M dwarf's atmosphere and wind is expected to be highly magnetized. The nonlinear propagation of Alfvén wave could play a key role in both heating the stellar atmosphere and driving the stellar wind. Along this Alfvén wave scenario, we carried out the one-dimensional compressive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation about the nonlinear propagation of Alfvén wave from the M dwarf's photosphere, chromosphere to the corona and interplanetary space. Based on the simulation results, we develop the semi-empirical method describing the solar and M dwarf's coronal temperature, stellar wind velocity, and wind's mass loss rate. We find that M dwarfs' coronae tend to be cooler than solar corona, and that M dwarfs' stellar winds would be characterized with faster velocity and much smaller mass loss rate compared to those of the solar wind.
It is now well accepted that the detection of impulsively generated multiple MHD modes are potentially used in diagnosing the local plasma conditions of the solar corona. Analogously, such analyses can also be significantly used in diagnosing the coronae of X-ray active Sun-like stars. In the present paper, we briefly review the detection of MHD modes in coronae of some X-ray active Sun-like stars, e.g. Proxima Centauri, XI-Boo etc using XMM-Newton observations, and discuss the implications in deriving physical information about their localized magnetic atmosphere. We conclude that the refinem…
High-Resolution Modelling of Coronae and Winds in Solar-type Stars with Varying Rotation Rates II. Stellar Winds
Nanjing University（南京大学）；Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics (Nanjing University), Ministry of Education（教育部现代天文与天体物理重点实验室（南京大学））；Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）；University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学）；Aalto University（阿尔托大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung（马克斯·普朗克太阳系研究所）；Nordita, KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Stockholm University（诺迪塔，皇家理工学院与斯德哥尔摩大学）
Many cool stars possess complex magnetic fields [1] that are considered to undertake a central role in the structuring and energising of their atmospheres [2]. Alfvénic waves are thought to make a critical contribution to energy transfer along these magnetic fields, with the potential to heat plasma and accelerate stellar winds [3] [4] [5]. Despite Alfvénic waves having been identified in the Sun's atmosphere, the nature of the basal wave energy flux is poorly understood. It is generally assumed that the associated Poynting flux is generated solely in the photosphere and propagates into the co…
We review our recent results of Alfven wave-driven winds. First, we present the result of a self-consistent 1D MHD simulations for solar winds from the photosphere to interplanetary region. Here, we emphasize the importance of the reflection of Alfven waves in the density stratified corona and solar winds. We also introduce the recent HINODE observation that might detect the reflection signature of transverse (Alfvenic) waves by Fujimura & Tsuneta (2009). Then, we show the results of Alfven wave-driven winds from red giant stars. We explain the change of the atmosphere properties from steady c…
Chandra HETG spectra of the coronally active binary stars sigma Gem and HR 1099 are among the highest fluence observations for such systems taken at high spectral resolution in x-rays with this instrument. We compare their properties to solar flare spectra obtained with the Russian CORONAS-F RESIK instrument at similar resolution in an overlapping bandpass. We emphasize the comparisons of the 3.3-6.1 A region from solar flare spectra to the corresponding sigma Gem and HR 1099 spectra. We also model the the HETG spectra from 1.7-25 A to determine coronal temperatures and elemental abundances. S…
There have recently been detections of radio emission from low-mass stars, some of which are indicative of star-planet interactions. Motivated by these exciting new results, in this paper we present Alfvén wave-driven stellar wind models of the two active planet-hosting M dwarfs Prox Cen and AU Mic. Our models incorporate large-scale photospheric magnetic field maps reconstructed using the Zeeman-Doppler Imaging method. We obtain a mass-loss rate of $0.25~\dot{M}_{\odot}$ for the wind of Prox Cen. For the young dwarf AU Mic, we explore two cases: a low and high mass-loss rate. Depending on the…
We used the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer to measure the limb-darkened angular diameter of the exoplanet host star kappa CrB and obtained a value of 1.543 +/- 0.009 mas. We calculated its physical radius (5.06 +/- 0.04 R_Sun) and used photometric measurements from the literature with our diameter to determine kappa CrB's effective temperature (4788 +/- 17 K) and luminosity (12.13 +/- 0.09 L_Sun). We then placed the star on an H-R diagram to ascertain the star's age (3.42 +0.32/-0.25 Gyr) and mass (1.47 +/- 0.04 M_Sun) using a metallicity of [Fe/H] = +0.15. With this mass, we calculated…
High-Resolution Modelling of Coronae and Winds in Solar-type Stars with Varying Rotation Rates I. X-ray Coronae
Nanjing University（南京大学）；Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam（波茨坦阿基米德研究所）；SETI Institute（SETI研究所）；University of Potsdam, Institute of Physics and Astronomy（波茨坦大学物理与天文研究所）；Kyoto University（京都大学）；Aalto University（阿尔托大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung（马克斯·普朗克太阳系统研究所）；Nordita, KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Stockholm University（北欧理论天体物理学中心，瑞典皇家理工学院与斯德哥尔摩大学）
