HR: 1330h
AN: SH42B-0516    [PDF]
TI: Observational consequences of a magnetic flux rope topology
AU: * Gibson, S
EM: sgibson@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR/HAO, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Barnes, G
EM: graham@colorado-reserach.com
AF: NCAR/HAO, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Barnes, G
EM: graham@colorado-reserach.com
AF: Colorado Research Associates, 3380 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Demoulin, P
EM: Pascal.Demoulin@obspm.fr
AF: Observitoire de Paris, Section Meudon DASOP, Paris, 11111 France
AU: Fan, Y
EM: yfan@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR/HAO, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Fisher, G
EM: fisher@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab, UCB/SSL Centennial Dr. at Grizzly Peak, Berkeley, CA 94701 United States
AU: Leka, K
EM: kleka@solar.stanford.edu
AF: Colorado Research Associates, 3380 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Longcope, D
EM: dana@mithra.physics.montana.edu
AF: Montana State University, Department of Physics Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717 United States
AU: Mandrini, C
EM: mandrini@iafe.uba.ar
AF: IAFE, Instituto de Astronmia y Fisica del Espacio, Buenos Aires, 11111 Argentina
AU: Metcalf, T
EM: metcalf@lmsal.com
AF: LMSAL, LMSAL Advanced Technology Center Dept. H1-12, Bldg. 252 3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304 United States
AB: We consider the implications of a magnetic flux rope topology for the interpretation of observations of sigmoidal active regions. A region of tangential magnetic discontinuities can be identified using techniques that determine a bald patch (BP) and corresponding separatrices or a quasi-separatrix layer (QSL) -- for a flux rope this region can be S-shaped, or sigmoidal. If such a region is physically driven, current sheets can form yielding conditions appropriate for reconnective heating. Using a numerical simulation of an emerging flux rope driven by the kink instability, Fan and Gibson (ApJL, 2003) showed that current sheets indeed formed a sigmoidal surface. In this poster we will demonstrate that the current sheets formed on the BP and BP separatrices. Moreover, we will use the results of the numerical simulation as proxies for observations: specifically the simulated field at the photosphere as proxy for the magnetic boundary condition, the sigmoidal current sheets as proxy for the X-ray active region emission, and the location of dipped magnetic field lines as proxy for a filament. We will then consider to what extent such observations might be used to understand and constrain the basic properties of the coronal field.
DE: 7509 Corona
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7524 Magnetic fields
DE: 7531 Prominence eruptions
SC: SPA - Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting