MHD Simulation of Homologous Eruptions from Solar Active Region 10930 Caused by Sunspot Rotation

TL;DR

This study uses 3D MHD simulations constrained by observational data to investigate how sunspot rotation leads to homologous solar eruptions, highlighting the role of magnetic reconnection and continuous energy injection.

Contribution

It presents a novel simulation approach that links sunspot rotation with homologous eruptions, emphasizing the importance of magnetic reconnection over ideal flux rope instabilities.

Findings

Major eruptions triggered by fast reconnection in pre-formed current sheets.

Simulation reproduces observed features and timing of eruptions.

Sunspot rotation angle matches observed values before eruptions.

Abstract

The relationship between solar eruption and sunspot rotation has been widely reported, and the underlying mechanism requires to be studied. Here we performed a full 3D MHD simulation of data-constrained approach to study the mechanism of flare eruptions in active region (AR) NOAA 10930, which is characterized by continuous sunspot rotation and homologous eruptions. We reconstructed the potential magnetic field from the magnetogram of Hinode/SOT as the initial condition and drove the MHD system by applying continuous sunspot rotation at the bottom boundary. The key magnetic structure before the major eruptions and the pre-formed current sheet were derived, which is responsible for the complex MHD evolution with multiple stages. The major eruptions were triggered directly by fast reconnection in the pre-formed current sheet above the main polarity inversion line between the two major magnetic polarities of the AR. Furthermore, our simulation shows the homologous eruption successfully. It has reasonable consistence with observations in relative strength, energy release, X-ray and H{\alpha} features and time interval of eruptions. In addition, the rotation angle of the sunspot before the first eruption in the simulation is also close to the observed value. Our simulation offers a scenario different from many previous studies based on ideal instabilities of twisted magnetic flux rope, and shows the importance of sunspot rotation and magnetic reconnection in efficiently producing homologous eruptions by continuous energy injection and impulsive energy release in a recurrent way.