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The shape of twisted, line-tied coronal loops

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Abstract

The magnetostatic equilibrium of a coronal loop in response to slow twisting of the photospheric footpoints is investigated. A numerical code is used to solve the full non-linear 2-D axisymmetric problem, extending earlier linearised models which assume weak twist and large aspect ratio. It is found that often the core of the loop tends to contract into a region of strong longitudinal field while the outer part expands. It is shown that, away from the photospheric footpoints, the equilibrium is very well approximated by a straight 1-D cylindrical model. This idea is used to develop a simple method for prescribing the footpoint angular displacement and calculating the equilibrium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pure and Applied Physics, UMIST, PO Box 88, Manchester, England

    P. K. Browning

  2. Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, Fife, Scotland

    A. W. Hood

Authors
  1. P. K. Browning
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  2. A. W. Hood
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Browning, P.K., Hood, A.W. The shape of twisted, line-tied coronal loops. Sol Phys 124, 271–288 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156270

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156270

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