Solar Filament Channels: Magnetic Forces Shaping Multi-Scale Coronal Dynamics

The solar dynamo and plasma convection produce three main observed structures extending from the solar surface into the corona active regions, solar filaments (prominences when observed at the limb) and coronal holes. Each of these three key features is interlinked with the other two in its evolution and dynamics. Active regions, often with underlying sunspots, can form clusters of magnetic activity. When active regions decay, solar filaments form at their boundaries separating opposite magnetic polarities. Alternatively, decaying active regions can give rise to coronal holes in the presence of the magnetic flux imbalance. Accumulation of the magnetic flux at the coronal hole boundaries also creates conditions for filament formations. Polar crown filaments are permanently present at the boundaries of the polar coronal holes. Polar coronal holes and their equatorial extensions, middle-latitude and equatorial coronal holes can create coronal pseudostreamers when have the same polarity. The pseudostreamer bases at the photospheric level are multipolar, often observed as tripolar magnetic configurations with two neutral lines where twin solar filaments can form separating coronal holes. Solar wind properties measured in situ by multiple spacecraft show that the soar wind from pseudostreamers could be fast, Alfvenic slow, or in between. The resulting wind type depends on the presence or absence of solar filament channels with or without filaments at the pseudostreamer base. Here we discuss the energization of the solar corona at different temporal and spatial scales. We present observations of the extended solar corona and corresponding PFSS modeling of the coronal magnetic field to resolve a mystery of sharp temperature boundaries between large-scale coronal structures and their link to the presence or absence of filament channels.