Constraints on the Sun-Heliosphere Magnetic Connection
Abstract
The solar magnetic field is the primary agent that drives solar activity and couples the Sun to the Heliosphere. Although the details of this coupling depend on the quantitative properties of the field, many important aspects of the corona - solar wind connection can be understood by considering only the topological properties of those regions on the Sun where the field extends from the photosphere out to interplanetary space, the so-called open field regions that are often observed as "coronal holes". From the well-known assumptions that underlie the standard quasi-steady corona-wind theoretical models, and that are likely to hold for the Sun, as well, we derive several constraints on the possible topology and dynamics of coronal open and closed field regions. We show how magnetic reconnection plays the central role in establishing these constraints. We discuss the implications of our results on observations, and make a number of predictions for the upcoming LWS missions. This work was supported by the LWS TR&T Program and is part of the research by the Focus Team on Connecting the Sun to the Heliosphere.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMSH21B..04A
- Keywords:
-
- 2100 INTERPLANETARY PHYSICS;
- 2400 IONOSPHERE (6929);
- 2700 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS (6939);
- 3300 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 7500 SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY