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Coronal magnetic field equilibrium with discrete flux sources

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Abstract

A model of the equilibrium structure of the coronal magnetic field is developed, taking account of the fact that field lines are rooted in the photosphere, where field is concentrated into isolated flux tubes. The field is force-free, described by ∇ ×B =α B, withα constant; this field has special physical significance, being the state of mininum energy after small-scale reconnections, and is also mathematically convenient in that the principle of superposition can be used to construct complex geometries. First a model of a single loop is presented, with a flux source and sink pair at the photosphere; both point flux tubes and finite radius flux tubes are considered. Then more complex topologies with multiple sources and sinks are investigated. It is shown that significant topology changes arise for different values ofα, indicating the possibility that there can be energy changes through magnetic reconnection if the field evolves ideally and then relaxes to a linear state.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pure and Applied Physics, UMIST, M60 1QD, Manchester, U.K.

    R. M. Lothian & P. K. Browning

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  1. R. M. Lothian
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  2. P. K. Browning
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Lothian, R.M., Browning, P.K. Coronal magnetic field equilibrium with discrete flux sources. Sol Phys 161, 289–316 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732072

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732072

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