Understanding magnetic structure in the solar corona through topological analysis

The next generation of solar telescopes will quickly produce a huge quantity of high-quality vector magnetogram data requiring analysis. Realistic magnetic fieldline extrapolations (e.g. nonlinear force-free) are useful but can be overcrowded and difficult to interpret, as well as time consuming. Focussing on the magnetic topology is an elegant way to pick out the key features of the structure and connectivity of the magnetic fieldlines. This technique allows easy and clear visualisation of 3D magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere, highlighting the important regions where dynamical and energetic processes will be concentrated. A new topological code currently being developed at St Andrews will enable the construction of the magnetic field topology from observational or computational magnetic field measurements, providing a new way of understanding both observational data and results from numerical (MHD) simulations.