Coronal heating by reconnection

The outermost atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona, is some 200 times hotter than the surface of the Sun. The main source of energy for heating the corona is believed to be the magnetic field which dominates the corona. Magnetic reconnection is probably the most important mechanism for releasing magnetic energy and may, therefore, be important for coronal heating or micro-flaring. The best observational examples of reconnection in the corona are thought to be X-ray bright points, which are small-scale brightenings seen randomly throughout the whole corona. Theoretical models can not only explain the key observations relating to bright points, but they can also explain the complex three-dimensional structures often seen in bright points. In these models magnetic neutral points play a significant role as the centres for reconnection both in two and three dimensions.     

Coronal mass-ejection events

Nearly fifteen years have passed since the discovery of coronal mass ejection events from the solar atmosphere. Progress in the interpretation of the observational results has led to a body of knowledge concerning the geometrical and evolutionary properties, physical characteristics, and the association of this type of event with other forms of solar activity. Recent interpretive results taken from the large body of observational data now available are discussed below in some detail. A classification system based on kinetic properties of these events is presented.     

Coronal manifestations of solar variability

This contribution is mostly about phenomenology of what we see in space–time evolution of coronal green line brightness (CGLB), including its cyclic variations. Our own database (1943–2001) of the coronal Fe XIV 530.3 nm emission line intensities is used to display different aspects of the large-scale CGLB regularities and cyclic behaviour. Hemispheric asymmetry and relation of the longitudinal CGLB distribution to the rotational characteristics of the solar corona are particularly underlined.     

Coronal mass ejections acceleration problem

A statistical study of acceleration and its error of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) observed by the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) is performed. A total of 5594 CMEs events have been analyzed by using a least-square method and using the error in the height measures. We verify that slower CMEs (velocities in the interval from 200 to 500 km s⁻¹) tend to have a positive acceleration (about 1 m s⁻²) at heights above 5 solar radii, while less than 10% CMEs show an average negative acceleration (about −2.2 m s⁻²) as they propagate from 5 to 30 solar radii. For most individual CMEs one can not say if they are accelerated or decelerated, only for 8% of all observed CMEs events one can extract the sign of the acceleration in the 5–30 solar radii.     

Coronal signatures of accelerated electrons

Whereas hard X-rays, microwaves and gamma-rays trace flare accelerated electrons and ions interacting in the lowcorona and the chromosphere, imaging and spectral radio observations in the decimetric-dekametric domain provide signatures of non thermal electrons in the middle and upper corona. These latter radio observations, combined with X-ray, EUV and optical measurements, contain unique information on the various circumstances of electron acceleration whether they are associated with flares or not. In this paper we outline the results of multiwavelength studies which provide: (i) information on the magnetic structure at various spatial scales into which flare accelerated electrons are injected/accelerated and (ii) evidence for various sites of electron acceleration outside flares which are located in the corona at altitudes ranging typically from 0.1 to 1 R above the photosphere.     

太阳活动下降期的日冕大尺度磁场和冕洞分布

本文应用十八、十九周下降期的地磁观测资料导出了对应时期太阳风速度的卡林顿经度变化,并结合由极盖区地磁观测导出的行星际磁扇形结构确定十八、十九周下降期太阳南北磁极极性、类偶极点的太阳余纬和卡林顿经度,从而确定了该时期的冕洞分布,并与二十周冕洞分布进行比较.     

冕洞网络的大气模型

本文采用非径向磁流管位形的假设,计算了太阳冕洞网络部分的色球-日冕过渡区的能量平衡模型。所考虑的能量流包括辐射、传导、对流和机械波加热（如阿尔芬波）,计算结果表明在冕洞网络部分的过渡区中,电子温度T和密度N分别比宁静太阳中的值低60%和2倍,而其过渡区的厚度比宁静太阳中的大4倍。这种大气模型可满意地解释T≥10⁵K范围的远紫外观测发射量度的分布。另外我们也发现在冕洞大气的过渡区中,阿尔芬波加热似乎不能忽略,尤其是在冕洞的过渡区底部,它的加热作用可能会超过热传导。在冕洞大气中,由于波动量的淀积而产生的对流能损耗也是重要的,在过渡区底部650km以上,对流能损耗逐渐超过辐射损耗。     

Coronal mass ejections in the heliosphere

With the advent of the NASA STEREO mission, we are in a position to perform unique investigations of the evolution of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they propagate through the heliosphere, and thus can investigate the relationship between CMEs and their interplanetary counterparts, so-called interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs). ICME studies have been principally limited to single-point, in-situ observations; interpretation of the in-situ characteristics of ICMEs has been used to derive a range of ICME properties which we can now confirm or refute using the STEREO imaging data. This paper is a review of early STEREO CME observations and how they relate to our currently understanding of ICMEs based on in-situ observations. In that sense, it is a first glance at the applications of the new data-sets to this topic and provides pointers to more detailed analyses. We find good agreement with in-situ-based interpretations, but this in turn leads to an anomaly regarding the final stages of a CME event that we investigate briefly to identify directions for future study.     

