Bradshaw, S J | Search NASA

DOE OSTI2012

ENTHALPY-BASED THERMAL EVOLUTION OF LOOPS. II. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MODEL

This paper develops the zero-dimensional (0D) hydrodynamic coronal loop model 'Enthalpy-based Thermal Evolution of Loops' (EBTEL) proposed by Klimchuk et al., which studies the plasma response to evolving coronal heating, especially impulsive heating events. The basis of EBTEL is the modeling of mass exchange between the corona and transition region (TR) and chromosphere in response to heating variations, with the key parameter being the ratio of the TR to coronal radiation. We develop new models for this parameter that now include gravitational stratification and a physically motivated approach to radiative cooling. A number of examples are presented, including nanoflares in short and long loops, and a small flare. The new features in EBTEL are important for accurate tracking of, in particular, the density. The 0D results are compared to a 1D hydro code (Hydrad) with generally good agreement. EBTEL is suitable for general use as a tool for (1) quick-look results of loop evolution in response to a given heating function, (2) extensive parameter surveys, and (3) situations where the modeling of hundreds or thousands of elemental loops is needed. A single run takes a few seconds on a contemporary laptop.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

A RECONNECTION-DRIVEN RAREFACTION WAVE MODEL FOR CORONAL OUTFLOWS

We conduct numerical experiments to determine whether interchange reconnection at high altitude coronal null points can explain the outflows observed as blueshifts in coronal emission lines at the boundaries between open and closed magnetic field regions. In this scenario, a strong, post-reconnection pressure gradient forms in the field-aligned direction when dense and hot, active region core loops reconnect with neighboring tenuous and cool, open field lines. We find that the pressure gradient drives a supersonic outflow and a rarefaction wave develops in both the open and closed post-reconnection magnetic field regions. We forward-model the spectral line profiles for a selection of coronal emission lines to predict the spectral signatures of the rarefaction wave. We find that the properties of the rarefaction wave are consistent with the observed velocity versus temperature structure of the corona in the outflow regions, where the velocity increases with the formation temperature of the emission lines. In particular, we find excellent agreement between the predicted and observed Fe XII 195.119 A spectral line profiles in terms of the blueshift (10 km s{sup -1}), full width at half-maximum (83 mA) and symmetry. Finally, we find that T{sub i} < T{sub e} in the open field region, which indicates that the interchange reconnection scenario may provide a viable mechanism and source region for the slow solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