Numerical Simulation of Transport of Open Magnetic Flux on the Solar Surface
Abstract
Following Fisk (2005), we simulate the transport and evolution of the open magnetic flux on the surface of the sun. The temporal evolution of the flux density depends on the convective motion due to solar differential rotation and poleward meridional flow, and an effective diffusive motion. The latter is a result of the diffusion of field-lines footpoints in the network lanes, and the diffusion of field-lines due to reconnection of open field lines with closed loops on the solar surface. The diffusion coefficient of the network lanes motion is constant everywhere, while the diffusion coefficient due to the reconnection process is non-uniform, and depends on the open flux density and the rate of emergence of the new magnetic loops. The gradient of the diffusion coefficient due to reconnection represents an effective velocity in addition to the convective motion. We investigate the behavior of the steady-state solution with constant and spatial diffusion coefficient; we also examine the behavior of the effective velocity due to the non-uniform diffusion coefficient. In the future, we plan to extend the current 2D model to a 3D geometry in order to investigate the role of the open flux in the evolution of the large-scale solar magnetic field and in solar wind acceleration, in the extent of a global model.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005AGUFMSH41A1116C
- Keywords:
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- 7500 SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY;
- 7509 Corona;
- 7524 Magnetic fields;
- 7526 Magnetic reconnection (2723;
- 7835)