Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liu, Zhenhua, Jiang, Chaowei
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13811
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866918142957060096
author Liu, Zhenhua
Jiang, Chaowei
author_facet Liu, Zhenhua
Jiang, Chaowei
contents Magnetic field extrapolation from the solar photosphere to the corona plays an important role in solar physics research. In this work, we present a fully-implicit viscous-relaxation nonlinear force-free field (FIVR-NLFFF) extrapolation code based on a viscous magnetohydrodynamic relaxation model. The method solves the magnetic induction equation alongside a simplified momentum equation, which assumes a balance between the Lorentz force and the viscous force. Under this assumption, the velocity field driving the magnetic field evolution is determined instantaneously by the Lorentz force distribution. Through viscous dissipation, the system relaxes toward a minimum-energy state, consistent with the vector magnetogram prescribed at the lower boundary. To enhance numerical stability, we adopt a fully implicit time integration scheme and employ central finite differences for spatial discretization. The resulting system of nonlinear algebraic equations is solved using the Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method, as implemented in the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc). We validate the code using three benchmark models: the Low and Lou force-free solution, the Titov-Démoulin magnetic flux rope model, and a strongly sheared arcade configuration containing a current sheet. Quantitative comparisons demonstrate good agreement with the reference solutions. Notably, the code's ability to handle discontinuities and reconstruct coronal current sheets makes it a promising tool for studying magnetic fields that may directly trigger solar eruptions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13811
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle FIVR-NLFFF: A fully-implicit viscous-relaxation code for nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolation of the solar corona
Liu, Zhenhua
Jiang, Chaowei
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Magnetic field extrapolation from the solar photosphere to the corona plays an important role in solar physics research. In this work, we present a fully-implicit viscous-relaxation nonlinear force-free field (FIVR-NLFFF) extrapolation code based on a viscous magnetohydrodynamic relaxation model. The method solves the magnetic induction equation alongside a simplified momentum equation, which assumes a balance between the Lorentz force and the viscous force. Under this assumption, the velocity field driving the magnetic field evolution is determined instantaneously by the Lorentz force distribution. Through viscous dissipation, the system relaxes toward a minimum-energy state, consistent with the vector magnetogram prescribed at the lower boundary. To enhance numerical stability, we adopt a fully implicit time integration scheme and employ central finite differences for spatial discretization. The resulting system of nonlinear algebraic equations is solved using the Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method, as implemented in the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc). We validate the code using three benchmark models: the Low and Lou force-free solution, the Titov-Démoulin magnetic flux rope model, and a strongly sheared arcade configuration containing a current sheet. Quantitative comparisons demonstrate good agreement with the reference solutions. Notably, the code's ability to handle discontinuities and reconstruct coronal current sheets makes it a promising tool for studying magnetic fields that may directly trigger solar eruptions.
title FIVR-NLFFF: A fully-implicit viscous-relaxation code for nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolation of the solar corona
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13811