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The closed field lines in the solar corona simulated with the measurement-based magnetic field data:
The colors on the sphere represent the polarity of the measurement-based magnetic field data imposed as the boundary value; the blue and red represent the positive (outward) and negative (toward the Sun) magnetic field polarity, respectively. Field lines in some volume are not drawn so that field lines inside the closed-field regions can be well seen. A movie (mpeg, 2.9MB ; mp4, 2MB) shows the coronal field structure, including the connectivity between the two polarities and how it varies with respect to the solar longitude. Another one (mpeg, 2.8MB ; mp4, 2.6MB) has recently been put here just for demonstrative purpose. Enjoy. |
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The field lines in the solar corona and the density at the base of corona:
The contrasts in density and other plasma parameters can be retrieved by using the boundary treatment based on the projected normal characteristic method [c.f. Hayashi, ApJS 2005]. |
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This VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language; gzipped, 148kB) shows the coronal magnetic field lines, and another one (gzipped, 552kB) does both field lines and magnetically inverse surfaces (where Br is zero). |
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The left plot (and mpg or mp4 movie) shows a case of eruptive event; particles are traced in time dependent MHD systems, starting from the site at which a "fireball" with thermal energy comparable with M-class flare is given. |
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Cross-section view of a three-dimensional simulated solar wind structure
on the solar equatorial plane (up to 2000 solar radii) :
This plot depicts the formation of steep gradients or discontinuities at the co-rotating interaction regions (CIR) between faster wind (drawn with green) and slower one (yellow and orange) in the simulated spiral structure of the solar wind. |
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Magnetically neutral region, or heliospheric current sheet (HCS),
in the simulated region, from 30 solar radii to 2030 solar radii (∼9.4AU):
The HCS is the sheet, or thin heliospheric layer, where global magnetic field with different directions (toward the Sun or outward) contacts. Because the Sun rotates, the spiral structures forms. This (rose-like) spiral surface is the contour surface of Br = 0 that well represents the HCS. The red (blue) surface is such that the magnetic field at that side direct toward (outward from) the Sun. |
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The HCS in the region (from 50 solar radii) up to 10050 solar radii (∼47AU):
For drawing the HCS at such distant regions, the contour surface of the Bφ = 0 is a convenient proxy of HCS rather than Br is. Because it takes about one solar rotation period for the solar wind of typical speed to reach several ∼ 10 AU, the HCS apparently rotates 6 times in the regions drawn. The simulated structure gradually and continuously evolves as the consequences of the nonlinear MHD interaction. |