The Solar Corona: Why It Is Interesting for Us

TL;DR

This paper explores the magnetic structures and processes in the solar corona, emphasizing the role of magnetic reconnection, wave phenomena, and small-scale fields in coronal heating and structural dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed discussion of the magnetic mechanisms behind coronal streamer formation, evolution, and heating, integrating recent insights into reconnection and wave effects.

Findings

Reconnecting current layers shape streamer structure and evolution.

Magnetic reconnection in small-scale fields contributes to coronal heating.

Wave phenomena related to radiative cooling influence active-corona heating.

Abstract

Strong magnetic fields are of vital importance to the physics of the solar corona. They easily move a rarefied coronal plasma. Physical origin of the main structural element of the corona, the so-called coronal streamers, is discussed. It is shown that the reconnecting current layers inside streamers determine their large-scale structure and evolution, including creation, disruption and recovery. Small-scale (fine) magnetic fields in the photosphere experience random motion. Their reconnection appears to be an important source of energy flux for quiet-corona heating. For active-corona heating, the peculiarities of entropy and magnetoacoustic waves, related to radiative cooling, are significant and should be taken into account in the coronal heating theory.