Current Sheets in Stressed Coronal Magnetic Fields

The extrapolation of magnetic fields into the solar corona generally assumes that the fields are fully relaxed - all possible reconnection has occurred. This assumption is in conflict with the low magnetic diffusivity in the corona. I will present initial results on extrapolation based on stressed magnetic fields - those for which no reconnection has occurred. As an opposite extreme to traditional methods, stressed fields offer a different view of coronal fields. The locations of current sheets between flux systems are directly determined. Observational evidence of coronal reconnection can test the completeness of the extrapolation, as the field lines spanning flux systems must be in contact prior to reconnection. This work is supported by NASA SEC GI grant NAG5-13020.