Vortex Flow Properties in Simulations of Solar Plage Region: Evidence for their role in chromospheric heating
| Autor: | Robert H. Cameron, Nitin Yadav, Sami K. Solanki |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
statistical [methods] FOS: Physical sciences faculae [Sun] chromosphere [Sun] Astrophysics Astronomy & Astrophysics plages 01 natural sciences Computer Science::Digital Libraries 0103 physical sciences Radiative transfer Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Magnetohydrodynamic drive 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Chromosphere Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) 0105 earth and related environmental sciences MISSION Physics Plage Science & Technology Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Astronomy and Astrophysics numerical [methods] Dissipation Magnetic flux Physics::History of Physics Vortex Computational physics MHD WAVES Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 13. Climate action Space and Planetary Science Physical Sciences Physics::Space Physics Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Magnetohydrodynamics |
| Zdroj: | Astronomy & Astrophysics |
| Popis: | Vortex-flows exist across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales in the solar atmosphere. Small-scale vortices have been proposed to play an important role in energy transport in the solar atmosphere. However, their physical properties remain poorly understood due to the limited spatial resolution of the observations. We aim to explore and analyze the physical properties of small-scale vortices inside magnetic flux tubes using numerical simulations, and to investigate whether they contribute to heating the chromosphere in a plage region. Using the three-dimensional (3D) radiative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation code 'MURaM', we perform numerical simulations of a unipolar solar plage region. To detect and isolate vortices, we use the Swirling Strength criterion and select the locations where the fluid is rotating with an angular velocity greater than a certain threshold. We concentrate on small-scale as they are the strongest and carry most of the energy. We explore the spatial profiles of physical quantities viz. density, horizontal velocity, etc. inside these vortices. Moreover, to apprehend their general characteristics, a statistical investigation is performed. Magnetic flux tubes have a complex filamentary substructure harbouring an abundance of small-scale vortices. At the interfaces between vortices strong current sheets are formed that may dissipate and heat the solar chromosphere. Statistically, vortices have higher densities and higher temperatures than the average values at the same geometrical height in the chromosphere. We conclude that small-scale vortices are ubiquitous in solar plage regions, and they are denser and hotter structures that contribute to chromospheric heating, possibly by dissipation of the current sheets formed at their interfaces. accepted for publication in A&A |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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