Magnetic equilibrium in coronal arcades

Solar Physics - An analytical solution to the magnetohydrostatic equations is presented that generalises a solution due to Birn et al. (1978) to include the effect of gravity. There exist two...     

On Signatures of Twisted Magnetic Flux Tube Emergence

Recent studies of NOAA active region 10953, by Okamoto et al. (Astrophys. J. Lett. 673, 215, 2008; Astrophys. J. 697, 913, 2009), have interpreted photospheric observations of changing widths of the polarities and reversal of the horizontal magnetic field component as signatures of the emergence of a twisted flux tube within the active region and along its internal polarity inversion line (PIL). A filament is observed along the PIL and the active region is assumed to have an arcade structure. To investigate this scenario, MacTaggart and Hood (Astrophys. J. Lett. 716, 219, 2010) constructed a dynamic flux emergence model of a twisted cylinder emerging into an overlying arcade. The photospheric signatures observed by Okamoto et al. (2008, 2009) are present in the model although their underlying physical mechanisms differ. The model also produces two additional signatures that can be verified by the observations. The first is an increase in the unsigned magnetic flux in the photosphere at either side of the PIL. The second is the behaviour of characteristic photospheric flow profiles associated with twisted flux tube emergence. We look for these two signatures in AR 10953 and find negative results for the emergence of a twisted flux tube along the PIL. Instead, we interpret the photospheric behaviour along the PIL to be indicative of photospheric magnetic cancellation driven by flows from the dominant sunspot. Although we argue against flux emergence within this particular region, the work demonstrates the important relationship between theory and observations for the successful discovery and interpretation of signatures of flux emergence.     

3D MHD Flux Emergence Experiments: Idealised Models and Coronal Interactions

This paper reviews some of the many 3D numerical experiments of the emergence of magnetic fields from the solar interior and the subsequent interaction with the pre-existing coronal magnetic field. The models described here are idealised, in the sense that the internal energy equation only involves the adiabatic, Ohmic and viscous shock heating terms. However, provided the main aim is to investigate the dynamical evolution, this is adequate. Many interesting observational phenomena are explained by these models in a self-consistent manner.     

The Creation of Outflowing Plasma in the Corona at Emerging Flux Regions: Comparing Observations and Simulations

In this paper we analyse the flux emergence that occurred in the following polarity area of an active region on 1 – 2 December 2006. Observations have revealed the existence of fast outflows at the edge of the emerging flux region. We have performed 3-D numerical simulations to study the mechanisms responsible for these flows. The results indicate that these outflows are reconnection jets or pressure-driven outflows, depending on the relative orientation of the magnetic fields in contact (i.e. the emerging flux and the active region’s field which is favourable for reconnection on the west side and nearly parallel with the pre-existing field on the east side of the emerging flux). In the observations, the flows are larger on the west side until late in the flux emergence, when the reverse is true. The simulations show that the flows are faster on the west side, but do not show the east flows increasing with time. There is an asymmetry in the expansion of the emerging flux region, which is also seen in the observations. The west side of the emerging flux region expands faster into the corona than the other side. In the simulations, efficient magnetic reconnection occurs on the west side, with new loops being created containing strong downflows that are clearly seen in the observations. On the other side, the simulations show strong compression as the dominant mechanism for the generation of flows. There is evidence of these flows in the observations, but the flows are stronger than the simulations predict at the later stages. There could be additional small-angle reconnection that adds to the flows from the compression, as well as reconnection occurring in larger loops that lie across the whole active region.     

Effect of pressure gradients and line-tying on the magnetic stability of coronal loops

Abstract

In this paper we study the stability of an idealised magnetostatic coronal loop, incorporating both the effect of line-tying, due to the dense photosphere, and of pressure gradients. The stability equations may be solved analytically for our particular equilibrium. From the marginally stable case, the critical conditions separating instability from stability are derived. It is found that stretching or twisting a loop eventually makes it kink unstable.     

