Abstract
The twisted magnetic flux tube (magnetic rope) is a typical and the most important element of solar activity. Normally, the magnetic flux ropes in solar atmosphere are surrounded by a quasi-potential magnetic field, which provides the pressure balance in the cross-section. We have found a new exact MHD-solution for dissipative evolution of a thin magnetic flux rope in passive resistive plasma, with the growing gas density in the rope. The magnetic field inside the flux rope is assumed to be force-free: it is a set of concentric cylindrical shells (envelopes) filled with a twisted magnetic field [\({B}_{z} = {B}_{0}{J}_{0}(\alpha r),{B}_{\varphi } = {B}_{0}{J}_{1}(\alpha r)\), Lundquist, Phys. Rev. 83, 307–311 (1951)]. There is no dissipation in a potential ambient field outside the rope, but inside it, where the current density can be sufficiently high, the magnetic energy is continuously converted into heat. The Joule dissipation lowers the magnetic pressure inside the flux rope, thereby balancing the pressure of the ambient field; this results in radial and longitudinal contraction of the magnetic rope with the rate defined by the plasma conductivity and the characteristic spatial scale of the magnetic field inside the flux rope. Formally, the structure shrinks to zero within a finite time interval (the dissipative magnetic collapse). The compression time can be relatively small, within a few hours, for a flux rope with a radius of about 300 km, if the magnetic helicity initially trapped in the flux rope (the helicity is proportional to the number of magnetic shells in the rope) is sufficiently large. This magnetic system is open along its axis of symmetry and along the separatrix surfaces, where J 1(αr) = 0. On the rope’s axis and on these surfaces, the magnetic field is strictly longitudinal, so the plasma will be ejected from the compressing tube along the axis and separatrix surfaces outwards in both directions (jets!) at a rate substantially exceeding that of the diffusion. The obtained solution can be applied to the mechanisms of coronal heating and flare energy release.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Chandrasekhar, S.: On Force-free magnetic Fields. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 42, 1–5 (1956)
Fragos, T., Rantsion, E. and Vlahos L.: On the distribution of magnetic energy storage in solar active regions. Astron. Astrophys.420, 719–728 (2004)
Low, B.C.: Resistive Diffusion of Force-Free Magnetic Fields in a Passive Medium. Astrophys. J. 189, 353–358 (1974)
Lundquist, S.: On the stability of Magnetohydrostatic Fields. Phys. Rev. 83, 307–311 (1951)
Obridko, V. N.: Solar Spots and Activity Complexes. Moscow, Nauka (1985) [in Russian].
Parker, E. N.: The Dynamical Properties of Twisted Ropes of Magnetic Field and the Vigor of New Active Regions on the Sun. Astrophys. J. 191, 245–254 (1974)
Parker, E. N.: Cosmical Magnetic Fields. Their Origin and Their Activity. Oxford Univ. Press, USA (1979)
Priest, E. R.: Solar Magnetohydrodynamics. D. Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland (1982).
Solov’ev, A. A.: On arising of magnetic rope in convective zone. Soln. Dannye, Byull. No. 5, 86–93; No.10, 93–98 (1971)
Solov’ev, A. A.: An equation of the motion and eigen oscillations of magnetic toroide. Soln. Dannye, Byull. No. 11, 93–98 (1981)
Solov’ev, A. A.: Thermodynamics of the magnetic flux rope. Sov. Astron. Lett. 2, 15–17 (1976)
Solov’ev, A. A.: Stability of the boundary layer of a skinned magnetic flux rope. Sov. Astron. Lett. 3, 170–172 (1977)
Solov’ev, A. A. and Uralov, A.M.: Equilibrium and stability of magnetic flux ropes on the Sun. Sov. Astron. Lett. 5, 250–252 (1979)
Solov’ev, A. A.: Dynamics of twisted magnetic loops. Astrophysics. 23, 595–604 (1985)
Taylor, J. B.: Relaxation of Toroidal Plasma and Generation of Reverse Magnetic Fields. Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 1139–1141 (1974)
Turkmani, R.; Vlahos, L.; Galsgaard, K.; Cargill, P. J.; Isliker, H.: Particle Acceleration in Stressed Coronal Magnetic Fields. Astrophys. J. 620, L59-L62 (2005).
Vlahos, L. and Georgoulis, M. K., On the Self-Similarity of Unstable Magnetic Discontinuities in Solar Active Regions. Astrophys. J. 603, L61-L64 (2004)
Woltjer, L.: A Theorem on Force-Free Magnetic Fields. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 44, 489–491 (1958)
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Basic Research Program of the Division of Physical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (OFN-15), the Basic Research Program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (P-19), and the State Program of Support for Leading Scientific Schools of the Russian Federation (NSh-3645.2010.2).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Solov’ev, A.A. (2012). The Self-Similar Shrinkage of Force-Free Magnetic Flux Ropes in a Passive Medium of Finite Conductivity. In: Obridko, V., Georgieva, K., Nagovitsyn, Y. (eds) The Sun: New Challenges. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, vol 30. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29417-4_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29417-4_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29416-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29417-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)