Formation and heating of the solar corona — theory and simulation Original Research Article

It is suggested that the interaction of the fluid and the magnetic aspects of a plasma (magneto-fluid) may be a crucial element in determining the characteristics of the diverse structures comprising the solar corona. It is proposed that these structures owe their origin to particle (plasma) flows observed near the Sunʹs surface, and are heated during their very formation by viscous damping of the flow kinetic energy. The two-fluid equations, where we keep the flow vorticity and viscosity effects (Hall MHD), are used. Two heating mechanisms, one based on the non-linear steepening of supersonic flows, and the other based on the recently found property of the magnetofluid equilibrium that substantial, fastly varying (spatially) velocity field components can coexist with smooth magnetic fields, are explored. It is shown that ordinary viscosity can efficiently damp the short-scale velocity component to provide a major part of the primary heating needed to create and maintain the bright Corona.