Related papers: Locating current sheets in the solar corona
Within the quiet Sun corona imaged at 1 MK, much of the field of view consists of diffuse emission that appears to lack the spatial structuring that is so evident in coronal loops or bright points. We seek to determine if these diffuse…
This paper is the second in a series of studies working towards constructing a realistic, evolving, non-potential coronal model for the solar magnetic carpet. In the present study, the interaction of two magnetic elements is considered. Our…
Measurement of the coronal magnetic field is a crucial ingredient in understanding the nature of solar coronal phenomena at all scales. We employed STEREO/COR1 data obtained during a deep minimum of solar activity in February 2008…
Magnetic fields in the solar corona are responsible for a wide range of phenomena. However, any direct measurements of the coronal magnetic fields are very difficult due to lack of suitable spectral lines, weak magnetic fields, and high…
Coronal heating has been a long-standing conundrum in solar physics. Parker's conjecture that spontaneous current singularities lead to nanoflares that heat the corona has been controversial. In ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), can genuine…
It has been proposed that particles bouncing between magnetized flows converging in a reconnection region can be accelerated by the first order Fermi mechanism. Analytical considerations of this mechanism have shown that the spectral index…
In this paper we propose that flux cancellation on small granular scales ($\lesssim 1000$ km) ubiquitously drives reconnection at a multitude of sites in the low solar atmosphere, contributing to chromospheric/coronal heating and the…
The origin of the heliospheric magnetic flux on the Sun, and hence the origin of the solar wind, is a topic of hot debate.While the prevailing view is that the solar wind originates from outside coronal streamer helmets, there also exists…
Coronal magnetic field may be characterized by how its field lines interconnect regions of opposing photospheric flux -- its connectivity. Connectivity can be quantified as the net flux connecting pairs of opposing regions, once such…
The solar atmosphere shows anomalous variation in temperature, starting from the 5500 K photosphere to the million-degree Kelvin corona. The corona itself expands into the interstellar medium as the free streaming solar wind, which…
Our understanding of the structure and dynamics of stellar coronae has changed dramatically with the availability of surface maps of both star spots and also magnetic field vectors. Magnetic field extrapolations from these surface maps…
We investigate electron acceleration resulting from 3D magnetic reconnection between an emerging, twisted magnetic flux rope and a pre-existing weak, open magnetic field. We first follow the rise of an unstable, twisted flux tube with a…
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…
We investigate the relationship between solar coronal holes and open-field regions using three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations combined with remote-sensing observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).…
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…
I propose that solar coronal heating is a self-regulating process that keeps the coronal plasma roughly marginally collisionless. The self-regulating mechanism is based on the interplay of two effects. First, plasma density controls coronal…
Solar eruptive events such as coronal mass ejections and eruptive flares are frequently associated with the emergence of magnetic flux from the convection zone into the corona. We use three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic numerical…
Three-dimensional null points are present in abundance in the solar corona, and the same is likely to be true in other astrophysical environments. Recent studies suggest that reconnection at such 3D nulls may play an important role in the…
The magnetic field permeating the solar atmosphere is generally thought to provide the energy for much of the activity seen in the solar corona, such as flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), etc. To overcome the unavailability of coronal…
We study magnetic field steepening due to ambipolar diffusion (Brandenburg & Zweibel 1994) in protoplanetary disk environments and draw the following conclusions. Current sheets are generated in magnetically active regions of the disk where…