A plethora of solar dynamic events, such as the formation of active regions, the emission of jets and the occurrence of eruptions is often associated with the emergence of magnetic flux from the ...interior of the Sun to the surface and above. Here, we present a short review on the onset, driving and/or triggering of such events by magnetic flux emergence. We briefly describe some key observational examples, theoretical aspects and numerical simulations, towards revealing the mechanisms that govern solar dynamics and activity related to flux emergence. We show that the combination of important physical processes like shearing and reconnection of magnetic fieldlines in emerging flux regions or at their vicinity can power some of the most dynamic phenomena in the Sun on various temporal and spatial scales. Based on previous and recent observational and numerical studies, we highlight that, in most cases, none of these processes alone can drive and also trigger explosive phenomena releasing considerable amount of energy towards the outer solar atmosphere and space, such as flares, jets and large-scale eruptions (e.g. coronal mass ejections). In addition, one has to take into account the physical properties of the emerging field (e.g. strength, amount of flux, relative orientation to neighbouring and pre-existing magnetic fields, etc.) in order to better understand the exact role of magnetic flux emergence on the onset of solar dynamic events. This article is part of the theme issue 'Solar eruptions and their space weather impact'.
Abstract
We have performed 3D numerical simulations to investigate the effect of partial ionization on the process of magnetic flux emergence. In our study, we have modified the single-fluid MHD ...equations to include the presence of neutrals and have performed two basic experiments: one that assumes a fully ionized plasma (FI case) and one that assumes a partially ionized plasma (PI case). We find that the PI case brings less dense plasma to and above the solar surface. Furthermore, we find that partial ionization alters the emerging magnetic field structure, leading to a different shape of the polarities in the emerged bipolar regions compared to the FI case. The amount of emerging flux into the solar atmosphere is larger in the PI case, which has the same initial plasma beta as the FI case, but a larger initial magnetic field strength. The expansion of the field above the photosphere occurs relatively earlier in the PI case, and we confirm that the inclusion of partial ionization reduces cooling due to adiabatic expansion. However, it does not appear to work as a heating mechanism for the atmospheric plasma. The performance of these experiments in three dimensions shows that PI does not prevent the formation of unstable magnetic structures, which erupt into the outer solar atmosphere.
A spectacular manifestation of solar activity is the appearance of transient brightenings in the far wings of the H line, known as Ellerman bombs (EBs). Recent observations obtained by the Interface ...Region Imaging Spectrograph have revealed another type of plasma "bombs" (UV bursts) with high temperatures of perhaps up to 8 × 104 K within the cooler lower solar atmosphere. Realistic numerical modeling showing such events is needed to explain their nature. Here, we report on 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of magnetic flux emergence in the solar atmosphere. We find that ubiquitous reconnection between emerging bipolar magnetic fields can trigger EBs in the photosphere, UV bursts in the mid/low chromosphere and small (nano-/micro-) flares (106 K) in the upper chromosphere. These results provide new insights into the emergence and build up of the coronal magnetic field and the dynamics and heating of the solar surface and lower atmosphere.
We report on three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of recurrent eruptions in emerging flux regions. We find that reconnection of sheared field lines, along the polarity ...inversion line of an emerging bipolar region, leads to the formation of a new magnetic structure, which adopts the shape of a magnetic flux rope (FR) during its rising motion. Initially, the FR undergoes a slow-rise phase and, eventually, it experiences a fast-rise phase and ejective eruption toward the outer solar atmosphere. In total, four eruptions occur during the evolution of the system. For the first eruption, our analysis indicates that the torus instability initiates the eruption and that tether-cutting reconnection of the field lines, which envelop the FR, triggers the rapid acceleration of the eruptive field. For the following eruptions, we conjecture that it is the interplay between tether-cutting reconnection and torus instability that causes the onset of the various phases. We show the 3D shape of the erupting fields, focusing more on how magnetic field lines reconnect during the eruptions. We find that when the envelope field lines reconnect mainly with themselves, hot and dense plasma is transferred closer to the core of the erupting FR. The same area appears to be cooler and less dense when the envelope field lines reconnect with neighboring sheared field lines. The plasma density and temperature distribution, together with the rising speeds, energies, and size of the erupting fields, indicate that they may account for small-scale (mini) coronal mass ejections.
We report on the formation of small solar flares produced by patchy magnetic reconnection between interacting magnetic loops. A three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical experiment ...was performed, where a uniform magnetic flux sheet was injected into a fully developed convective layer. The gradual emergence of the field into the solar atmosphere results in a network of magnetic loops, which interact dynamically forming current layers at their interfaces. The formation and ejection of plasmoids out of the current layers leads to patchy reconnection and the spontaneous formation of several small (size asymptotically = 1-2 Mm) flares. We find that these flares are short-lived (30 s-3 minutes) bursts of energy in the range O(10 super(25)-10 super(2 7)) which is basically the nanoflare-microflare range. Their persistent formation and co-operative action and evolution leads to recurrent emission of fast EUV/X-ray jets and considerable plasma heating in the active corona.
We report on our 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of cylindrical weakly twisted flux tubes emerging from 18 Mm below the photosphere. We perform a parametric study by varying the initial magnetic ...field strength (B0), radius (R), twist ( ), and length of the emerging part of the flux tube (λ) to investigate how these parameters affect the transfer of the magnetic field from the convection zone to the photosphere. We show that the efficiency of emergence at the photosphere (i.e., how strong the photospheric field will be in comparison to B0) depends not only on B0, but also on the morphology of the emerging field and on the twist. We show that parameters such as B0 and magnetic flux alone cannot determine whether a flux tube will emerge to the solar surface. For instance, high-B0 (weak-B0) fields may fail (succeed) to emerge at the photosphere, depending on their geometrical properties. We also show that the photospheric magnetic field strength can vary greatly for flux tubes with the same B0 but different geometric properties. Moreover, in some cases we have found scaling laws, whereby the magnetic field strength scales with the local density as B ∝ κ, where κ 1 deeper in the convection zone and κ < 1 close to the photosphere. The transition between the two values occurs approximately when the local pressure scale (Hp) becomes comparable to the diameter of the flux tube (Hp 2R). We derive forms to explain how and when these scaling laws appear and compare them with the numerical simulations.