Measurements of the magnetic field in the stellar coronae are extremely difficult. Recently, it was proposed that the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) of the Fe X 257 Å line can be used to measure the coronal magnetic field of the Sun. We performed forward modeling with a series of global stellar magnetohydrodynamics models to investigate the possibility of extending this method to other late-type stars. We first synthesized the emissions of several Fe X lines for each stellar model, then calculated the magnetic field strengths using the intensity ratios of Fe X 257 Å to several other F…
Magnetic Heating Across the Sun and Solar-like Stars: Universal Scaling Laws from Chromospheres to Coronae
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency（宇宙航空研究开发机构太空科学研究所）；The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University（京都大学哈库比高级研究中心）；NASA Goddard Space Flight Center（美国国家航空航天局戈达德航天飞行中心）；Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校大气与空间物理实验室）；National Solar Observatory（美国国家太阳天文台）；Department of Applied Physics, Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science and Engineering, Shimane University（岛根大学理工融合学部应用物理系）；American University（美国大学）
The solar wind emanates from the hot and tenuous solar corona. Earlier studies using 1.5 dimensional simulations show that Alfvén waves generated in the photosphere play an important role in coronal heating through the process of non-linear mode conversion. In order to understand the physics of coronal heating and solar wind acceleration together, it is important to consider the regions from photosphere to interplanetary space as a single system. We performed 2.5 dimensional, self-consistent magnetohydrodynamic simulations, covering from the photosphere to the interplanetary space for the firs…
The heating of coronal loops is investigated to understand the observational consequences in terms of the thermodynamics and radiative losses from the Sun as well as the magnetized coronae of stars with an outer convective envelope. The dynamics of the Parker coronal heating model are studied for different ratios of the photospheric forcing velocity timescale $t_p$ to the Alfvén crossing time along a loop $t_A$. It is shown that for $t_p/t_A \gtrsim$ 10--24 the heating rate and maximum temperature are largest and approximately independent of $t_p/t_A$, leading to a strong emission in X-rays an…
The elemental composition in the coronae of low-activity solar-like stars appears to be related to fundamental stellar properties such as rotation, surface gravity, and spectral type. Here we use full-Sun observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, to show that when the Sun is observed as a star, the variation of coronal composition is highly correlated with a proxy for solar activity, the F10.7 cm radio flux, and therefore with the solar cycle phase. Similar cyclic variations should therefore be detectable spectroscopically in X-ray observations of solar analogs. The plasma composition …
M dwarf's atmosphere is expected to be highly magnetized. The magnetic energy can be responsible for heating the stellar chromosphere and corona, and driving the stellar wind. The nonlinear propagation of Alfvén wave is the promising mechanism for both heating stellar atmosphere and driving stellar wind. Based on this Alfvén wave scenario, we carried out the one-dimensional compressive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation to reproduce the stellar atmospheres and winds of TRAPPIST-1, Proxima Centauri, YZ CMi, AD Leo, AX Mic, as well as the Sun. The nonlinear propagation of Alfvén wave from the …
We present direct numerical simulations of inhomogeneous reduced magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) turbulence between the Sun and the Alfvén critical point. These are the first such simulations that take into account the solar-wind outflow velocity and the radial inhomogeneity of the background solar wind without approximating the nonlinear terms in the governing equations. RMHD turbulence is driven by outward-propagating Alfvén waves ($z^+$ fluctuations) launched from the Sun, which undergo partial non-WKB reflection to produce sunward-propagating Alfvén waves ($z^-$ fluctuations). We present ten si…
We investigate off-limb active region and quiet Sun corona using spectroscopic data. Active region is clearly visible in several spectral lines formed in the temperature range of 1.1--2.8 MK. We derive electron number density using line ratio method, and non-thermal velocity in the off-limb region up to the distance of 140 Mm. We compare density scale heights derived from several spectral line pairs with expected scale heights as per hydrostatic equilibrium model. Using several isolated and unblended spectral line profiles, we estimate non-thermal velocities in active region and quiet Sun. Non…
The solar corona is a hot, dynamic, and highly magnetized plasma environment whose source of energy is not yet well understood. One leading contender for that energy source is the dissipation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves or turbulent fluctuations. Many wave-heating models for the corona and the solar wind presume that these fluctuations originate at or below the Sun's photosphere. However, this paper investigates the idea that magnetic reconnection may generate an additional source of MHD waves over a gradual range of heights in the low corona. A time-dependent Monte Carlo simulation of …
