测的精细Hα图形对比。     

NOAA6361活动区现象分析

本文分析了ＮＯＡＡ６３６１活动区中的一些现象，发现该活动区在衰亡阶段经历了两次同极性黑子的复合过程，复合后的黑子本影间均有光桥存在，观测结果倾向于支持Ｐａｒｋｅｒ１９７９年提出的黑子多磁流管模型。１４日复合后的黑子本影还顺时针方向旋转了约７０度角，从半影纤维的同样顺时针旋转可以认为：该黑子的半影磁场并非是普遍认为的简单的本影磁场的发散部分。我们还观测到另外两个比较有趣的现象：①δ黑子中的ｐ极性黑子     

黑子活动区流场精细结构

本文通过太阳活动区光球和色球速度场和磁场观测资料,讨论了黑子活动区附近流场的精细结构,论述了太阳大气中物质的流动呈纤维结构,以及速度场纤维与磁场,色球纤维和网络结构之间的关系。     

日冕凝聚区磁场

本文利用势场模型,计算了1968年9月22日日面东边缘日冕凝聚区的磁场结构.所得理论磁场结构与光学密度结构外形轮廓比较,大致相符.这说明,日面活动区在其稳定发展阶段,延伸至低日冕部分的磁场是一个势场。可以近似地认为日冕凝聚区的密度结构外形是活动区磁场的磁流管在垂直于视线方向平面上的投影,物质循磁力线的轨迹运动。     

The twisting of filament that resulted in a solar flare

Based mainly on filtergrams ofH line center and various offbands and supplemented with measurements of the CIV 1548 line, we analyzed the evolution of a filament during a period of 15 minutes prior to the eruption of the flare of 1980 June 25 in the active region AR 2522. The filament underwent three spasmodic twistings of increasing size which finally led to its disruption and the flare eruption. We simulated the twisting motion of the filament by a force-free magnetic rope, estimated the variation of the force-free factor and the increase in the axial electric current, discussed the stability of the filament and attempted to give a theoretical explanation of the collapse of the filament and the eruption of the flare.     

导致太阳耀斑爆发的暗条扭绞

本文主要根据Ｈａ线心和不同偏带的观测资料，结合紫外ＣＩＶ１５４８谱线的测量结果，分析研究了１９８０年６月２５日ＡＲ２５２２活动区中一段暗条在耀斑爆发前１５分钟所经历的三次逐渐增强的间歇式扭绞，最终导致暗条破裂和耀斑爆发的物理过程，并且用无力场磁绳近似模拟时间条的扭绞运动，估算了暗条扭绞引直怕无力因子ａ的变化，轴向电流增大和守能，讨论了暗条的稳定性，试图对暗条的瓦解和耀斑爆发予以理论解释。     

Magnetic field topology of an active region

The global 3-dimensional topology of the magnetic field of the weakly flaring active region AR 5420 in the early phase has been estimated using a series of photospheric longitudinal and vector magnetogams together with Hα filtergrams and white-light images. As a physical model for this task, we have used the assumption ofa force-free magnetic field character. An arcade-like structure of the magnetic field has been identified in the preflare phase with an apparent sheared configuration already present in the current-free field case. This system might have been an important source of generation of a field-aligned current system for the eruptions that followed. That was, in particular, suggeted by a significant extension of the active region area in the observation period from June 22 to 25, 1984, that resulted in a stronger shear of the detected arcade-like system. The atmospheric electric currents generated in such a way and the transition triggered by a large-amplitude perturbation generated by new flux emergences on June 23 at this place together might be the reason of the sequence of flares observed. Despite the changes in the Hα structure, the global force-free character of the field did not change significantly over the time of observations. The invariance (in the first order) of the force-free (nearly current-free) character of the magnetic field is consistent with the occurrence of relatively small flares only.     

