Bifrost Models of the Quiet Sun. I. Comparison with Solar Observations

TL;DR

This study compares two Bifrost simulation models of quiet-Sun magnetic fields with actual solar observations, revealing similarities in heating processes but differences in magnetic bipole strength.

Contribution

The paper introduces two Bifrost models of quiet-Sun magnetic fields and provides a detailed comparison with observational data from SST and IRIS, highlighting their similarities and differences.

Findings

Bifrost magnetic bipoles are generally stronger than observed.

Qualitative similarities in heating processes above emerging fields.

Differences in flux content and bipole strength between models and observations.

Abstract

Studying the emergence of magnetic fields is essential for understanding the physical mechanisms behind various phenomena in the solar atmosphere. Most importantly, the emerging fields offer valuable insights into how energy and mass are transferred to the upper solar atmosphere. As a result, they have garnered significant attention from both observational and theoretical perspectives. In this article, we present two models of quiet-Sun-like magnetic fields generated by the Bifrost code. We compare these models with observations from the Swedish 1-meter Solar Telescope (SST) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). By tracking the magnetic features in both the SST and Bifrost data, we determine the similarities and differences between the fields identified in the models and those observed. We conduct a quantitative comparison of various properties, such as flux content, flux densities, horizontal and line-of-sight velocities, lifetimes, sizes, and surface interactions. Additionally, we identify and analyze the properties of the largest emerging bipoles in the SST and Bifrost data. Our findings indicate that the magnetic bipoles in the Bifrost simulations are generally stronger than those observed with the SST. However, a qualitative comparison of the chromospheric and transition region responses to the emerging fields in the Bifrost models, SST, and IRIS observations shows similar heating processes occurring above and around the emerging fields. Finally, we outline our plans for future work aimed at studying the emergence of magnetic fields in the quiet Sun, with a particular focus on the chromosphere and upper atmospheric layers.