Using one-dimensional numerical simulations, we study the elementary process of Alfvén wave reflection in a uniform medium, including nonlinear effects. In the linear regime, Alfvén wave reflection is triggered only by the inhomogeneity of the medium, whereas in the nonlinear regime, it can occur via nonlinear wave-wave interactions. Such nonlinear reflection (backscattering) is typified by decay instability. In most studies of decay instabilities, the initial condition has been a circularly polarized Alfvén wave. In this study we consider a linearly polarized Alfvén wave, which drives density…
We investigated stellar winds from zero/low-metallicity low-mass stars by magnetohydrodynamical simulations for stellar winds driven by \Alfven waves from stars with mass $M_{\star}=(0.6-0.8)M_{\odot}$ and metallicity $Z=(0-1)Z_{\odot}$, where $M_{\odot}$ and $Z_{\odot}$ are the solar mass and metallicity, respectively. \Alfvenic waves, which are excited by the surface convection, travel upward from the photosphere and heat up the corona by their dissipation. For lower $Z$, denser gas can be heated up to the coronal temperature because of the inefficient radiation cooling. The coronal density …
In the solar atmosphere, Alfvén waves are believed to play an important role in the transfer of energy from the photosphere to the corona and solar wind, and in the heating of the chromosphere. We perform numerical computations to investigate energy transport and dissipation associated with torsional Alfvén waves propagating in magnetic flux tubes that expand from the photosphere to the corona in quiet-Sun conditions. We place a broadband driver at the photosphere that injects a wave energy flux of $10^7$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ and consider Ohm's magnetic diffusion and ion-neutral collisions a…
Measurements of the stellar coronal magnetic field are of great importance in understanding the stellar magnetic activity, yet the measurements have been extremely difficult. Recent studies proposed a new method of magnetic field measurements based on the magnetic-field-induced-transition (MIT) of the Fe~{\sc{x}} ion. Here we construct a series of stellar coronal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) models and synthesize several Fe~{\sc{x}} emission lines at extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths, and then diagnose the magnetic field strength at the bases of the coronae using the MIT technique. Our results sho…
Active regions are open wounds in the Sun's surface. Seismic oscillations from the interior pass through them into the atmosphere, changing their nature in the process to fast and slow magneto-acoustic waves. The fast waves then partially reflect and partially mode convert to upgoing and downgoing Alfvén waves. The reflected fast and downgoing Alfvén waves then re-enter the interior through the active regions that spawned them, infecting the surface seismology with signatures of the atmosphere. Using numerical simulations of waves in uniform magnetic fields, we calculate the upward acoustic an…
Nature of Transonic Sub-Alfvénic Turbulence and Density Fluctuations in the Near-Sun Solar Wind: Insights from Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations and Nearly-Incompressible Models
University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）；University of Alabama in Huntsville（阿拉巴马大学亨茨维尔分校）；Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR)（空间等离子体与航空研究发展中心）
The tenuous supersonic solar wind that streams from the top of the corona passes through a natural boundary -- the Alfvén surface -- that marks the causal disconnection of individual packets of plasma and magnetic flux from the Sun itself. The Alfvén surface is the locus where the radial motion of the accelerating solar wind passes the radial Alfvén speed, and therefore any displacement of material cannot carry information back down into the corona. It is thus the natural outer boundary of the solar corona, and the inner boundary of interplanetary space. Using a new and unique motion analysis …
Alfven waves are considered to be viable transporters of the non-thermal energy required to heat the Sun's quiescent atmosphere. An abundance of recent observations, from state-of-the-art facilities, have reported the existence of Alfven waves in a range of chromospheric and coronal structures. Here, we review the progress made in disentangling the characteristics of transverse kink and torsional linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. We outline the simple, yet powerful theory describing their basic properties in (non-)uniform magnetic structures, which closely resemble the building blocks of…
Within the coronae of stars, abundances of those elements with low first ionization potential (FIP) often differ from their photospheric values. The coronae of the Sun and solar-type stars mostly show enhancements of low- FIP elements (the FIP effect) while more active stars such as M-dwarfs have coronae generally characterized by the inverse-FIP effect (I-FIP). Here we observe patches of I-FIP effect solar plasma in AR 12673, a highly complex beta/gamma/delta active region. We argue that the umbrae of coalescing sunspots and more specifically strong light bridges within the umbrae, are prefer…
