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Abstract. A long-lasting problem of solar physics is the topic of the heating of the outer
atmospheric layers of the Sun. Among the possible heating scenarios are wave driven
heating processes. In this scenario disturbances and turbulence in the photosphere of the
Sun causes the creation of waves which propagate upwards into the higher atmosphere
where these waves are at least partially damped and absorbed, causing heating of the
atmosphere.
It is thought nowadays that especially MHD waves play an important role in such
heating scenarios. The created MHD waves are guided along strong vertical magnetic
field configurations, so-called flux-tubes into the higher atmosphere. To obtain deeper
insights into this fascinating topic, numerical simulations are a useful tool at hand.
However, up to now it is still quite common to assume simple, meaning non horizontally stratified, flux tubes which feature in addition weak magnetic field strengths. While
this makes the modeling of the solar atmosphere and the magnetic field configuration
much easier, the results might be changed drastically by this simplifications. In the current contribution we wish to outline a method of how to construct self-consistence and
magneto-static flux tube atmospheres.
Key words: solar magnetic field, numerical simulations, flux tubes, MHD waves
1.
Introduction
It is well-known that the outer solar atmospheric layers are hotter than the
photosphere. Actually the temperature decreases with height up to the temCent. Eur. Astrophys. Bull. vol (2016) 1, 1
Utz, K
uhner, Van Doorsselaere, Hanslmeier, Veronig and Muller, 2016);
These simplifications have for sure an enourmous impact on the wave propagation as well as other wave related processes, such as mode conversion,
reflection, refraction, or resonant absorption (e.g., Magyar and Van Doorsselaere, 2016).
In this contribution we wish to outline a method with which it is possible
to construct quite arbitrary solar atmospheres containing several vertical,
expanding strong magnetic flux tubes, which are nevertheless nearly perfectly in magneto-static equilibrium.
2.
This work was performed with the numerical code MPI-AMRVAC (see, e.g.,
Porth et al., 2014) which stands for message passing interface adaptive mesh
refinement versatile advection code. It is a Fortran written code maintained
and hosted at the Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics of the KU
Leuven in Belgium. It is free for use and can be downloaded under the
following link: http://homes.esat.kuleuven.be/ keppens/;
The code can be used very versatile as it includes various numerical
solvers for different physical problems such as hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, or special relativity magneto-hydrodynamics. Except of
these standard modules the code also supports the user with the possibility of including user defined physical modules. Also various additional
physical processes such as viscosity, gravity, or resistivity can be switched
on/off as well as varied in strength.
In our case we used the ideal MHD equations, meaning no electrical
resistivity as well as no viscosity, but with a full implemented energy equation (non isothermal and non polytropic) in a gravitational stratified atmosphere.
To simplify matters we modeled the background atmospheric temperature profile as a compound consisting of three distinctive regions with
isothermal temperatures, namely the photosphere with 5400 K, the chromosphere with 4700 K, and the corona with a million degree K. Moreover,
the transition between the atmospheric layers are modeled via hyperbolic
tangent functions. The whole atmospheric temperature profile with height
Cent. Eur. Astrophys. Bull. vol (2016) 1, 3
(1)
(2)
P V = n R T,
(3)
p0 exp R
Tr1 (h) ;h hpcr+ 5 wpcr
(7)
(8)
(9)
A usual approach to construct divergence B field free magnetic field configurations is, e.g., given in Shelyag et al. (2010) and references therein, where
the authors use a vertical magnetic field profile Bz through the magnetic
flux tube as well as a so-called expansion function to construct, with the
help of a given mathematical formulation, a general field configuration for
Cent. Eur. Astrophys. Bull. vol (2016) 1, 5
Bx (x, z) as well as Bz (x, z). The arising problem consists of how to know
in advance the vertical magnetic field profile Bz as well as the expansion
function. Besides, how to tune and adjust the created flux configuration to
approach an agreement between the modeled atmosphere and observations?
In our case we have chosen a different approach. As we have already
a certain picture of the vertical expansion of flux tubes in mind (similar
to an inverted bottle) we wished to have a more direct control on the
shape of the magnetic field configuration. In our case we assumed that a
horizontal cut through a magnetic flux tube would yield a profile similar
to a Gaussian curve. Moreover, we assume that a flux tube should expand
similar to a hyperbolic tangent with height, i.e. the vertical magnetic flux
tube expands in height and becomes more horizontal before merging with
neighbouring magnetic fields in the chromospheric canopy structure after
which the magnetic field lines become more vertical again. Thus we set up
the B(z) component as follows:
Bz0
B(x, z) =
exp
Bf c (z)
and
(x x0 )2
(z)
h h0
,
(z) = 0 + 1 1 + tanh
wf
(10)
(11)
exp
(x x0 )2
(z)
dx.
