Three-dimensional numerical simulation of magnetohydrodynamic-gravity waves and vortices in the solar atmosphere

TL;DR

This study uses 3D numerical simulations to investigate magnetohydrodynamic-gravity waves and vortices in the solar atmosphere, revealing their roles in energy transport and the influence of atmospheric structure on wave dynamics.

Contribution

It presents a novel 3D simulation approach to analyze wave and vortex behavior in the solar atmosphere, highlighting their energy transport mechanisms and effects of atmospheric stratification.

Findings

Waves and vortices propagate from the lower to the upper solar atmosphere.

Vertical and horizontal pulses excite different wave modes and vortex structures.

Energy fluxes suggest waves significantly contribute to coronal heating.

Abstract

With the adaptation of the FLASH code we simulate magnetohydrodynamic-gravity waves and vortices as well as their response in the magnetized three-dimensional (3D) solar atmosphere at different heights to understand the localized energy transport processes. In the solar atmosphere strongly structured by gravitational and magnetic forces, we launch a localized velocity pulse (in horizontal and vertical components) within a bottom layer of 3D solar atmosphere modelled by initial VAL-IIIC conditions, which triggers waves and vortices. The rotation direction of vortices depends on the orientation of an initial perturbation. The vertical driver generates magnetoacoustic-gravity waves which result in oscillations of the transition region, and it leads to the eddies with their symmetry axis oriented vertically. The horizontal pulse excites all magnetohydrodynamic-gravity waves and horizontally oriented eddies. These waves propagate upwards, penetrate the transition region, and enter the solar corona. In the high-beta plasma regions the magnetic field lines move with the plasma and the temporal evolution show that they swirl with eddies. We estimate the energy fluxes carried out by the waves in the magnetized solar atmosphere and conclude that such wave dynamics and vortices may be significant in transporting the energy to sufficiently balance the energy losses in the localized corona. Moreover, the structure of the transition region highly affects such energy transports, and causes the channelling of the propagating waves into the inner corona.