Force-free magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere

Reliable measurements of the solar magnetic field are restricted to the level of the photosphere. For about half a century attempts have been made to calculate the field in the layers above the photosphere, i.e. in the chromosphere and in the corona, from the measured photospheric field. The procedure is known as magnetic field extrapolation. In the superphotospheric parts of active regions the magnetic field is approximately force-free, i.e. electric currents are aligned with the magnetic field. The practical application to solar active regions has been largely confined to constant-α or linear force-free fields, with a spatially constant ratio, α, between the electric current and the magnetic field. We review results obtained from extrapolations with constant-α force-free fields, in particular on magnetic topologies favourable for flares and on magnetic and current helicities. Presently, different methods are being developed to calculate non-constant-α or nonlinear force-free fields from photospheric vector magnetograms. We also briefly discuss these methods and present a comparison of a linear and a nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolation applied to the same photospheric boundary data. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Magnetic Energy Storage and Current Density Distributions for Different Force-Free Models

In the last decades, force-free-field modelling has been used extensively to describe the coronal magnetic field and to better understand the physics of solar eruptions at different scales. Especially the evolution of active regions has been studied by successive equilibria in which each computed magnetic configuration is subject to an evolving photospheric distribution of magnetic field and/or electric-current density. This technique of successive equilibria has been successful in describing the rate of change of the energetics for observed active regions. Nevertheless the change in magnetic configuration due to the increase/decrease of electric current for different force-free models (potential, linear and nonlinear force-free fields) has never been studied in detail before. Here we focus especially on the evolution of the free magnetic energy, the location of the excess of energy, and the distribution of electric currents in the corona. For this purpose, we use an idealised active region characterised by four main polarities and a satellite polarity, allowing us to specify a complex topology and sheared arcades to the coronal magnetic field but no twisted flux bundles. We investigate the changes in the geometry and connectivity of field lines, the magnetic energy and current-density content as well as the evolution of null points. Increasing the photospheric current density in the magnetic configuration does not dramatically change the energy-storage processes within the active region even if the magnetic topology is slightly modified. We conclude that for reasonable values of the photospheric current density (the force-free parameter α<0.25 Mm⁻¹), the magnetic configurations studied do change but not dramatically: i) the original null point stays nearly at the same location, ii) the field-line geometry and connectivity are slightly modified, iii) even if the free magnetic energy is significantly increased, the energy storage happens at the same location. This extensive study of different force-free models for a simple magnetic configuration shows that some topological elements of an observed active region, such as null points, can be reproduced with confidence only by considering the potential-field approximation. This study is a preliminary work aiming at understanding the effects of electric currents generated by characteristic photospheric motions on the structure and evolution of the coronal magnetic field.     

Topology of Magnetic Field and Coronal Heating in Solar Active Regions

Force-free magnetic fields can be computed by making use of a new numerical technique, in which the fields are represented by a boundary integral equation based on a specific Green's function. Vector magnetic fields observed on the photospheric surface can be taken as the boundary conditions of this equation. In this numerical computation, the following two points are emphasized: (1) A new method for data reduction is proposed, for removing uncertainties in boundary data and determining the parameter in this Green's function, which is important for solving the boundary integral equation. In this method, the transverse components of the observed boundary field are calibrated with a linear force-free field model without changing their azimuth. (2) The computed 3-D fields satisfy the divergence-free and force-free conditions with high precision. The alignment of these field lines is mostly in agreement with structures in Hα and Yohkoh soft X-ray images. Since the boundary data are calibrated with a linear force-free field model, the computed 3-D magnetic field can be regarded as a quasi-linear force-free field approximation. The reconstruction of 3-D magnetic field in active region NOAA 7321 was taken as an example to quantitatively exhibit the capability of our new numerical technique.     

How Should One Optimize Nonlinear Force-Free Coronal Magnetic Field Extrapolations from SDO/HMI Vector Magnetograms?

