The development of coronal electric current systems in active regions and their relation to filaments and flares

✍ Scribed by W. Tend; M. Kuperus

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 711 KB
• Volume: 59
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0938
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00154935

✦ Synopsis

The equilibrium positions of coronal currents are determined. It is shown that the fact that the photosphere has a very large inertia as compared to the corona, poses an important boundary condition at the surface. Electric currents flowing in a coronal active region show a tendency to concentrate above a neutral line. Only here equilibria are possible, determined at low heights by the background field and at large heights by gravity. An instability may occur when the current at low heights exceeds a certain value. The model given is compared with observations of the corona, of prominences, and of fibril motions. Also, the relation with solar flares is discussed in general terms.