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In ultraviolet (UV) spectropolarimetric observations of the solar corona, the existence of a magnetic field, solar wind velocity, and temperature anisotropies modify the linear polarization associated with resonant scattering. Unlike previous empirical models or global models, which present blended results of the above physical effects, in this work, we forward-model expected signals in the H i Lyα line (121.6 nm) by adopting an analytic model that can be adjusted to test the roles of different effects separately. We find that the impact of all three effects is most evident in the rotation of the linear polarization direction. In particular, (1) for magnetic fields between ∼10 and ∼100 G, the Hanle effect modifies the linear polarization at low coronal heights, rotating the linear polarization direction clockwise (counterclockwise) when the angle between the magnetic field and the local vertical is greater (less) than the van Vleck angle, which is consistent with the result of Zhao et al.; (2) solar wind velocity, which increases with height, has a significant effect through the Doppler dimming effect at higher coronal heights, rotating the linear polarization direction in an opposite fashion to the Hanle effect; and (3) kinetic temperature anisotropies are most significant at lower heights in open nonradial magnetic field regions, producing tilt opposite to isotropic Doppler dimming. The fact that the three effects operate differently in distinct spatial regimes opens up the possibility for using linear polarization measurements in UV lines to diagnose these important physical characteristics of the solar corona. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing magnetic fields of the Sun are generated and maintained by a solar dynamo, the exact nature of which remains an unsolved fundamental problem in solar physics. Our objective in this paper is to investigate the role and impact of converging flows toward Bipolar Magnetic Regions (BMR inflows) on the Sun's global solar dynamo. These flows are large-scale physical phenomena that have been observed and so should be included in any comprehensive solar dynamo model. We have augmented the Surface flux Transport And Babcock–LEighton (STABLE) dynamo model to study the nonlinear feedback effect of BMR inflows with magnitudes varying with surface magnetic fields. This fully-3D realistic dynamo model produces the sunspot butterfly diagram and allows a study of the relative roles of dynamo saturation mechanisms such as tilt-angle quenching and BMR inflows. The results of our STABLE simulations show that magnetic field-dependent BMR inflows significantly affect the evolution of the BMRs themselves and result in a reduced buildup of the global poloidal field due to local flux cancellation within the BMRs, to an extent that is sufficient to saturate the dynamo. As a consequence, for the first time, we have achieved fully 3D solar dynamo solutions, in which BMR inflows alone regulate the amplitudes and periods of the magnetic cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the McIntosh Archive of solar features, we analyze the evolution of coronal holes over more than three solar cycles. We demonstrate that coronal-hole positions and lifetimes change significantly on time scales from months to years, and that the pattern of these changes is clearly linked to the solar-activity cycle. We demonstrate that the lifetimes of low-latitude coronal holes are usually less than one rotation but may extend to almost three years. When plotted over time, the positions of low-latitude coronal holes that remain visible for over one rotation track the sunspot butterfly diagram in terms of their positions on the Sun over a solar cycle. Finally, we confirm that coronal holes do not in general rigidly rotate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic fields suspend the relatively cool material of solar prominences in an otherwise hot corona. A comprehensive understanding of solar prominences ultimately requires complex and dynamic models, constrained and validated by observations spanning the solar atmosphere. We obtain the core of this understanding from observations that give us information about the structure of the “magnetic skeleton” that supports and surrounds the prominence. Energetically-sophisticated magnetohydrodynamic simulations then add flesh and blood to the skeleton, demonstrating how a thermally varying plasma may pulse through to form the prominence, and how the plasma and magnetic fields dynamically interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the solar corona, the free energy, i.e., the excess in magnetic energy over a ground-state potential field, forms the reservoir of energy that can be released during solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Such free energy provides a measure of the magnetic field nonpotentiality. Recent theoretical and observational studies indicate that the presence of nonpotential magnetic fields is imprinted into the structures of infrared, off-limb, coronal polarization. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of exploiting such observations for mapping and studying the accumulation and release of coronal free magnetic energy, with the goal of developing a new tool for identifying "hot spots" of coronal free energy such as those associated with twisted and/or sheared coronal magnetic fields. We applied forward modeling of infrared coronal polarimetry to three-dimensional models of nonpotential and potential magnetic fields. From these we defined a quantitative diagnostic of nonpotentiality that in the future could be calculated from a comparison of infrared, off-limb, coronal polarization observations from, e.g., the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter or the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, and the corresponding polarization signal forward-modeled from a potential field extrapolated from photospheric magnetograms. We considered the relative diagnostic potential of linear and circular polarization, and the sensitivities of these diagnostics to coronal density distributions and assumed boundary conditions of the potential field. Our work confirms the capacity of polarization measurements for diagnosing nonpotentiality and free energy in the solar corona. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new 3D magnetohydrostatic (MHS) direct elliptic solver for extrapolating the coronal magnetic field from photospheric boundary conditions in a manner consistent with an assumed plasma distribution. We use it to study the uniqueness of the reconstructed magnetic field as a function of how significant the plasma forcing is on the force balance of the magnetic field. To this end, we consider an analytic MHS model as ground truth. The model uses two free parameters to decompose the current into two parts: a magnetic-field-aligned component and a cross-field component. We perform a comprehensive study of the 2D parameter space to understand under what conditions the ground truth can be reproduced uniquely. We find that current oriented perpendicular to the magnetic field has a smaller solution space than the same amount of current oriented parallel to the magnetic field, and so MHS regimes with larger proportions of plasma-related forcing may be a promising avenue toward finding unique magnetic field reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding many physical processes in the solar atmosphere requires determination of the magnetic field in each atmospheric layer. However, direct measurements of the magnetic field in the Sun’s corona are difficult to obtain. Using observations with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter, we have determined the spatial distribution of the plasma density in the corona and the phase speed of the prevailing transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves within the plasma. We combined these measurements to map the plane-of-sky component of the global coronal magnetic field. The derived field strengths in the corona, from 1.05 to 1.35 solar radii, are mostly 1 to 4 gauss. Our results demonstrate the capability of imaging spectroscopy in coronal magnetic field diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]