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) provides photospheric vector magnetograms with a high spatial and temporal resolution. Our intention is to model the coronal magnetic field above active regions with the help of a nonlinear force-free extrapolation code. Our code is based on an optimization principle and has been tested extensively with semianalytic and numeric equilibria and applied to vector magnetograms from Hinode and ground-based observations. Recently we implemented a new version which takes into account measurement errors in photospheric vector magnetograms. Photospheric field measurements are often affected by measurement errors and finite nonmagnetic forces inconsistent for use as a boundary for a force-free field in the corona. To deal with these uncertainties, we developed two improvements: i) preprocessing of the surface measurements to make them compatible with a force-free field, and ii) new code which keeps a balance between the force-free constraint and deviation from the photospheric field measurements. Both methods contain free parameters, which must be optimized for use with data from SDO/HMI. In this work we describe the corresponding analysis method and evaluate the force-free equilibria by how well force-freeness and solenoidal conditions are fulfilled, by the angle between magnetic field and electric current, and by comparing projections of magnetic field lines with coronal images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA). We also compute the available free magnetic energy and discuss the potential influence of control parameters.     

Comments on solar linear force-free field and application of FFT analysis

We begin with some comments on the methods of computation of the magnetic fields of solar active regions in terms of force-free field, and point out some mistakes in the solutions. Then we propose a method of quasi-linear force-free field, and probe the application of fast Fourier transform (FFT) in its computation. The magnetic field of the active region NOAA 9165 on 2000-09-15 is taken as an example, and three different methods are used in the determination of the configuration of magnetic lines. The results are then compared with the fine Hα filtergrams of Ganyu Station of Purple Mountain Observatory.     

A model for active region emission at centimeter wavelengths

We present multi-frequency observations and model computations of the microwave emission of a solar active region. The radio observations were obtained with the RATAN-600 at several wavelengths between 0.8 and 31.6 cm and with the VLA at 6 and 20 cm. The active region was also observed in the EUV O Iv lines by the HRTS instrument aboard the Space Shuttle Spacelab-2 mission. These lines are formed in the chromosphere-corona transition region and their intensity ratio is sensitive to pressure. Photospheric magnetograms provided both the longitudinal and the transverse component of the magnetic field. The microwave observations were checked against model computations taking into account both the free-free and the gyro-resonance emission mechanisms and using the pressure data from the O IV lines. The magnetic field was computed through constant- force-free extrapolations of the longitudinal photospheric field. We computed both the flux from 2 to 20 cm and the spatial structure of the microwave emission at 6 and 20 cm. The comparison of the computed and observed flux spectra allowed us to estimate the magnetic field strength at the base of the transition region and in the low corona, as well as the values of the conductive flux and the height of the base of the transition region. The model maps at 6 cm and 20 cm showed that was not constant above the active region; the same conclusion was reached on the basis of the photospheric observations. The use of pressure measurements allowed us to identify microwave structures which were determined by pressure enhancements. At 6 cm the computations confirmed the fact that the magnetic field is the principal factor that determines the structure of sunspot-associated sources and showed that the effect of pressure variations was small. Pressure variations were more important at 20 cm, where the peak of the emission was associated with the sunspot and a diffuse component was associated with the plage which had an average pressure higher by a factor of 1.54 than the sunspot.     

Theory of quadrupolar sunspots and the active region of August, 1972

Energy is stored when the force-free magnetic field in an active region departs from a potential field, the departure showing up as a shear in the field. As soon as the field untwists, energy will be released to produce flares. Based on this idea, we derived an analytical solution of the equation of force-free field under the assumption of a constant force-free factor, and found expressions for seven important quantities for quadrupolar sunspots: the magnetic energy of the twisted field, that of potential field, the extractable free energy ΔM, the magnetic flux, the total current, the force-free factor and the field decay factor, in terms of three observables: the field intensity, the twist angle and the distance between two spots of the same polarity. The expression for ΔM can be useful in solar prediction work. For the active region of August, 1972, we found ΔM up to 6 × 10³² erg, sufficient to supply the energy of the observed flare activity. Observations of this active region are in good general agreement with our theoretical expectations: in the entire twisting of the quadrupolar sunspot group, each spot assumes the form of a complete spiral in the clockwise direction for each of the four spots.