The Nonlinear Evolution of Instabilities Driven by Magnetic Buoyancy: A New Mechanism for the Formation of Coherent Magnetic Structures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new nonlinear mechanism for forming coherent magnetic structures through the evolution of magnetic buoyancy instabilities in a stratified solar magnetic field, relevant to active region formation.

Contribution

It presents a novel nonlinear process explaining how magnetic flux concentrations can form from buoyancy instabilities in the Sun's magnetic field.

Findings

Identified a new mechanism for magnetic flux concentration formation.

Demonstrated the nonlinear evolution of buoyancy instabilities in 3D.

Relevance to solar active region formation.

Abstract

Motivated by the problem of the formation of active regions from a deep-seated solar magnetic field, we consider the nonlinear three-dimensional evolution of magnetic buoyancy instabilities resulting from a smoothly stratified horizontal magnetic field. By exploring the case for which the instability is continuously driven we have identified a new mechanism for the formation of concentrations of magnetic flux.