As fundamental parameters of the Sun, the Alfvén radius and angular momentum loss determine how the solar wind changes from sub-Alfvénic to super-Alfvénic and how the Sun spins down. We present an approach to determining the solar wind angular momentum flux based on observations from Parker Solar Probe (PSP). A flux of about $0.15\times10^{30}$ dyn cm sr$^{-1}$ near the ecliptic plane and 0.7:1 partition of that flux between the particles and magnetic field are obtained by averaging data from the first four encounters within 0.3 au from the Sun. The angular momentum flux and its particle compo…
A simple model of a periodic ensemble of closely packed flux tubes sitting atop a vertically stratified layer reveals that an incident fast wave from below preferentially converts almost immediately to Alfvén waves in the flux tubes, with kink waves restricted to at most a very few Fourier modes. This suggests that observations of coronal kink modes in such structured systems may greatly underestimate the net wave energy flux being transported into and through the corona, much of which may reside in harder-to-observe Alfvén waves. The processes of mode conversion/resonant absorption and Alfvén…
Here we investigate the contribution of surface Alfven wave damping to the heating of the solar wind in minima conditions. These waves are present in regions of strong inhomogeneities in density or magnetic field (e. g., the border between open and closed magnetic field lines). Using a 3-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model, we calculate the surface Alfven wave damping contribution between 1-4 solar radii, the region of interest for both acceleration and coronal heating. We consider waves with frequencies lower than those that are damped in the chromosphere and on the order of those do…
Our understanding of the structure and dynamics of stellar coronae has changed dramatically with the availability of surface maps of both star spots and also magnetic field vectors. Magnetic field extrapolations from these surface maps reveal surprising coronal structures for stars whose masses and hence internal structures and dynamo modes may be very different from that of the Sun. Crucial factors are the fraction of open magnetic flux (which determines the spin-down rate for the star as it ages) and the location and plasma density of closed-field regions, which determine the X-ray and radio…
The photospheric temperature minimum in the Sun and solar-like stars is very weakly ionized, with ionization fraction $f$ as low as $10^{-4}$. In galactic star forming regions, $f$ can be $10^{-10}$ or lower. Under these circumstances, the Hall current can couple low frequency Alfvén and magneto\-acoustic waves via the dimensionless Hall parameter $ε=ω/Ω_\text{i}f$, where $ω$ is the wave frequency and $Ω_\text{i}$ is the mean ion gyrofrequency. This is analysed in the context of a cold (zero-$β$) plasma, and in less detail for a warm plasma. It is found that Hall coupling preferentially occurs…
We have performed a 2.5 dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation that resolves the propagation and dissipation of Alfven waves in the solar atmosphere. Alfvenic fluctuations are introduced on the bottom boundary of the extremely large simulation box that ranges from the photosphere to far above the solar wind acceleration region. Our model is ab initio in the sense that no corona and no wind are assumed initially.The numerical experiment reveals the quasi-steady solution that has the transition from the cool to the hot atmosphere and the emergence of the high speed wind. The global structure…
The instrumental advances made in this new era of 4-meter class solar telescopes with unmatched spectropolarimetric accuracy and sensitivity, will enable the study of chromospheric magnetic fields and their dynamics with unprecedented detail. In this regard, spectropolarimetric diagnostics can provide invaluable insight into magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) wave processes. MHD waves and, in particular, Alfvénic fluctuations associated to particular wave modes, were recently recognized as important mechanisms not only for the heating of the outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere and the acceleration of…
The well-observed acoustic halo is an enhancement in time-averaged Doppler velocity and intensity power with respect to quiet-sun values which is prominent for weak and highly inclined field around the penumbra of sunspots and active regions. We perform 3D linear wave modelling with realistic distributed acoustic sources in a MHS sunspot atmosphere and compare the resultant simulation enhancements with multi-height SDO observations of the phenomenon. We find that simulated halos are in good qualitative agreement with observations. We also provide further proof that the underlying process respo…
The Alfvén wave (AW) is the most common fluctuation present within the emitted solar wind from the Sun. Moreover, the interaction between interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) and high-speed stream (HSS) has been observed on several occasions. However, can such interaction generate an AW? What will be the nature of AW in such a scenario remains an open question. To answer it, we have investigated an ICME-HSS interaction event observed on 21st October 1999 at 1 AU by Wind spacecraft. We have used the Walén test to identify AW and estimated Elsasser variables to find the characteristics of…
