Direct evidence that twisted flux tube emergence creates solar active regions

MacTaggart, D.; Prior, C.; Raphaldini, B.; Romano, P.; Guglielmino, S.L.

Abstract

The magnetic nature of the formation of solar active regions lies at the heart of understanding solar activity and, in particular, solar eruptions. A widespread model, used in many theoretical studies, simulations and the interpretation of observations, is that the basic structure of an active region is created by the emergence of a large tube of pre-twisted magnetic field. Despite plausible reasons and the availability of various proxies suggesting the accuracy of this model, there has not yet been a methodology that can clearly and directly identify the emergence of large pre-twisted magnetic flux tubes. Here, we present a clear signature of the emergence of pre-twisted magnetic flux tubes by investigating a robust topological quantity, called magnetic winding, in solar observations. This quantity detects the emerging magnetic topology despite the significant deformation experienced by the emerging magnetic field. Magnetic winding complements existing measures, such as magnetic helicity, by providing distinct information about field line topology, thus allowing for the direct identification of emerging twisted magnetic flux tubes.

Citation

MacTaggart, D., Prior, C., Raphaldini, B., Romano, P., & Guglielmino, S. (2021). Direct evidence that twisted flux tube emergence creates solar active regions. Nature Communications, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26981-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 28, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26981-7
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1217948