Helically shaped magnetic field structuresknown as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are closely related to so-called eruptive flares. On the one hand, these events are broadly believed to be due tothe buoyant rise of magnetic flux tubes from the bottom of the convection zone to the photosphere where they form structures such as sunspots. On the other hand, models of eruptive flares and CMEs have no connection to the convection zone and the magnetic field generated bydynamo action. It is well known that a dynamo can produce helical structures and twisted magnetic fields as observed in the Sun. In this work we ask, how a dynamo-generated magnetic field appears above the surface without buoyancy force and how this field evolves inthe outer atmosphere of the Sun. We apply a new approach of a two layer model, where the lower one represents the convection zone and the upper one the solar corona. The two layers are included in one single simulation domain. In the lower layer, we use a helical forcing function added to the momentum equation to create a turbulent dynamo. Due to dynamo action, a large-scale field is formed. As a first step we use a Cartesian cube. We solve the equations of the so-called force-free model in the upper layer to create nearly force-free coronal magnetic fields. In a second step we use a spherical wedge, which extends radially from 0.7 to 2 solar radii. We include density stratification due to gravity in anisothermal domain. The wedge includes both hemispheres of the Sun and we apply a helicalforcing with different signs in each hemisphere. As a result, a large-scale field is generated by a turbulent dynamo acting underneath the surface. Due to the latitudinal variation of the helicity produced by the helical forcing, the dynamo is oscillating in the spherical wedge. Twisted magnetic fields emerge above the surface and form arch-like structures with strong current sheets. Plasmoids and CME-like structures are ejected recurrently into the outerlayers. In the spherical simulations we find that the magnetic helicity changes sign in the exterior, which is in agreement with recent analysis of the solar wind data.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-70609 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Warnecke, Jörn |
| Publisher | Nordiska institutet för teoretisk fysik (Nordita), Institutionen för astronomi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary, info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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