R. Bhattacharyya

EVOLUTION OF CURRENTS OF OPPOSITE SIGNS IN THE FLARE-PRODUCTIVE SOLAR ACTIVE REGION NOAA 10930

Analysis of a time series of high spatial resolution vector magnetograms of the active region NOAA 10930 available from the Solar Optical Telescope SpectroPolarimeter on board Hinode revealed that there is a mixture of upward and downward currents in the two footpoints of an emerging flux rope. The flux emergence rate is almost the same in both the polarities. We observe that along with an increase in magnetic flux, the net current in each polarity increases initially for about three days after which it decreases. This net current is characterized by having exactly opposite signs in each polarity while its magnitude remains almost the same most of the time. The decrease of the net current in both the polarities is due to the increase of current having a sign opposite to that of the net current. The dominant current, with the same sign as the net current, is seen to increase first and then decreases during the major X-class flares. Evolution of non-dominant current appears to be a necessary condition for flare initiation. The above observations can be plausibly explained in terms of the superposition of two different force-free states resulting in a non-zero Lorentz force in the corona. This Lorentz force then pushes the coronal plasma and might facilitate the magnetic reconnection required for flares. Also, the evolution of the net current is found to follow the evolution of magnetic shear at the polarity inversion line.

Formation of magnetic discontinuities through superposition of force-free magnetic fields: Periodic boundaries

In ideal magnetohydrodynamics characterized by an infinite electrical conductivity, the magnetic flux across an arbitrary fluid surface is conserved in time. The magnetofluid then can be partitioned into contiguous subvolumes of fluid, each of which entraps its own subsystem of magnetic flux. During dynamical evolution of the magnetofluid, these subvolumes press into each other; and in the process, two such subvolumes may come into direct contact while ejecting a third interstitial subvolume. Depending on the orientations of magnetic fields of the two interacting subvolumes, the magnetic field at the common surface of interaction may become discontinuous and a current sheet is formed there. This process of current sheet formation and their subsequent decay is believed to be a plausible mechanism for coronal heating and may also be responsible for various eruptive phenomena at the solar corona. In this work, we explore this theoretical concept through numerical simulations of a viscous, incompressible magn...

Solar coronal loops as non force-free minimum energy relaxed states

In this work, the well established two-fluid relaxation model based on the minimum energy principle is extended to include open systems like the solar corona. The Euler-Lagrange equations obtained are of double curl in nature and support non-zero plasma-β along with mass flow of the magnetofluid. These equations are solved in Cartesian coordinates utilizing a geometry relevant to the solar atmosphere, and a basic comparative study of the non force-free, force-free, and potential magnetic field obtained as solutions of the same Euler-Lagrange equations is presented.

On the role of repetitive magnetic reconnections in evolution of magnetic flux-ropes in solar corona

Parkers magnetostatic theorem extended to astrophysical magnetofluids with large magnetic Reynolds number supports ceaseless regeneration of current sheets and hence, spontaneous magnetic reconnections recurring in time. Consequently, a scenario is possible where the repeated reconnections provide an autonomous mechanism governing emergence of coherent structures in astrophysical magnetofluids. In this work, such a scenario is explored by performing numerical computations commensurate with the magnetostatic theorem. In particular, the computations explore the evolution of a flux-rope governed by repeated reconnections in a magnetic geometry resembling bipolar loops of solar corona. The revealed morphology of the evolution process, including onset and ascent of the rope, reconnection locations and the associated topology of the magnetic field lines, agrees with observations, and thus substantiates physical realisability of the advocated mechanism.

On the role of topological complexity in spontaneous development of current sheets

The computations presented in this work aim to asses the importance of field line interlacing on spontaneous development of current sheets. From Parkers magnetostatic theorem, such development of current sheets is inevitable in a topologically complex magnetofluid, with infinite electrical conductivity, at equilibrium. Relevant initial value problems are constructed by superposition of two untwisted component fields, each component field being represented by a pair of global magnetic flux surface. The intensity of field line interlacing is then specified by the relative amplitude of the two superposed fields. The computations are performed by varying this relative amplitude. Also to have a direct visualization of current sheet formation, we follow the evolution of flux surfaces instead of the vector magnetic field. An important finding of this paper is in the demonstration that initial field lines having intense interlacing tend to develop current sheets which are distributed throughout the computational domain with no preference for topologically favorable sites like magnetic nulls or field reversal layers. The onsets of these current sheets are attributed to favorable contortions of magnetic flux surfaces where two oppositely directed parts of the same field line or different field lines come to close proximity. However, for less intensely interlaced field lines, the simulations indicate development of current sheets at sites only where the magnetic topology is favorable. These current sheets originate as two sets of anti-parallel complimentary field lines press onto each other.

