2014/04/01 by S. J. Platten, Sarah J. Platten, Clare E. Parnell +7 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrobiology #Astrophysics #Corona (planetary geology) #Coronal hole #Coronal loop #Coronal mass ejection #Dipole #Dipole model of the Earth's magnetic field #Interplanetary magnetic field #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Magnetic field #Nanoflares #Photosphere #Physics #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solar cycle #Solar minimum #Solar wind #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Topology (electrical circuits) #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201323048
published as Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 565, id.A44, 14 pp. 2014
openalex publication_date 2014/04/01 · arxiv created 2014/06/20 · arxiv updated 2014/06/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Context. The complicated distribution of magnetic flux across the solar photosphere results in a complex web of coronal magnetic field structures. To understand this complexity, the magnetic skeleton of the coronal field can be calculated. The skeleton highlights the (separatrix) surfaces that divide the field into topologically distinct regions, allowing open-field regions on the solar surface to be located. Furthermore, separatrix surfaces and their intersections with other separatrix surfaces (i.e., separators) are important likely energy release sites.