Related papers: The Solar Corona: Why It Is Interesting for Us
Solar eruptions are due to a sudden destabilization of force-free coronal magnetic fields. But the detailed mechanisms which can bring the corona towards an eruptive stage, then trigger and drive the eruption, and finally make it explosive,…
The relationship between observed structures in the solar atmosphere and the magnetic fields threading them is known only for the solar photosphere, even then imprecisely. We suggest that some of the fine structure in the more tenuous…
Spectroscopic observations at extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths have revealed systematic upflows in the solar transition region and corona. These upflows are best seen in the network structures of the quiet Sun and coronal holes,…
The large-scale structure of the magnetic field in the solar corona provides the energy to power large-scale solar eruptive events. Our physical understanding of this structure, and hence our ability to predict these events, is limited by…
Understanding many physical processes in the solar atmosphere requires determination of the magnetic field in each atmospheric layer. However, direct measurements of the magnetic field in the Sun's corona are difficult to obtain. Using…
EUV images of Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) from the AIA show striations related to the magnetic field structure in both open and closed magnetic regions. The brightness contrast implies coronal density contrasts of at least a factor of 6…
Magnetism defines the complex and dynamic solar corona. Twists and tangles in coronal magnetic fields build up energy and ultimately erupt, hurling plasma into interplanetary space. These coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are transient riders…
The solar wind consists of continuous streams of charged particles that escape into the heliosphere from the Sun, and is split into fast and slow components, with the fast wind emerging from the interiors of coronal holes. Near the ecliptic…
Evidence of magnetic interaction between late-type stars and close-in giant planets is provided by the observations of stellar hot spots rotating synchronously with the planets and showing an enhancement of chromospheric and X-ray fluxes.…
Parker's initial insights from 1958 provided a key causal link between the heating of the solar corona and the acceleration of the solar wind. However, we still do not know what fraction of the solar wind's mass, momentum, and energy flux…
Coronal heating through the explosive release of magnetic energy remains an open problem in solar physics. Recent hydrodynamical models attempt an investigation by placing swarms of 'nanoflares' at random sites and times in modeled…
Magnetic fields likely play a fundamental intermediary role between gravity and radiation in many astrophysical rotators. They can, among other things, 1) induce and be amplified by turbulence, 2) energize coronae, 3) launch and collimate…
The distribution of magnetic flux across the solar photosphere results in a complex web of coronal magnetic field structures. To understand this complexity, the magnetic skeleton of the coronal field can be calculated. The skeleton…
The heating mechanism of a corona above an accretion disk in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is still unknown. One possible mechanism is magnetic reconnection heating requiring energy equipartition between magnetic energy and gas energy in…
Like the solar corona, the external magnetic field of magnetars is twisted by surface motions of the star. The twist energy is dissipated over time. We discuss the theory of this activity and its observational status. (1) Theory predicts…
Solar magnetized "tornadoes", a phenomenon discovered in the solar atmosphere, appear as tornado-like structures in the corona but root in the photosphere. Like other solar phenomena, solar tornadoes are a feature of magnetized plasma and…
I argue that one should attempt to understand the solar chromosphere not only for its own sake, but also if one is interested in the physics of: the corona; astrophysical dynamos; space weather; partially ionized plasmas; heliospheric UV…
How the solar atmosphere is heated from a temperature of about $5,000-6,000$\,K in the lower atmosphere to about $1-2$\,MK in the corona has challenged the astrophysical community for about 80 years. The same puzzle exists for the stellar…
Magnetic reconnection, a fundamentally important process in many aspects of astrophysics, is believed to be initiated by the tearing instability of an electric current sheet, a region where magnetic field abruptly changes direction and…
How magnetic energy is injected and released in the solar corona, keeping it heated to several million degrees, remains elusive. Coronal heating generally increases with increasing magnetic field strength. From comparison of a non-linear…