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Abstract. Numerical experiments of the emergence of magnetic flux from the uppermost layers of the solar interior to the photosphere and its further eruption into the low atmosphere and corona are carried out. We use idealized models for the initial stratification and magnetic field distribution below the photosphere similar to those used for multidimensional flux emergence experiments in the literature. The energy equation is adiabatic except for the inclusion of ohmic and viscous dissipation terms, which, however, become important only at interfaces and reconnection sites. Three-dimensional experiments for the eruption of magnetic flux both into an unmagnetized corona and into a corona with a preexisting ambient horizontal field are presented. The shocks preceding the rising plasma present the classical structure of nonlinear Lamb waves. The expansion of the matter when rising into the atmosphere takes place preferentially in the horizontal directions: a flattened (or oval) low plasma-β ball ensues, in which the field lines describe loops in the corona with increasing inclination away from the vertical as one goes toward the sides of the structure. Magnetograms and velocity field distributions on horizontal planes are presented simultaneously for the solar interior and various levels in the atmosphere. Since the background pressure and density drop over many orders of magnitude with increasing height, the adiabatic expansion of the rising plasma yields very low temperatures. To avoid this, the entropy of the rising fluid elements should be increased to the high values of the original atmosphere via heating mechanisms not included in the present numerical experiments. The eruption of magnetic flux into a corona with a preexisting magnetic field pointing in the horizontal direction yields a clear case of essentially three-dimensional reconnection when the upcoming and ambient field systems come into contact. The coronal ambient field is chosen at time t = 0 perpendicular to the direction of the tube axis and thus, given the twist of the magnetic tube, almost anti-parallel to the field lines at the upper boundary of the rising plasma ball. A thin, dome-shaped current layer is formed at the interface between the two flux systems, in which ohmic dissipation and heating are taking place. The reconnection proceeds by merging successive layers on both sides of the reconnection site; however, this occurs not only at the cusp of the interface, but, also, gradually along its sides in the direction transverse to the ambient magnetic field. The topology of the magnetic field in the atmosphere is thereby modified: the reconnected field lines typically are part of the flanks of the tube below the photosphere but then join the ambient field system in the corona and reach the boundaries of the domain as horizontal field lines.

Coronal jets represent important manifestations of ubiquitous solar transients, which may be the source of significant mass and energy input to the upper solar atmosphere and the solar wind. While the energy involved in a jet-like event is smaller than that of "nominal" solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), jets share many common properties with these phenomena, in particular, the explosive magnetically driven dynamics. Studies of jets could, therefore, provide critical insight for understanding the larger, more complex drivers of the solar activity. On the other side of the size-spectrum, the study of jets could also supply important clues on the physics of transients close or at the limit of the current spatial resolution such as spicules. Furthermore, jet phenomena may hint to basic process for heating the corona and accelerating the solar wind; consequently their study gives us the opportunity to attack a broad range of solar-heliospheric problems.Comment: 53 pages, 24 figure

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Aims. We study the emergence of magnetic flux from the near-surface layers of the solar convection zone into the photosphere. Methods. To model magnetic flux emergence, we carried out a set of numerical radiative magnetohydrodynamics simulations. Our simulations take into account the effects of compressibility, energy exchange via radiative transfer, and partial ionization in the equation of state. All these physical ingredients are essential for a proper treatment of the problem. Furthermore, the inclusion of radiative transfer allows us to directly compare the simulation results with actual observations of emerging flux. Results. We find that the interaction between the magnetic flux tube and the external flow field has an important influence on the emergent morphology of the magnetic field. Depending on the initial properties of the flux tube (e.g. field strength, twist, entropy etc.), the emergence process can also modify the local granulation pattern. The emergence of magnetic flux tubes with a flux of 10 19 Mx disturbs the granulation and leads to the transient appearance of a dark lane, which is coincident with upflowing material. These results are consistent with observed properties of emerging magnetic flux.