A clear understanding of the nature of the pre-eruptive magnetic field configurations of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is required for understanding and eventually predicting solar eruptions. Only ...two, but seemingly disparate, magnetic configurations are considered viable; namely, sheared magnetic arcades (SMA) and magnetic flux ropes (MFR). They can form via three physical mechanisms (flux emergence, flux cancellation, helicity condensation). Whether the CME culprit is an SMA or an MFR, however, has been strongly debated for thirty years. We formed an International Space Science Institute (ISSI) team to address and resolve this issue and report the outcome here. We review the status of the field across modeling and observations, identify the open and closed issues, compile lists of SMA and MFR observables to be tested against observations and outline research activities to close the gaps in our current understanding. We propose that the combination of multi-viewpoint multi-thermal coronal observations and multi-height vector magnetic field measurements is the optimal approach for resolving the issue conclusively. We demonstrate the approach using MHD simulations and synthetic coronal images.
Our key conclusion is that the differentiation of pre-eruptive configurations in terms of SMAs and MFRs seems artificial. Both observations and modeling can be made consistent if the pre-eruptive configuration exists in a hybrid state that is continuously evolving from an SMA to an MFR. Thus, the ‘dominant’ nature of a given configuration will largely depend on its evolutionary stage (SMA-like early-on, MFR-like near the eruption).
We report on three-dimensional (3D) MHD simulations of the formation of jets produced during the emergence and eruption of solar magnetic fields. The interaction between an emerging and an ambient ...magnetic field in the solar atmosphere leads to (external) reconnection and the formation of "standard" jets with an inverse Y-shaped configuration. Eventually, low-atmosphere (internal) reconnection of sheared fieldlines in the emerging flux region produces an erupting magnetic flux rope and a reconnection jet underneath it. The erupting plasma blows out the ambient field and, moreover, it unwinds as it is ejected into the outer solar atmosphere. The fast emission of the cool material that erupts together with the hot outflows due to external/internal reconnection form a wider "blowout" jet. We show the transition from "standard" to "blowout" jets and report on their 3D structure. The physical plasma properties of the jets are consistent with observational studies.
The interaction between emerging and pre-existing magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere can trigger several dynamic phenomena, such as eruptions and jets. A key element during this interaction is ...the formation of large-scale current sheets, and eventually their fragmentation that leads to the creation of a strongly turbulent environment. In this paper, we study the kinetic aspects of the interaction (reconnection) between emerging and ambient magnetic fields. We show that the statistical properties of the spontaneously fragmented and fractal electric fields are responsible for the efficient heating and acceleration of charged particles, which form a power-law tail at high energies on sub-second timescales. A fraction of the energized particles escapes from the acceleration volume, with a super-hot component with a temperature close to 150 MK, and with a power-law high-energy tail with an index between −2 and −3. We estimate the transport coefficients in energy space from the dynamics of the charged particles inside the fragmented and fractal electric fields, and the solution of a fractional transport equation, as appropriate for a strongly turbulent plasma, agrees with the test-particle simulations. We also show that the acceleration mechanism is not related to Fermi acceleration, and the Fokker-Planck equation is inconsistent and not adequate as a transport model. Finally, we address the problem of correlations between spatial transport and transport in energy space. Our results confirm the observations reported for high-energy particles (hard X-rays, type III bursts, and solar energetic particles) during the emission of solar jets.
Context. Ellerman bombs (EBs), observed in the photospheric wings of the Hα line, and UV bursts, observed in the transition region Si IV line, are both brightenings related to flux emergence regions ...and specifically to magnetic flux of opposite polarity that meet in the photosphere. These two reconnection-related phenomena, nominally formed far apart, occasionally occur in the same location and at the same time, thus challenging our understanding of reconnection and heating of the lower solar atmosphere. Aims. We consider the formation of an active region, including long fibrils and hot and dense coronal plasma. The emergence of a untwisted magnetic flux sheet, injected 2.5 Mm below the photosphere, is studied as it pierces the photosphere and interacts with the preexisting ambient field. Specifically, we aim to study whether EBs and UV bursts are generated as a result of such flux emergence and examine their physical relationship. Methods. The Bifrost radiative magnetohydrodynamics code was used to model flux emerging into a model atmosphere that contained a fairly strong ambient field, constraining the emerging field to a limited volume wherein multiple reconnection events occur as the field breaks through the photosphere and expands into the outer atmosphere. Synthetic spectra of the different reconnection events were computed using the 1.5D RH code and the fully 3D MULTI3D code. Results. The formation of UV bursts and EBs at intensities and with line profiles that are highly reminiscent of observed spectra are understood to be a result of the reconnection of emerging flux with itself in a long-lasting current sheet that extends over several scale heights through the chromosphere. Synthetic spectra in the Hα and Si IV 139.376 nm lines both show characteristics that are typical of the observations. These synthetic diagnostics suggest that there are no compelling reasons to assume that UV bursts occur in the photosphere. Instead, EBs and UV bursts are occasionally formed at opposite ends of a long current sheet that resides in an extended bubble of cool gas.
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