ULAS J234311.93-005034.0: a gravitational lens system selected from UKIDSS and SDSS

We report the discovery of a new gravitational lens system. This object, ULAS J234311.93-005034.0, is the first to be selected by using the new UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS), together with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The ULAS J234311.93-005034.0 system contains a quasar at redshift 0.788 which is doubly imaged, with separation 1.4 arcsec. The two quasar images have the same redshift and similar, though not identical, spectra. The lensing galaxy is detected by subtracting point spread functions from R -band images taken with the Keck telescope. The lensing galaxy can also be detected by subtracting the spectra of the A and B images, since more of the galaxy light is likely to be present in the latter. No redshift is determined from the galaxy, although the shape of its spectrum suggests a redshift of about 0.3. The object's lens status is secure, due to the identification of two objects with the same redshift together with a lensing galaxy. Our imaging suggests that the lens is found in a cluster environment, in which candidate arc-like structures, that require confirmation, are visible in the vicinity. Further discoveries of lenses from the UKIDSS survey are likely as part of this programme, due to the depth of UKIDSS and its generally good seeing conditions.     

SDSS J120923.7+264047: a new massive galaxy cluster with a bright giant arc

Highly magnified lensed galaxies allow us to probe the morphological and spectroscopic properties of high-redshift stellar systems in great detail. However, such objects are rare, and there are only a handful of lensed galaxies that are bright enough for a high-resolution spectroscopic study with current instrumentation. We report the discovery of a new massive lensing cluster, SDSS J120923.7+264047, at z = 0.558. Present around the cluster core, at angular distances of up to ∼40 arcsec, are many arcs and arc candidates, presumably due to lensing of background galaxies by the cluster gravitational potential. One of the arcs, 21 arcsec long, has an r -band magnitude of 20, making it one of the brightest known lensed galaxies. We obtained a low-resolution spectrum of this galaxy, using the Keck-I telescope, and found it is at redshift of z = 1.018.     

Tidal channel meander formation by depositional rather than erosional processes: examples from the prograding Skagit River Delta (Washington,USA)

Channel meander dynamics in fluvial systems and many tidal systems result from erosion of concave banks coupled with sediment deposition on convex bars. However, geographic information system (GIS) analysis of historical aerial photographs of the Skagit Delta marshes provides examples of an alternative meander forming process in a rapidly prograding river delta: deposition‐dominated tidal channel meander formation through a developmental sequence beginning with sandbar formation at the confluence of a blind tidal channel and delta distributary, proceeding to sandbar colonization and stabilization by marsh vegetation to form a marsh island opposite the blind tidal channel outlet, followed by narrowing of the gap between the island and mainland marsh, closure of one half of the gap to join the marsh island to the mainland, and formation of an approximately right‐angle blind tidal channel meander bend in the remaining half of the gap. Topographic signatures analogous to fluvial meander scroll bars accompany these planform changes. Parallel sequences of marsh ridges and swales indicate locations of historical distributary shoreline levees adjacent to filled former island/mainland gaps. Additionally, the location of marsh islands within delta distributaries is not random; islands are disproportionately associated with blind tidal channel/distributary confluences. Furthermore, blind tidal channel outlet width is positively correlated with the size of the marsh island that forms at the outlet, and the time until island fusion with mainland marsh. These observations suggest confluence hydrodynamics favor sandbar/marsh island development. The transition from confluence sandbar to tidal channel meander can take as little as 10 years, but more typically occurs over several decades. This depositional blind tidal channel meander formation process is part of a larger scale systemic depositional process of delta progradation that includes distributary elongation, gradient reduction, flow‐switching, shoaling, and narrowing. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Current sheet models for inverse polarity prominences in twisted flux tubes

This paper treats the prominence model of Low (1993) to examine more complicated sheet currents than those used in the original model. Nonlinear force-free field solutions, in Cartesian coordinates, invariant in a given direction, are presented to show the possibility of an inverse-polarity prominence embedded in a large twisted flux tube. The force-free solution is matched to an external, unsheared, potential coronal magnetic field. These new solutions are mathematically interesting and allow an investigation of different profiles of the current intensity, magnetic field vector and mass density in the sheet. These prominence models show a general increase in magnetic field strength with height in agreement with observations. Other prominence properties are shown to match the observed values.