Coronal elemental abundances are known to deviate from the photospheric values of their parent star, with the degree of deviation depending on the First Ionization Potential (FIP). This study focuses on the coronal composition of stars with super-solar photospheric abundances. We present the coronal abundances of six such stars: 11 LMi, $ι$ Hor, HR 7291, $τ$ Boo, and $α$ Cen A and B. These stars all have high-statistics X-ray spectra, three of which are presented for the first time. The abundances measured in this paper are obtained using the line-resolved spectra of the Reflection Grating Spe…
Magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) Alfvén waves have been a focus of laboratory plasma physics and astrophysics for over half a century. Their unique nature makes them ideal energy transporters, and while the solar atmosphere provides preferential conditions for their existence, direct detection has proved difficult as a result of their evolving and dynamic observational signatures. The viability of Alfvén waves as a heating mechanism relies upon the efficient dissipation and thermalization of the wave energy, with direct evidence remaining elusive until now. Here we provide the first observational ev…
There have recently been detections of radio emission from low-mass stars, some of which are indicative of star-planet interactions. Motivated by these exciting new results, here we present stellar wind models for the active planet-hosting M dwarf AU Mic. Our models incorporate the large-scale photospheric magnetic field map of the star, reconstructed using the Zeeman-Doppler Imaging method. We use our models to assess if planet-induced radio emission could be generated in the corona of AU Mic, through a mechanism analogous to the sub-Alfvénic Jupiter-Io interaction. In the case that AU Mic ha…
We have recently passed the 75th anniversary of one of the most important results in solar and space physics: Hannes Alfvén's discovery of Alfvén waves and the Alfvén speed. To celebrate the anniversary, this article recounts some major episodes in the history of MHD waves. Following an initially cool reception, Alfvén's ideas were propelled into the spotlight by Fermi's work on cosmic rays, the new mystery of coronal heating and, as scientific perception of interplanetary space shifted dramatically and the space race started, detection of Alfvén waves in the solar wind. From then on, interest…
Static distributions of temperature and wind velocity at the transition region are calculated within the framework of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) of completely ionized hydrogen plasma. The numerical solution of the derived equations gives the width of the transition layer between the chromosphere and the corona as a self-induced opacity of high-frequency Alfven waves (AW). The domain wall is direct consequence of the self-consistent MHD treatment of AW propagation. The low-frequency MHD waves coming from the Sun are strongly reflected by the narrow transition layer, while the high-frequency wav…
Alfvén waves as excited in black hole accretion disks and neutron star magnetospheres are the building blocks of turbulence in relativistic, magnetized plasmas. A large reservoir of magnetic energy is available in these systems, such that the plasma can be heated significantly even in the weak turbulence regime. We perform high-resolution three-dimensional simulations of counter-propagating Alfvén waves, showing that an $E_{B_{\perp}}(k_{\perp}) \propto k_{\perp}^{-2}$ energy spectrum develops as a result of the weak turbulence cascade in relativistic magnetohydrodynamics and its infinitely ma…
We analyse nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low-$β$ plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, that constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube w…
Analysis of a database of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and associated flares over the period 1996-2007 finds well-behaved power law relationships between the 1-8 AA flare X-ray fluence and CME mass and kinetic energy. We extrapolate these relationships to lower and higher flare energies to estimate the mass and energy loss due to CMEs from stellar coronae, assuming that the observed X-ray emission of the latter is dominated by flares with a frequency as a function of energy dn/dE=kE^-alpha. For solar-like stars at saturated levels of X-ray activity, the implied losses depend fairly weak…
The origins of the hot solar corona and the supersonically expanding solar wind are still the subject of debate. A key obstacle in the way of producing realistic simulations of the Sun-heliosphere system is the lack of a physically motivated way of specifying the coronal heating rate. Recent one-dimensional models have been found to reproduce many observed features of the solar wind by assuming the energy comes from Alfven waves that are partially reflected, then dissipated by magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. However, the nonlocal physics of wave reflection has made it difficult to apply these …
