Solar coronal heating by magnetic cancellation: II Disconnected and unequal bipoles

B von Rekowski, Clare Elizabeth Parnell, ~Missing Data ~Missing Data, Eric Ronald Priest

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Two-dimensional numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a cancelling magnetic feature (CMF) and the associated coronal X-ray bright point (XBP) are presented. Coronal magnetic reconnection is found to produce the Ohmic heating required for a coronal XBP. During the BP phase where reconnection occurs above the base, about 90-95 per cent of the magnetic flux of the converging magnetic bipole cancels at the base. The last approximate to 5 to 10 per cent of the base magnetic flux is cancelled when reconnection occurs at the base. Reconnection happens in a time-dependent way in response to the imposed converging footpoint motions. A potential field model gives a good first approximation to the qualitative behaviour of the system, but the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) experiments reveal several quantitative differences: for example, the effects of plasma inertia and a pressure build-up in-between the converging bipole are to delay the onset of coronal reconnection above the base and to lower the maximum X-point height.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)43-56
Number of pages14
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume369
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Jun 2006

Keywords

  • MHD
  • Sun : corona
  • Sun : magnetic fields
  • RAY BRIGHT POINTS
  • CONVERGING FLUX MODEL
  • CURRENT SHEETS
  • QUIET SUN
  • RECONNECTION
  • REGIONS
  • DRIVEN
  • EVENTS
  • SITES

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