Interpreting Small-Scale Structure from High Resolution Global MHD Simulations
Abstract
High resolution 3D MHD simulations of the solar corona are beginning to reveal how small-scale structures in the magnetic field interact with the global structure of the corona and solar wind. In particular, it has become evident that the detailed characteristics of coronal holes, especially their equatorial extensions, may be related to the source of the slow solar wind. Using structural analysis based on the squashing factor Q (Titov et al. 2002, 2008; Titov 2007) we show how small-scale structure in the magnetic field is related to the structure of the streamer belt. These results have led to a new interpretation of the source of the slow solar wind.
Research supported by NASA's Heliospheric Theory and Living With a Star Programs, and NSF/CISM.- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #216
- Pub Date:
- May 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AAS...21640503M