First use of synoptic vector magnetograms for global nonlinear, force-free coronal magnetic field models

¹ Space Weather Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
e-mail: tilaye.tadesse.asfaw@nasa.gov; peter.j.macneice@nasa.gov
² Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Strasse 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
e-mail: wiegelmann@mps.mpg.de
³ National Solar Observatory, Sunspot NM 88349, USA
e-mail: sgosain@nso.edu; apevtsov@nso.edu

Received: 31 July 2013
Accepted: 19 December 2013

Abstract

Context. The magnetic field permeating the solar atmosphere is generally thought to provide the energy for much of the activity seen in the solar corona, such as flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), etc. To overcome the unavailability of coronal magnetic field measurements, photospheric magnetic field vector data can be used to reconstruct the coronal field. Currently, there are several modelling techniques being used to calculate three-dimensional field lines into the solar atmosphere.

Aims. For the first time, synoptic maps of a photospheric-vector magnetic field synthesized from the vector spectromagnetograph (VSM) on Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) are used to model the coronal magnetic field and estimate free magnetic energy in the global scale. The free energy (i.e., the energy in excess of the potential field energy) is one of the main indicators used in space weather forecasts to predict the eruptivity of active regions.

Methods. We solve the nonlinear force-free field equations using an optimization principle in spherical geometry. The resulting three-dimensional magnetic fields are used to estimate the magnetic free energy content E_free = E_nlfff − E_pot, which is the difference of the magnetic energies between the nonpotential field and the potential field in the global solar corona. For comparison, we overlay the extrapolated magnetic field lines with the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations by the atmospheric imaging assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

Results. For a single Carrington rotation 2121, we find that the global nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) magnetic energy density is 10.3% higher than the potential one. Most of this free energy is located in active regions.