Modelling the global solar corona III: Origin of the hemispheric pattern of filaments

Yeates, A.R.; Mackay, D.H.

Abstract

We consider the physical origin of the hemispheric pattern of filament chirality on the Sun. Our 3D simulations of the coronal field evolution over a period of six months, based on photospheric magnetic measurements, were previously shown to be highly successful at reproducing observed filament chiralities. In this paper we identify and describe the physical mechanisms responsible for this success. The key mechanisms are found to be (1) differential rotation of north – south polarity inversion lines, (2) the shape of bipolar active regions, and (3) evolution of skew over a period of many days. As on the real Sun, the hemispheric pattern in our simulations holds in a statistical sense. Exceptions arise naturally for filaments in certain locations relative to bipolar active regions or from interactions among a number of active regions.

Citation

Yeates, A., & Mackay, D. (2009). Modelling the global solar corona III: Origin of the hemispheric pattern of filaments. Solar Physics, 254(1), 77-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-008-9276-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 26, 2008
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Oct 14, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 30, 2015
• Journal: Solar Physics
• Print ISSN: 0038-0938
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-093X
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 254
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 77-88
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-008-9276-7
• Keywords: Magnetic fields: Corona, Prominences: Magnetic field, Helicity: Magnetic.