A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Kuniyoshi, Hidetaka, Imada, Shinsuke, Yokoyama, Takaaki
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Kuniyoshi, Hidetaka
Imada, Shinsuke
Yokoyama, Takaaki
author_facet Kuniyoshi, Hidetaka
Imada, Shinsuke
Yokoyama, Takaaki
contents The coronal heating problem is one of the most critical challenges in solar physics. Recent observations have revealed that small-scale swirls are ubiquitous in the photosphere and chromosphere, suggesting that they may play a significant role in transferring magnetic energy into the corona. However, the overall contribution of swirls to the total magnetic energy supply and subsequent coronal heating remains uncertain. To address this, we perform statistical analyses of simulated swirls using a three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation extending from the convection zone to the corona in the quiet Sun. Our results reveal that swirls account for approximately half of the total magnetic energy. Furthermore, they strongly suggest that swirls can trigger coronal heating events through magnetic reconnection. The occurrence frequency of these events follows a power-law-like distribution, consistent with observations of coronal heating signatures known as "nanoflares", indicating that swirls are promising candidates as their drivers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_14459
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation
Kuniyoshi, Hidetaka
Imada, Shinsuke
Yokoyama, Takaaki
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
The coronal heating problem is one of the most critical challenges in solar physics. Recent observations have revealed that small-scale swirls are ubiquitous in the photosphere and chromosphere, suggesting that they may play a significant role in transferring magnetic energy into the corona. However, the overall contribution of swirls to the total magnetic energy supply and subsequent coronal heating remains uncertain. To address this, we perform statistical analyses of simulated swirls using a three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation extending from the convection zone to the corona in the quiet Sun. Our results reveal that swirls account for approximately half of the total magnetic energy. Furthermore, they strongly suggest that swirls can trigger coronal heating events through magnetic reconnection. The occurrence frequency of these events follows a power-law-like distribution, consistent with observations of coronal heating signatures known as "nanoflares", indicating that swirls are promising candidates as their drivers.
title A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.14459