Can the Solar Wind be Driven by Magnetic Reconnection in the Sun's Magnetic Carpet?

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 720; no. 1; pp. 824 - 847
• Main Authors: Cranmer, Steven R, van Ballegooijen, Adriaan A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.09.2010; IOP
• Subjects: Astronomy; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ATMOSPHERES; CALCULATION METHODS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; FLUID MECHANICS; FLUX DENSITY; HYDRODYNAMICS; MAGNETIC FLUX; MAGNETIC RECONNECTION; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS; MAIN SEQUENCE STARS; MECHANICS; MONTE CARLO METHOD; PHOTOSPHERE; SIMULATION; SOLAR ACTIVITY; SOLAR ATMOSPHERE; SOLAR CORONA; SOLAR WIND; STARS; STELLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR ATMOSPHERES; STELLAR CORONAE; STELLAR WINDS; SUN; Closed loop; Solar corona; Magnetic flux; Plasma; Magnetic reconnection; Field line; Magnetohydrodynamics; Turbulence; plasmas; Flux tubes; Sun: corona; Coronal holes; Sun: photosphere; Density distribution; Sun; Monte Carlo methods; Flux density; Models; Magnetic fields; Energy transfer; Solar wind; magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/720/1/824

The physical processes that heat the solar corona and accelerate the solar wind remain unknown after many years of study. Some have suggested that the wind is driven by waves and turbulence in open magnetic flux tubes, and others have suggested that plasma is injected into the open tubes by magnetic reconnection with closed loops. In order to test the latter idea, we developed Monte Carlo simulations of the photospheric 'magnetic carpet' and extrapolated the time-varying coronal field. These models were constructed for a range of different magnetic flux imbalance ratios. Completely balanced models represent quiet regions on the Sun and source regions of slow solar wind streams. Highly imbalanced models represent coronal holes and source regions of fast wind streams. The models agree with observed emergence rates, surface flux densities, and number distributions of magnetic elements. Despite having no imposed supergranular motions in the models, a realistic network of magnetic 'funnels' appeared spontaneously. We computed the rate at which closed field lines open up (i.e., recycling times for open flux), and we estimated the energy flux released in reconnection events involving the opening up of closed flux tubes. For quiet regions and mixed-polarity coronal holes, these energy fluxes were found to be much lower than that which is required to accelerate the solar wind. For the most imbalanced coronal holes, the energy fluxes may be large enough to power the solar wind, but the recycling times are far longer than the time it takes the solar wind to accelerate into the low corona. Thus, it is unlikely that either the slow or fast solar wind is driven by reconnection and loop-opening processes in the magnetic carpet.