Joseph V. Hollweg

Alfvén waves in the solar atmosphere

The linearized propagation of axisymmetric twists on axisymmetric vertical flux tubes is considered. Models corresponding to both open (coronal hole) and closed (active region loops) flux tubes are examined. Principal conclusions are: Open flux tubes: (1) With some reservations, the model can account for long-period (T ≈ 1 hr) energy fluxes which are sufficient to drive solar wind streams. (2) The waves are predicted to exert ponderomotive forces on the chromosphere which are large enough to alter hydrostatic equilibrium or to drive upward flows. Spicules may be a consequence of these forces. (3) Higher frequency waves (10 s ≲ T ≲ few min) are predicted to carry energy fluxes which are adequate to heat the chromosphere and corona. Nonlinear mechanisms may provide the damping. Closed flux tubes: (1) Long-period (T ≈ 1 hr) twists do not appear to be energetically capable of providing the required heating of active regions. (2) ‘Loop resonances’ are found to occur as a result of waves being stored in the corona via reflections at the transition zones. The loop resonances act much in the manner of antireflectance coatings on camera lenses, and allow large energy fluxes to enter the coronal loops. The resonances may also be able to account for the observed fact that longer coronal loops require smaller energy flux densities entering them from below. (3) The waves exert large upward and downward forces on the chromosphere and corona.

Alfvén waves in sunspots

The propagation of Alfvén waves in a simple model of a sunspot is considered. The vertical structure near the center of the umbra is modelled realistically, but the horizontal structure is not considered. The full wave equation is solved, without recourse to the WKB approximation. Only wave propagation in the vicinity of the central field line in an axially symmetric spot is examined, and it is assumed that this field line is open. By taking wave reflections into account, we find that the observations of non-thermal motions near the temperature minimum (Beckers, 1976) and in the corona (Beckers and Schneeberger, 1977) are both consistent with an upward-propagating Alfvénic energy flux density of a few times 107 erg cm−2 s−1. This flux density is too small to cool the sunspot, but it is large enough to supply the energy requirements of the transition region and corona above a sunspot. This conclusion depends on the assumptions that the observed motions are indeed Alfvénic with periods near 180 s.

A new resonance in the solar atmosphere

We consider a horizontally stratified isothermal model of the solar atmosphere, with vertical and uniform B0, and vA2≫vs2. The equations of motion are linearized about a background which is in hydrostatic equilibrium. A homogeneous wave equation results for the motions perpendicular to B0; this wave equation is similar to the equation for the MHD fast mode. On the other hand, the equation for the parallel motions is inhomogeneous, containing ‘driving terms’ which arise from the presence of the fast mode; the homogeneous form of this equation is identical to the equation describing vertically-propagating gravity-modified acoustic waves. We demonstrate that a resonance can exist between the (driving) fast wave and the (driven) gravity-modified acoustic wave, in such a way that very large parallel velocities can be driven by small perpendicular velocities. Applications of this resonance to solar spicules, ‘jets’, and other phenomena are discussed.