No Arabic abstract
In the present study we investigate magnetic reconnection in twisted magnetic fluxtubes with different initial configurations. In all considered cases, energy release is triggered by the ideal kink instability, which is itself the result of applying footpoint rotation to an initially potential field. The main goal of this work is to establish the influence of the field topology and various thermodynamic effects on the energy release process. Specifically, we investigate convergence of the magnetic field at the loop footpoints, atmospheric stratification, as well as thermal conduction. In all cases, the application of vortical driving at the footpoints of an initally potential field leads to an internal kink instability. With the exception of the curved loop with high footpoint convergence, the global geometry of the loop change little during the simulation. Footpoint convergence, curvature and atmospheric structure clearly influences the rapidity with which a loop achieves instability as well as the size of the subsequent energy release. Footpoint convergence has a stabilising influence and thus the loop requires more energy for instability, which means that the subsequent relaxation has a larger heating effect. Large-scale curvature has the opposite result: less energy is needed for instability and so the amount of energy released from the field is reduced. Introducing a stratified atmosphere gives rise to decaying wave phenomena during the driving phase, and also results in a loop that is less stable.
We perform MHD modeling of a single bright coronal loop to include the interaction with a non-uniform magnetic field. The field is stressed by random footpoint rotation in the central region and its energy is dissipated into heating by growing currents through anomalous magnetic diffusivity that switches on in the corona above a current density threshold. We model an entire single magnetic flux tube, in the solar atmosphere extending from the high-beta chromosphere to the low-beta corona through the steep transition region. The magnetic field expands from the chromosphere to the corona. The maximum resolution is ~30 km. We obtain an overall evolution typical of loop models and realistic loop emission in the EUV and X-ray bands. The plasma confined in the flux tube is heated to active region temperatures (~3 MK) after ~2/3 hr. Upflows from the chromosphere up to ~100 km/s fill the core of the flux tube to densities above 10^9 cm^-3. More heating is released in the low corona than the high corona and is finely structured both in space and time.
Magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration due to the kink instability in twisted coronal loops can be a viable scenario for confined solar flares. Detailed investigation of this phenomenon requires reliable methods for observational detection of magnetic twist in solar flares, which may not be possible solely through extreme UV and soft X-ray thermal emission. Polarisation of microwave emission in flaring loops can be used as one of the detection criteria. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of magnetic twist in flaring coronal loops on the polarisation of gyro-synchrotron microwave (GSMW) emission, and determine whether it could provide a means for magnetic twist detection. We use time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic and test-particle models developed using LARE3D and GCA codes to investigate twisted coronal loops relaxing following the kink-instability. Synthetic GSMW emission maps (I and V Stokes components) are calculated using GX simulator. It is found that flaring twisted coronal loops produce GSMW radiation with a gradient of circular polarisation across the loop. However, these patterns may be visible only for a relatively short period of time due to fast magnetic reconfiguration after the instability. Their visibility also depends on the orientation and position of the loop on solar disk. Typically, it would be difficult to see these characteristic polarisation pattern in a twisted loop seen from the top (close to the centre of the solar disk), but easier in a twisted loop seen from the side (i.e. observed very close to the limb).
Recent observations have revealed the ubiquitous presence of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and oscillations in the solar corona. The aim of this review is to present recent progress in the observational study of four types of wave (or oscillation) phenomena mainly occurring in active region coronal loops, including (i) flare-induced slow mode oscillations, (ii) fast kink mode oscillations, (iii) propagating slow magnetoacoustic waves, and (iv) ubiquitous propagating kink (Alfvenic) waves. This review not only comprehensively outlines various aspects of these waves and coronal seismology, but also highlights the topics that are newly emerging or hotly debated, thus can provide readers a useful guidance on further studies of their interested topics.
We investigate the relaxation of braided magnetic loops in order to find out how the type of braiding via footpoint motions affects resultant heating of the loop. Two magnetic loops, braided in different ways, are used as initial conditions in resistive MHD simulations and their subsequent evolution is studied. The fields both undergo a resistive relaxation in which current sheets form and fragment and the system evolves towards a state of lower energy. In one case this relaxation is very efficient with current sheets filling the volume and homogeneous heating of the loop occurring. In the other case fewer current sheets develop, less magnetic energy is released in the process and a patchy heating of the loop results. The two cases, although very similar in their setup, can be distinguished by the mixing properties of the photospheric driver. The mixing can be measured by the topological entropy of the plasma flow, an observable quantity.
Rapidly decaying long-period oscillations often occur in hot coronal loops of active regions associated with small (or micro-) flares. This kind of wave activity was first discovered with the SOHO/SUMER spectrometer from Doppler velocity measurements of hot emission lines, thus also often called SUMER oscillations. They were mainly interpreted as global (or fundamental mode) standing slow magnetoacoustic waves. In addition, increasing evidence has suggested that the decaying harmonic type of pulsations detected in light curves of solar and stellar flares are likely caused by standing slow-mode waves. The study of slow magnetoacoustic waves in coronal loops has become a topic of particular interest in connection with coronal seismology. We review recent results from SDO/AIA and Hinode/XRT observations that have detected both standing and reflected intensity oscillations in hot flaring loops showing the physical properties (e.g., oscillation periods, decay times, and triggers) in accord with the SUMER oscillations. We also review recent advances in theory and numerical modeling of slow-mode waves focusing on the wave excitation and damping mechanisms. MHD simulations in 1D, 2D and 3D have been dedicated to understanding the physical conditions for the generation of a reflected propagating or a standing wave by impulsive heating. Various damping mechanisms and their analysis methods are summarized. Calculations based on linear theory suggest that the non-ideal MHD effects such as thermal conduction, compressive viscosity, and optically thin radiation may dominate in damping of slow-mode waves in coronal loops of different physical conditions. Finally, an overview is given of several important seismological applications such as determination of transport coefficients and heating function.