Reconstruction of the coronal magnetic field

Active region AR 12158 was responsible on 10 September 2014 for multiple eruptive events including an X-class flare (the most energetic flaring events !) and an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection. This image is an illustration of the extrapolation of magnetic field lines above AR 12158 using satellite observations of the Sun's surface recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. This magnetic field configuration is non force-free (NFF) and was obtained using the Hu et al. (2010) method. Magnetic loops emerging from the surface are anchored at points of opposite polarities (positive polarity is displayed in white and negative polarity is displayed in black). These loops extend into the solar corona, thousands of kilometers above the surface.

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For more information:

Bobra, M.G., Sun, X., Hoeksema, J.T., Turmon, M., Liu, Y., Hayashi, K., Barnes, G., Leka, K.D.: 2014, The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Vector Magnetic Field Pipeline : SHARPs - Space-Weather HMI Active Region Patches. Solar Physics, 289, 3549. sur ADS
Hu, Q., Dasgupta, B. : 2008, An Improved Approach to Non-Force-Free Coronal Magnetic Field Extrapolation. Solar Phys, 247, 87. sur ADS
Hu, Q., Dasgupta, B., Choudhary, D.P., Buechner, J. : 2008,A A Practical Approach to Coronal Magnetic Field Extrapolation Based on the Principle of Minimum Dissipation Rate. Astrophys. J., 679, 848. sur ADS
Hu, Q., Dasgupta, B., Derosa, M.L., Buechner, J., Gary, G.A. : 2010, Non-force-free extrapolation of solar coronal magnetic field using vector magnetograms. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 72, 219-223. sur ADS