Issue |
A&A
Volume 459, Number 2, November IV 2006
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 627 - 639 | |
Section | The Sun | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20065716 | |
Published online | 12 September 2006 |
Numerical modelling of 3D reconnection
II. Comparison between rotational and spinning footpoint motions
1
School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland e-mail: ineke@mcs.st-and.ac.uk
2
Niels Bohr Institute, Julie Maries vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Received:
29
May
2006
Accepted:
21
July
2006
The coronal magnetic field is constantly subjected to a variety of
photospheric, footpoint motions, leading to the build up, and subsequent
release, of magnetic energy. Two different types of footpoint motions are
considered here, namely (large scale) rotating and (small scale) spinning,
using 3D numerical MHD simulations.
The initial model consists of two aligned, thin flux tubes, which are forced to
interact due to the boundary driving of the footpoints. Two variations of this
setup are studied, namely with and without an additional, constant, background
magnetic field. The nature of the boundary motions determines the shape of
the central current sheet, the driving force of the reconnection process, as
well as the efficiency of the build up of quasi-separatrix layers
(when ). The reconnection process
is more efficient for the rotating of the flux sources and when a background
magnetic field is added. In general, heating due to large and small scale
motions is of comparable magnitude when no background field is present.
However, with an additional background magnetic field, heating due to small
scale footpoint motions seems substantially more efficient.
Key words: magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) / Sun: corona / Sun: activity / Sun: magnetic fields
© ESO, 2006
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.