This is a proposal to use the powerful Minimum Current Corona model, developed under prior NSF funding, to study the coupling between different magnetic regimes in the Sun.
The Minimum Current Corona is a self-consistent, nonlinear model for the quasi-static evolution of complex three-dimensional coronal magnetic fields. It provides a rigorous lower bound on the magnetic energy stored as the photospheric magnetic field slowly evolves -- energy that can be liberated by topological reconnection, giving rise to flares or general coronal heating. It is a tool ideally suited to modeling the effects of coupling magnetic fields from two distinct spatial regions, such as the Sun's corona and convection zone. It also offers an unparalleled means of quantifying the effects of small-scale current sheets on the large-scale fields and vice versa. The research proposed here will consist of inter-related investigations aimed at understanding the couplings between regions and between scales.
A prime objective of this research is to develop and refine powerful tools for analyzing energetics in complex three-dimensional magnetic fields. The broader impacts of the research will come from facilitating its use by the community at large. At present at least three other research groups are using the model and software developed under previous funding. The results of the proposed investigations will be disseminated first by publication in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, a review article is being prepared to provide a single, concise reference describing the analysis of coronal connectivity. Finally, a suite of software tools that implement all of the models will be made publicly available. This distribution will include a reference manual, and several benchmark cases to serve as tutorials or as touch-points with alternative tools. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the research.
