Kris Murawski

We perform numerical simulations of impulsively generated magnetic swirls in an isolated flux tube that is rooted in the solar photosphere. These swirls are triggered by an initial pulse in a horizontal component of the velocity. The initial pulse is launched either (a) centrally, within the localized magnetic flux tube or (b) off-central, in the ambient medium. The evolution and dynamics of the flux tube are described by three-dimensional, ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations. These equations are numerically solved to reveal that in case (a) dipole-like swirls associated with the fast magnetoacoustic kink and m = 1 Alfvén waves are generated. In case (b), the fast magnetoacoustic kink and m = 0 Alfvén modes are excited. In both these cases, the excited fast magnetoacoustic kink and Alfvén waves consist of a similar flow pattern and magnetic shells are also generated with clockwise and counter-clockwise rotating plasma within them, which can be the proxy of dipole-shaped chromospheric swirls. The complex dynamics of vortices and wave perturbations reveals the channelling of sufficient amount of energy to fulfil energy losses in the chromosphere (∼10⁴ W m⁻¹) and in the corona (∼10² W m⁻¹). Some of these numerical findings are reminiscent of signatures in recent observational data.

Recently Wi\'sniewska et al. demonstrated observationally how the acoustic cutoff frequency varies with height in the solar atmosphere including the upper photosphere and the lower and middle chromosphere, and showed that the observational results cannot be accounted for by the existing theoretical formulas for the acoustic cutoff. In order to reproduce the observed variation of the cutoff with atmospheric height, numerical simulations of impulsively generated acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere are performed, and the spectral analysis of temporal wave profiles is used to compute numerically changes of the acoustic cutoff with height. Comparison of the numerical results with the observational data shows good agreement, which clearly indicates that the obtained results may be used to determine the structure of the background solar atmosphere.

The paper aims to study the response of a solar small-scale and weak magnetic flux tube to photospheric twisting motions. We numerically solve three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations to describe the evolution of the perturbation within the initially static flux tube, excited by twists in the azimuthal component of the velocity. These twists produce rotation of the magnetic field lines. Perturbation of magnetic field lines propagates upwardly, driving vertical and azimuthal flow as well as plasma compressions and rarefactions in the form of eddies. We conclude that these eddies result from the sheared azimuthal flow which seeds Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI) between the flux tube and the ambient medium. Numerically obtained properties of the KHI confirm the analytical predictions for the occurrence of the instability.

Without any doubt solar flaring loops possess a multi-thread internal structure that is poorly resolved and there are no means to observe heating episodes and thermodynamic evolution of the individual threads. These limitations cause fundamental problems in numerical modelling of flaring loops, such as selection of a structure and a number of threads, and an implementation of a proper model of the energy deposition process. A set of 1D hydrodynamic and 2D magnetohydrodynamic models of a flaring loop are developed to compare energy redistribution and plasma dynamics in the course of a prototypical solar flare. Basic parameters of the modeled loop are set according to the progenitor M1.8 flare recorded in the AR10126 on September 20, 2002 between 09:21 UT and 09:50 UT. The non-ideal 1D models include thermal conduction and radiative losses of the optically thin plasma as energy loss mechanisms, while the non-ideal 2D models take into account viscosity and thermal conduction as energy loss mechanisms only. The 2D models have a continuous distribution of the parameters of the plasma across the loop, and are powered by varying in time and space along and across the loop heating flux. We show that such 2D models are a borderline case of a multi-thread internal structure of the flaring loop, with a filling factor equal to one. Despite the assumptions used in applied 2D models, their overall success in replicating the observations suggests that they can be adopted as a correct approximation of the observed flaring structures.

Aims. Propagation and energy transfer of torsional Alfvén waves in solar magnetic flux tubes of axial symmetry is studied. Methods. An analytical model of a solar magnetic flux tube of axial symmetry is developed by specifying a magnetic flux and deriving general analytical formulas for the equilibrium mass density and gas pressure. The main advantage of this model is that it can be easily adopted to any axisymmetric magnetic structure. The model is used to numerically simulate the propagation of nonlinear Alfvén waves in such 2D flux tubes of axial symmetry embedded in the solar atmosphere. The waves are excited by a localized pulse in the azimuthal component of velocity and launched at the top of the solar photosphere, and they propagate through the solar chromosphere, the transition region, and into the solar corona.Results. The results of our numerical simulations reveal a complex scenario of twisted magnetic field lines and flows associated with torsional Alfvén waves, as well as energy transfer to the magnetoacoustic waves that are triggered by the Alfvén waves and are akin to the vertical jet flows. Alfvén waves experience about 5% amplitude reflection at the transition region. Magnetic (velocity) field perturbations that experience attenuation (growth) with height agree with analytical findings. The kinetic energy of magnetoacoustic waves consists of 25% of the total energy of Alfvén waves. The energy transfer may lead to localized mass transport in the form of vertical jets, as well as to localized heating because slow magnetoacoustic waves are prone to dissipation in the inner corona.

Aims. We construct a new analytical model of a solar coronal loop that is embedded in a gravitationally stratified and magnetically confined atmosphere. On the basis of this analytical model, we devise a numerical model of solar coronal loops. We adopt this model to perform the numerical simulations of its vertical kink oscillations excited by an external driver. Methods. Our model of the solar atmosphere is constructed by adopting a realistic temperature distribution and specifying the curved magnetic field lines that constitute a coronal loop. This loop is described by 2D, ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations that are numerically solved by the FLASH code. Results. The vertical kink oscillations are excited by a periodic driver in the vertical component of velocity, which is acting at the top of the photosphere. For this forced driver with its amplitude 3 km s-1, the excited oscillations exhibit about 1.2 km s-1 amplitude in their velocity and the loop apex oscillates with an amplitude in displacement of about 100 km. Conclusions. The newly devised analytical model of the coronal loops is utilized for the numerical simulations of the vertical kink oscillations, which match well with the recent observations of decayless kink oscillations excited in solar loops. The model will have further implications on the study of waves and plasma dynamics in coronal loops, revealing physics of energy and mass transport mechanisms in the localized solar atmosphere.