December 20, 2013, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

December 20, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

The Clues on the Nature of Coronal Heating in Quiet Sun: Nanoflares in The Upper Chromopshere?

V. Airapetian, Sigma Space and NASA/GSFC

We present the results of 2.5 MHD simulations of the emergence of sub-surface magnetic flux into the un-magnetized and magnetized solar atmosphere (coronal hole) with the emerging flux 10^18 Mx and study its dynamics as it interacts with the open background field. Our high spatial resolution simulations with a generalized Ohm's law that include anisotropic electric resistivity under low/partial ionization of the solar photosphere/chromosphere. Specifically, our simulations resolve current sheets and outflows from numerous microflares observed at the boundaries of a coronal hole occurred in a partially ionized solar atmosphere. We discuss a possibility that resistive heating provided by nanoflares in the upper chromosphere may play a crucial role in depositing energy and momentum in the solar corona and explain the coronal heating rates in the quiet Sun.