The role of photospheric magnetic flux diffusion in initiation of solar eruptions
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866909804457361408 |
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| author | Bian, Xinkai Jiang, Chaowei Wang, Yang Zou, Peng Feng, Xueshang Zuo, Pingbing Wang, Yi |
| author_facet | Bian, Xinkai Jiang, Chaowei Wang, Yang Zou, Peng Feng, Xueshang Zuo, Pingbing Wang, Yi |
| contents | Solar eruptions may occur at different evolutionary stages of active regions, during which the photospheric motions manifest in various forms, including flux emergence, sunspot rotation, shearing, converging, and magnetic flux diffusion. However, it remains unclear what are the specific roles played by these different motions in leading to eruptions. Here, we employ high resolution magnetohydrodynamic simulations to demonstrate how solar eruptions can be initiated in a single bipolar configuration, driven by first shearing and then flux diffusion at the bottom surface. Flux diffusion disperses the photospheric magnetic flux, driving portions of it toward the polarity inversion line (PIL). This process leads to the expansion of core field, enhancing the pinching effect to form the current sheet. When magnetic reconnection occurs within this current sheet, the eruption is initiated, characterized by a rapid release of magnetic energy and accompanied by the formation of a erupting flux rope. Additionally, flux diffusion contributes to magnetic cancellation near the PIL, leading to the formation of a weakly twisted magnetic flux rope prior to the eruption. However, this pre-exist flux rope plays a limited role in eruption initiation, as its spatial position remains largely unchanged throughout the eruption. These findings demonstrate that the primary role of flux diffusion is to facilitate current sheet formation, highlighting the critical role of current sheet formation in eruption initiation. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_20040 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The role of photospheric magnetic flux diffusion in initiation of solar eruptions Bian, Xinkai Jiang, Chaowei Wang, Yang Zou, Peng Feng, Xueshang Zuo, Pingbing Wang, Yi Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics Solar eruptions may occur at different evolutionary stages of active regions, during which the photospheric motions manifest in various forms, including flux emergence, sunspot rotation, shearing, converging, and magnetic flux diffusion. However, it remains unclear what are the specific roles played by these different motions in leading to eruptions. Here, we employ high resolution magnetohydrodynamic simulations to demonstrate how solar eruptions can be initiated in a single bipolar configuration, driven by first shearing and then flux diffusion at the bottom surface. Flux diffusion disperses the photospheric magnetic flux, driving portions of it toward the polarity inversion line (PIL). This process leads to the expansion of core field, enhancing the pinching effect to form the current sheet. When magnetic reconnection occurs within this current sheet, the eruption is initiated, characterized by a rapid release of magnetic energy and accompanied by the formation of a erupting flux rope. Additionally, flux diffusion contributes to magnetic cancellation near the PIL, leading to the formation of a weakly twisted magnetic flux rope prior to the eruption. However, this pre-exist flux rope plays a limited role in eruption initiation, as its spatial position remains largely unchanged throughout the eruption. These findings demonstrate that the primary role of flux diffusion is to facilitate current sheet formation, highlighting the critical role of current sheet formation in eruption initiation. |
| title | The role of photospheric magnetic flux diffusion in initiation of solar eruptions |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.20040 |