日冕三维太阳风模拟

COIN-TVD MHD模型是近年发展起来的能有效实现日冕–行星际三维太阳风模拟的模型。本文利用此模型针对日冕区三维太阳风进行研究,为了模拟日冕太阳风的加热加速,对模型中的体积加热项做了调整。在磁流体模拟中,减小磁场散度的误差是关键问题之一,在调整体积加热项后应用扩散法、八波法、扩散八波法,对2199卡林顿周的背景太阳风进行模拟。模拟结果符合日冕太阳风结构,而且扩散八波法处理磁场散度性能有提升,可将相对磁场散度误差可控制在10^–9量级上。

     

Coronal models of late-type stars observed with EXOSAT

Differential emission measure distributions for transition region and corona able to reproduce X-ray and UV emission are investigated. The EXOSAT, EINSTEIN and IUE data for the solar type star K Cet are analyzed. A multitemperature differential emission measure distribution gives a satisfactory fit of the data.     

2011年8月4日螺旋状日冕物质抛射爆发事件

利用多卫星多波段的综合观测数据,通过追踪光球表面等离子体速度分析计算了耀斑爆发前后磁螺度的变化,发现耀斑爆发前活动区中光球表面存在强的水平剪切运动,活动区磁螺度的注入主要由这种剪切运动所产生;使用CESE-MHD-NLFFF重建了耀斑爆发前后活动区的磁场位形,推测出耀斑过程中存在磁绳结构的抛射.基于这些分析,给出了这一螺旋状抛射结构的形成机制：爆发前暗条西侧足点的持续剪切运动驱动磁通量绳增加扭转,高度扭缠的通量绳与东侧足点附近的开放磁力线重联并与东侧足点断开,进而向外抛出并伴随解螺旋运动.另外,利用1AU处WIND卫星的观测数据在对应的行星际日冕物质抛射中找到典型磁云的观测特征.这表明除了传统上双足点均在太阳表面的磁云模型,这种单足点固定于太阳表面的磁通量绳爆发图景同样可能在行星系际空间形成磁云结构.研究结果对进一步认识磁云结构具有重要意义.     

Coronal X-ray temperatures from Einstein and EXOSAT observations

Spectral analysis of coronal X-ray emission from stars observed with both the Einstein and EXOSAT Observatories is presented. Using computer codes developed by Raymond and Smith /1/ and Landini and Fossi /2/ to calculate the X-ray emission from optically thin plasma in collisional equilibrium we find that the derived coronal parameters depend only rather insensitively on the details of the calculated theoretical X-ray spectrum and demonstrate how both the Einstein Observatory IPC spectra and the EXOSAT LE filter ratios can be naturally and simultaneously explained by assuming an underlying continuous emission measure distribution as is the case in the solar corona.     

太阳硬X射线爆发揭示的日冕振荡

在第21周太阳活动峰年期间,“太阳峰年”卫星和“火鸟”卫星上的硬x射线爆发探测器探测到数千个硬x射线太阳耀斑.研究这些事件的瞬时特性,我们发现它们当中几百个样品具有1秒以下持续时间的快速尖峰结构.我们分析了其中部分观测资料,发现它们之间具有四个共同特征.在这些特征中,准周期振荡使我们认为,在日冕上可能存在着快速振荡.本文导出了它们的周期表达式并讨论了这种振荡的俘获条件.     

部分开放多极磁场中的日冕磁绳灾变

采用球坐标下二维三分量理想MHD模型,研究部分开放多极背景磁场中日冕磁绳的灾变现象.背景磁场由含3个闭合双极场的冕流和带赤道中性电流片的开放场构成,磁绳位于中心双极场的下方,其特性由环向磁通和轴向磁通表征.对给定的环向磁通,存在轴向磁通的一个临界值;对给定的轴向磁通,也存在环向磁通的一个临界值.在该临界值以下,磁绳附着于太阳表面,系统处于平衡状态;该临界值一旦被超越,磁绳将脱离太阳表面向上喷发,说明部分开放多极背景磁场中的日冕磁绳系统存在灾变现象.本文算例表明,灾变点对应的磁能阈值超过对应部分开放场(中心双极场开放,两侧的双极场仍维持闭合)能量约15%,其超过部分可为日冕物质抛射一类太阳爆发提供能源.     

