Abstract
The potential and linear force-free field models for the magnetic field in the solar corona are often used in the analysis of flares. The field is calculated using boundary values measured in the low solar atmosphere. The topology of the field calculated using these models is then compared to the position of flare emissions. We demonstrate that the topology of the field according to each of these models, with the same boundary conditions in place, is not in general even qualitatively equivalent. An argument is given for a similar discrepancy between a linear force-free field solution and a nonlinear force-free field solution.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bagalá, L. G., Mandrini, C. H., Rovira, M. G., Démoulin, P., and Hénoux, J. C.: 1995, Solar Phys. 161, 103.
Chiu, Y. T. and Hilton, H. H.: 1977, Astrophys. J. 212, 873.
Démoulin, P. and Priest, E. R.: 1992, Astron. Astrophys. 258, 535.
Démoulin, P., Hénoux, J. C., and Mandrini, C. H.: 1992, Solar Phys. 139, 105.
Démoulin, P., Hénoux, J. C., and Mandrini, C. H.: 1994, Astron. Astrophys. 285, 1023.
Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Schmieder, B., Hénoux, J. C., Csepura, G., and Hagyard, M. J.: 1993, Astron. Astrophys. 271, 292.
Démoulin, P., Hénoux, J. C., Priest, E. R., and Mandrini, C. H.: 1996, Astron. Astrophys. 308, 643.
Gorbachev, V. S. and Somov, B. V.: 1989, Soviet. Astron. 33, 57.
Lin, Y. and Gaizauskas, V. 1987: Astrophys. J. 109, 81.
Longcope, D. W.: 1996, Solar Phys. 169, 91.
Longcope, D. W.: 1998, Astrophys. J. 507, 433.
Longcope, D. W., and Silva, A. V. R.: 1997, Solar Phys. 179, 349.
Mandrini, C. H., Démoulin, P., Hénoux, J. C., and Machado, M. E.: 1991, Astron. Astrophys. 250, 541.
Mandrini, C. H., Rovira, M. G., Démoulin, P., Hénoux, J. C., Machado, M. E., and Wilkinson, L. K.: 1993, Astron. Astrophys. 272, 609.
Mandrini, C. H., Démoulin, P., Rovira, M., de La Beaujardière, J.-F., and Hénoux, J. C.: 1995, Astron. Astrophys. 303, 927.
Mandrini, C. H., Démoulin, P., Bagalá, L. G., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Hénoux, J. C., Schmieder, B., and Rovira, M.: 1997, Solar Phys. 174, 229.
McClymont, A. N., Jiao, L., and Mikic, Z.: 1997, Solar Phys. 174, 311.
Parnell, C. E., Priest, E. R. and Golub, L.: 1994, Solar Phys. 151, 57.
Pevtsov, A. A., Canfield, R. C. and Metcalf, T. R.: 1994, Astrophys. J. 425, L117.
Pevtsov, A. A., Canfield, R. C. and McClymont, A. N.: 1997, Astrophys. J. 425, L117.
Priest, E. R.: 1982, Solar Magnetohydrodynamics, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland.
Roumeliotis, G.: 1996, Astrophys. J. 473, 1095.
Sakurai, T. and Wang, H. N.: 1998, Proceedings of the Nobeyama Symposium on Solar Physics with Radio Observations, NRO Report Series (to appear).
Tandberg-Hanssen, E. and Emslie, A. G.: 1988, The Physics of Solar Flares, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Hofmann, A., Démoulin, P., Schmieder, B. and Csepura, G.: 1994, Solar Phys. 149, 309.
Wang, J.: 1993, in H. Zirin, G. Ai, and H. Wang (eds.), 'Magnetic and Velocity Fields of Solar Active Regions', ASP Conf. Series 46, 425.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hudson, T., Wheatland, M. Topological Differences Between Force-Free Field Models. Solar Physics 186, 301–310 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005176500346
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005176500346