(12)
Here one can change the shape of the flux tube via the set of parameters
from 0 , 1 , h0 , and wf , while the strength of the flux tube can be adjusted
by Bz0 and the position via x0 . 0 is responsible for the initial width of the
flux tube, while 1 controls the additional opening in height; h0 controls
the height of the opening and wf the speed of opening. Thus we have now a
flux tube model which can be adjusted easily to observed real parameters.
The necessary horizontal magnetic field strength Bx can be calculated via
the divergence B criterion. In 2 dimensions this would be
Bx Bz
+
= 0;
x
z
6
(13)
0
2 0
Bx x Bx Bz z Bx 2Bx x Bx + 2Bz x Bz
Fx =
+
x P = 0 (16)
0
0
20
Bx x Bz
Bz z Bz
2Bx z Bx + 2Bz z Bz
Fz =
+
z P g = 0; (17)
0
0
20
We see that we can use Equ. 16 now to constrain the scalar pressure field,
or in other words, use the scalar pressure field to fullfill the magnetostatic
condition for the x-component of the force equation. The derived numeric
Cent. Eur. Astrophys. Bull. vol (2016) 1, 7
Bz z Bx Bz x Bz
0
0
2x
(18)
Bx x Bz
Bx z Bx z P
g 0
g 0
g
(20)
g0 2x
Bx (x, z) (Bx (x, z + 1) Bx (x, z 1)) P (x, z + 1) P (x, z 1
g0 2z
g 2z
(21)
Again we can go row by row from left to right through the density matrix
and update the necessary density to compensate for the vertical total force
(Lorenz plus gravity). Thus we have now finally created a solar atmosphere
in which we can inscribe a flux tube (or also several by adding up the created
Bz fields before constructing the Bx field) which will be in magnetostatic
equilibrium. Via our method of creating the magnetostatic equilibrium we
also get in a natural and self consistent way an inside stratification (vertical
as well as horizontal) of the flux tube in all thermodynamic parameters
(pressure, density and as a consequence of both, temperature). Naturally
one could ask at that point the question, if on the real Sun small-scale
(x, z) =
550 G
0G
x-position in Mm
Figure 1: shows a three flux tube magnetic field configuration. The color represents the
total magnetic field strength. Black solid lines illustrate the magnetic field lines.
A test example
We employ now the derived method to obtain a solar flux tube atmosphere
with 3 expanding vertical magnetic flux tubes. The central flux tube has a
positive polarity and features a field strength of around 500 G, representing
a network element, while the neighbouring flux tubes have opposite polarity, are weaker with around 120 G and represent internetwork magnetic
elements situated around 2 Mm far away from the network element (2 to
2.5 granular mean diameters). The magnetic field configuration is shown in
Fig. 1. Displayed is the total magnetic field strength sqrt(Bx2 +Bz2 ) together
with the corresponding magnetic field lines.
Figure 2 illustrates the obtained pressure, density, and temperature
Cent. Eur. Astrophys. Bull. vol (2016) 1, 9
stratifications for the magnetic flux tube atmosphere. Clearly one can see
the starting evacuation of the strong magnetic element in the lower atmosphere (photosphere and chromosphere). Another interesting feature is the
heated chromospheric upper section of the flux tube which is well known
from chromospheric Ca II H observations (Ca bright points). The last obvious feature is that the expanding magnetic field leads to a strong horizontal magnetic field canopy which obviously needs to be cooler to be
in pressure equilibrium. Therefore, even without explicitly implementing a
chromospheric temperature minimun, solving the magnetostatic conditions
leads automatically to a chromospheric temperature drop and minimum
within the magnetic canopy layer. Here one should remember that our initial temperature profile would have featured a chromospheric temperature
of 4700 K and would have been isothermal after the transition down from
the photospheric temperature.
6.
In this short paper we outlined rigorously how one can set up a solar flux
tube atmosphere, spanning from the phtosphere to the corona. After detailing how the atmosphere and the flux tubes can be constructed we described
thoroughly how to solve for the magnetostatic conditions within the numerical domain. The shown approach gives us the flexibility of setting up an
atmosphere in 2D with various flux tubes and shapes at different positions
which are in the beginning in a good magnetostatic equilibrium. An additional advantage of solving the magnetostatic conditions directly within the
numerical box lies in obtaining corresponding and self-consistent plasma
stratifications (pressure, density, and temperature) for a given magnetic
field configuration. In the future we wish to apply photospheric disturbances to our created atmosphere to investigate in detail wave propagation
phenomena.
Acknowledgments
This research received support by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): P27800.
Additional funding was possible through an Odysseus grant of the FWO
Vlaanderen, the IAP P7/08 CHARM (Belspo), and GOA-2015-014 (KU
Leuven).
10
Density map
3
25 Mpa
0.5 kg/m
2500 Pa
0.001 kg/m3
x-position in Mm
x-position in Mm
Temperature map
10000 K
3000 K
x-position in Mm
Figure 2: the pressure, density, and temperature stratifications for the previous shown
flux tube configuration to obtain magnetostatic conditions.
11
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