基于CPU/GPU的日冕偏振亮度并行计算模型

三维磁流体力学(MHD)数值模拟是用来研究日冕和太阳风最常用的方法之一, 其中将计算得到的日冕电子数密度转化为日冕偏振亮度(Polarization Brightness, PB)是与观测对比的重要方法. 由于待转换电子数据网格密度、PB数据网格密度和计算模型的复杂度, 使得日冕偏振亮度的计算比较耗时, 利用单CPU计算无法达到近实时转换日冕偏振亮度的要求, 从而影响了数值模拟的验证效率. 本文在CPU/GPU环境下, 利用CUDA编程技术, 提出了一个日冕偏振亮度并行计算模型. 实验结果表明, 该模型比CPU上的串行模型计算速度提高了31.86倍, 达到了近实时模拟与观测数据比对的计算要求.     

太阳宁静区磁漏斗结构的扩展特征

通过对观测的光球纵向磁场进行势场外推, 重构了一个太阳宁静区光球以上的磁场结构. 结果显示, 在20 Mm 以下, 开放磁力线呈现多个明显的小磁漏斗结构, 这些小磁漏斗结构随高度扩展, 并且在20 Mm 左右融合成大的漏斗结构. 通过系统地研究磁漏斗结构横截面积随高度的变化趋势, 发现太阳宁静区磁漏斗结构的截面积随高度近似线性扩展, 磁漏斗结构在较低高度上(<20Mm) 扩展的速度比在较高高度上 (>20Mm) 扩展的速度要快. 这一结果对太阳风起源和磁环中物质流动的二维数值模拟具有重要的意义. 同时还发现, 闭合磁力线的数目随高度以指数函数的形式减少.     

Coronal Hole Oscillations as inferred from SDO/AIA data

With high temporal resolution (12 s) of about two hours duration, data of a coronal hole structure in 171 Å$\AA$, 193 Å$\AA$ and 211 Å$\AA$ taken from SDO/AIA images is considered for examination of oscillations. After estimating the total DN counts of a whole coronal hole structure in three wavelength bands, the resulting time series are subjected to FFT and wavelet analysis. Significant periods in all the three wavelength bands are detected that are mainly concentrated around 500 s as a fundamental mode and its odd (167, 100, 71, 56, 46, 39, 33, 29, 26, 24 s) harmonics. Computed phases in all the three wavelengths band are estimated to be constant.     

日冕瞬变的观测特征和理论解释

本文综述了日冕瞬变现象的主要观测特征及其理论模型.日冕瞬变是从太阳日冕中向行星际空间大量抛出物质的过程,每次事件可有5×10¹⁵克的物质在10³秒的时间内以约500公里/秒的典型速度被驱动流到日球中.日冕瞬变与太阳耀斑和爆发日珥事件有密切的相关性.作为一种新的太阳活动现象,近年来对日冕瞬变提出了许多理论解释.一种数值模拟方法将瞬变看成是由于热力学量或磁力在日冕底部的脉冲增长所产生的结果.许多分析模型认为是由磁环内部的电磁力或外部的磁压力驱动所致,或者是环中磁浮力驱动的结果.考虑到瞬变与耀斑和爆发日珥的相关性,活塞驱动模型认为,瞬变是稠密等离子体喷射,像活塞驱动机制.观测和理论都有待于进一步的研究.     

冕洞相关地磁Ap指数中短期预报方法研究

地磁Ap指数是描述全球地磁活动水平的重要指数, 过去许多参考大气模式中都用Ap指数来表述地磁活动状态, 大气模式的运行需要输入地磁Ap指数, 因此, 地磁Ap指数的预报一直是空间环境预报中一个非常重要的内容. 针对太阳活动低年冕洞引起的地磁扰动具有明显27天重现的特性, 利用修正的自回归方法, 对地磁Ap指数进行了提前27天的预报; 采用从SOHO/EIT观测资料发展出来的描述冕洞特性的Pch因子, 进行了提前三天的地磁Ap指数预报. 结果显示, 将统计方法与物理分析相结合, 进行地磁Ap指数的中短期数值预报, 可以得到较好的预报效果.