Correlated flares in models of a magnetized "canopy"

TL;DR

This paper models the magnetized solar atmosphere using a Lu-Hamilton type model with diffusive driving, revealing power-law distributions in flare sizes and waiting times, suggesting critical behavior influenced by turbulent forcing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel diffusive driving mechanism in a Lu-Hamilton model to simulate turbulent effects in the solar atmosphere.

Findings

Power-law distribution of flare sizes

Power-law distribution of waiting times

Evidence of critical behavior in the model

Abstract

A model of the Lu-Hamilton kind is applied to the study of critical behavior of the magnetized solar atmosphere. The main novelty is that its driving is done via sources undergoing a diffusion. This mimics the effect of a virtual turbulent substrate forcing the system. The system exhibits power-law statistics not only in the size of the flares, but also in the distribution of the waiting times.