The Sun's Global Photospheric and Coronal Magnetic Fields: Observations and Models

TL;DR

This review synthesizes current observational and theoretical understanding of the Sun's global magnetic fields, covering photospheric flux transport, coronal modeling, and recent MHD advances, highlighting future research directions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in modeling and observing the Sun's magnetic fields, integrating flux transport and coronal models with new MHD techniques.

Findings

Advances in photospheric magnetic flux transport models.

Development of global coronal magnetic field models.

Recent progress in non-eruptive global MHD models.

Abstract

In this review, our present day understanding of the Sun's global photospheric and coronal magnetic fields is discussed from both observational and theoretical viewpoints. Firstly, the large-scale properties of photospheric magnetic fields are described, along with recent advances in photospheric magnetic flux transport models. Following this, the wide variety of theoretical models used to simulate global coronal magnetic fields are described. From this, the combined application of both magnetic flux transport simulations and coronal modeling techniques to describe the phenomena of coronal holes, the Sun's open magnetic flux and the hemispheric pattern of solar filaments is discussed. Finally, recent advances in non-eruptive global MHD models are described. While the review focuses mainly on solar magnetic fields, recent advances in measuring and modeling stellar magnetic fields are described where appropriate. In the final section key areas of future research are identified.