New Statistical Topology Theory Predicts Turbulent Magnetic Emergence from the Sun's Interior

Abstract

We propose and verify a new statistical topology framework to study the complex magnetic field evolution of Sun-like stars. The Sun, as the star we are most familiar with, exhibits chaotic behaviors such as solar flares and mass ejections that are crucial to the Earth. While these phenomena are mainly driven by the magnetic field, it has been challenging to understand the complex magnetic field. In this paper, we propose a new model to understand the helicity behavior of magnetic loops before their emergence from the interior by advancing the loop ensemble theory from statistical physics. We derive several new power-law scalings that are essential to the Sun's magnetic field, including magnetic flux, magnetic helicity, and linking number. We examine our prediction by a large data analysis through long-term continuous observation over 32 yr. These results not only provide evidence for the new statistical topology framework but also systematically explain the intrinsic unpredictability on the emergence of extreme solar activities. This new discovery on the critical structure of loop ensemble can also be applied to a wide range of turbulence systems.

8 pages, 3 figures, to be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

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