Dynamics of Complex Magnetic Fields: From the corona to the solar wind

This project, entitled "Dynamics of Complex Magnetic Fields: From the corona to the solar wind'', is a continuation of a successful collaboration between the researchers of the Universities of Dundee and Durham on the entangled nature of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere. The corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, is a dynamic plasma permeated by a magnetic field. This magnetic field is responsible for creating long-lived structures such as coronal loops, for heating the corona to its multi-million degree temperatures, and for explosive events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These powerful explosions lead to major space weather events at Earth, creating the Northern and Southern lights but also having the potential for damaging economic impacts on engineered systems, ranging from satellites and communication systems to power grids and pipelines. It is becoming apparent that forecasting the occurrence and impact of space weather events cannot rely on static extrapolation models but requires a deep understanding of the dynamical behaviour of the Sun's magnetic field. Details of the complex, three-dimensional magnetic fields in the Sun's corona are a critical part of the space weather chain of events. At the same time, it is important to understand the manner in which these magnetic structures evolve in the solar wind as they are carried out towards Earth. This consortium aims to address these questions, as part of a wider goal in the scientific community of understanding the formation of structures in astrophysical plasmas.

Different projects within the consortium will focus on different aspects of the chain of events. We will address problems such as: How can we best model the build-up of coronal magnetic structure over time? What is the nature of the twisted magnetic "flux ropes" that form in the corona, and how does their structure evolve as they erupt and form coronal mass ejections? Where is the source of the non-steady slow component of the solar wind? What is the mechanism that makes the Sun's corona so hot? What controls the lowest energy state to which the coronal magnetic field can relax, and therefore how much energy is available to heat the plasma? Can we predict the equilibrium structure of the corresponding relaxed states? Common to each of these questions is the challenge of understanding dynamical, multi-scale processes in the Sun's coronal magnetic field.

We will use a combination of numerical simulations and mathematical modelling to tackle these questions, primarily using the non-linear partial differential equations of magnetohydrodynamics. Importantly, the modelling will take input from the latest generation of solar telescopes - several of our models will be directly "data-driven", and observations will be used to validate output (from global simulations of the coronal magnetic field to predictions of the slow solar wind and structure of magnetic clouds at Earth). Combined, the results will help to predict and explain events in the solar corona and to answer STFC's Science Roadmap Challenge B:2 ("How does the Sun influence the environment of the Earth and the rest of the Solar System?"), as well as to understand some of the basic plasma physical processes that go on throughout the Universe.