Modeling Solar Magnetic Fields Using Satellite Data

Abstract:

Previous research reconstructed a three-dimensional model of the magnetic field of an active region on the Sun from using solar coronal loops as guides for modeling(Malanushenko et al., ApJ,2009, 707:1044). In this study, we test the consistency of such reconstructions with data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) by applying the aformentioned method to additional active regions with varying amounts of solar activity. To create an initial model of a magnetic field surrounding an active region, we first manually trace the coronal loops on the coronal images in the following wavelengths: 171Å, 193Å, 211Å, 94Å, 131Å, and 335Å. The manually traced loops are then used as a guide for a computer reconstruction of the individual three-dimensional field lines with differing heights and degrees of local twist. The reconstructed field lines are then adjusted by a partially automated algorithm, so that the constructed field line would correspond to a coronal loop on the Sun. These fitted loops serve as a skeleton to create a model of the magnetic field of the active region. We expect that our modeling can be used in future works to predict future solar events. Implications of this ability include being able to prepare a response for a solar event before it happens.