A flux emergence model for solar eruptions

We have simulated the three-dimensional (3D) emergence and interaction of two twisted flux tubes, which rise from the interior into the outer atmosphere of the Sun. We present evidence for the multiple formation and eruption of flux ropes inside the emerging flux systems and hot arcade-like structures in between them. Their formation is due to internal reconnection, occurring between oppositely directed, highly stretched, and sheared field lines at photospheric heights. Most of the eruptions escape into the corona, but some are confined and fade away without leaving the low atmosphere. As these flux ropes erupt, new reconnected field lines accumulate around the main axis of the initial magnetic flux systems. We also show the complex 3D field-line geometry and the structure of the multiple current sheets, which form as a result of the reconnection between the emerging flux systems.