Repetitive formation and decay of current sheets in magnetic loops: An origin of diverse magnetic structures

In this work, evolution of an incompressible, thermally homogeneous, infinitely conducting, viscous magnetofluid is numerically explored as the fluid undergoes repeated events of magnetic reconnection. The initial magnetic field is constructed by a superposition of two linear force-free fields and has similar morphology as the magnetic loops observed in the solar corona. The results are presented for computations with three distinct sets of footpoint geometries. To onset reconnection, we rely on numerical model magnetic diffusivity, in the spirit of implicit large eddy simulation. It is generally expected that in a high Lundquist number fluid, repeated magnetic reconnections are ubiquitous and hence can lead to a host of magnetic structures with considerable observational importance. In particular, the simulations presented here illustrate formations of magnetic islands, rotating magnetic helices and rising flux ropes—depending on the initial footpoint geometry but through the common process of repeated magnetic reconnections. Further, we observe the development of extended current sheets in two case studies, where the footpoint reconnections generate favorable dynamics.

Evolutionary aspects and north-south asymmetry of soft X-ray flare index during solar cycles 21, 22, and 23

Aims. In this paper, we investigate the temporal evolution and north-south (N-S) asymmetry in the occurrence of solar flares during cycle 21, 22, and 23, and compare the results with traditional solar activity indices. Methods. The flare activity is characterized by a soft X-ray (SXR) flare index, which incorporates information about flare occurrences during a selected interval along with the peak intensity of individual events. Results. The SXR flare index correlates well with other conventional parameters of solar activity. Further, it exhibits a significantly higher correlation with sunspot area over sunspot number, which suggests the variations in sunspot area to be more closely linked with the transient energy release in the solar corona. The cumulative plots of the flare index indicate a slight excess of activity in the northern hemisphere during cycle 21, while a southern excess clearly prevails for cycles 22 and 23. The study reveals a significant N-S asymmetry, which exhibits variations with the phases of solar cycle. The reliability and persistency of this asymmetry significantly increases when the data is averaged over longer periods, while an optimal level is achieved when data is binned for 13 Carrington rotations. The time evolution of the flare index further confirms evolution of dual peaks in solar cycles during the solar maxima and violation of Gnevyshev-Ohl rule for the pair of solar cycles 22 and 23. Conclusions. The SXR flare index in the northern and the southern hemispheres of the Sun exhibits significant asymmetry during the evolutionary phases of the solar cycle, which implies that N-S asymmetry of solar flares is manifested in terms of the flare counts as well as the intensity of flare events.

Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling of Solar Coronal Dynamics with an Initial Non-force-free Magnetic Field

The magnetic fields in the solar corona are generally neither force-free nor axisymmetric and have complex dynamics that are difficult to characterize. Here we simulate the topological evolution of solar coronal magnetic field lines (MFLs) using a magnetohydrodynamic model. The simulation is initialized with a non-axisymmetric non-force-free magnetic field that best correlates with the observed vector magnetograms of solar active regions (ARs). To focus on these ideas, simulations are performed for the flaring AR 11283 noted for its complexity and well-documented dynamics. The simulated dynamics develops as the initial Lorentz force pushes the plasma and facilitates successive magnetic reconnections at the two X-type null lines present in the initial field. Importantly, the simulation allows for the spontaneous development of mass flow, unique among contemporary works, that preferentially reconnects field lines at one of the X-type null lines. Consequently, a flux rope consisting of low-lying twisted MFLs, which approximately traces the major polarity inversion line, undergoes an asymmetric monotonic rise. The rise is attributed to a reduction in the magnetic tension force at the region overlying the rope, resulting from the reconnection. A monotonic rise of the rope is in conformity with the standard scenario of flares. Importantly, the simulated dynamics leads to bifurcations of the flux rope, which, being akin to the observed filament bifurcation in AR 11283, establishes the appropriateness of the initial field in describing ARs.

A viable non-axisymmetric non-force-free field to represent solar active regions

A combination of analytical calculations and vectormagnetogram data is utilized to develop a non-axisymmetric non-force-free magnetic field and assess its viability in describing solar active regions. For that purpose, we construct a local spherical shell where a planar surface, tangential to the inner sphere, represents a Cartesian cutout of an active region. The magnetic field defined on the surface is then correlated with magnetograms. The analysis finds that the non-axisymmetric non-force-free magnetic field, obtained by a superposition of two linear-force-free fields, correlates reasonably well with magnetograms.

Chaotic magnetic field lines and spontaneous development of current sheets

The performed magnetohydrodynamic simulations aim to assess the influence of chaotic magnetic field lines on spontaneous generation of current sheets in an evolving viscous magnetofluid with infinite electrical conductivity. Suitable non-force-free initial fields having chaotic magnetic field lines are constructed by superposing two Arnold-Beltrami-Childress magnetic fields. The construction is such that the superposed field is devoid of any three or two-dimensional magnetic nulls, which are potential sites of current sheet development. Consequently, the notion of spontaneity can be attributed to any current sheet generated by the evolving magnetofluid. Moreover, to ensure the development to be spontaneous, the simulations are performed in congruence with Parkers magnetostatic theorem which necessitates an attainment of a terminal quasi-steady state and maintenance of flux-freezing to high fidelity. Importantly, the paper establishes spontaneous onset of volume distributed current sheets to be positively...