On magnetic reconnection and flux rope topology in solar flux emergence

Abstract

We present an analysis of the formation of atmospheric flux ropes in a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar flux emergence simulation. The simulation domain ranges from the top of the solar interior to the low corona. A twisted magnetic flux tube emerges from the solar interior and into the atmosphere where it interacts with the ambient magnetic field. By studying the connectivity of the evolving magnetic field, we are able to better understand the process of flux rope formation in the solar atmosphere. In the simulation, two flux ropes are produced as a result of flux emergence. Each has a different evolution resulting in different topological structures. These are determined by plasma flows and magnetic reconnection. As the flux rope is the basic structure of the coronal mass ejection (CME), we discuss the implications of our findings for solar eruptions.

Submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (3)

• Numerical simulations of fast and slow coronal mass ejections
• Eruption of magnetic flux ropes during flux emergence
• On the emergence of toroidal flux tubes: general dynamics and comparisons with the cylinder model

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Magnetic Flux Ropes in the Solar Corona: Structure and Evolution toward Eruption
• Non-linear Tearing of 3D Null Point Current Sheets
• Simulations of Emerging Magnetic Flux. II: The formation of Unstable Coronal Flux Ropes and the Initiation of CMEs
• A Comprehensive Radiative Magnetohydrodynamics Simulation of Active Region Scale Flux Emergence from the Convection Zone to the Corona
• The eruption of a small-scale emerging flux rope as the driver of an M-class flare and a coronal mass ejection
• The magnetic structure of surges in small-scale emerging flux regions
• Is flare-ribbon fine structure related to tearing in the flare current sheet?
• Interpreting magnetic helicity flux in solar flux emergence
• Is Magnetic Topology Important for Heating the Solar Atmosphere?
• Spontaneous reconnection at a separator current layer. I. Nature of the reconnection
• Optimal Energy Growth in Current Sheets
• The plasmoid instability in a confined solar flare
• Formation and rising phase of a flux rope through data-constrained simulations
• Flux Ropes as Singularities of the Vector Potential
• A comparative study of solar flux emergence and eruptivity in simulations of horizontal versus toroidal magnetic fields