A model for the magnetic field above supergranules

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A model is provided for the inhomogeneous magnetic field structure above a stellar photosphere where the field is concentrated in intense tubes at the downflow regions of a convection pattern. By finding where the magnetic energy is strong or weak compared with the local thermal energy of the gas, the relative importance of magnetic and non-magnetic heating mechanisms can be estimated for those regions where the principal radiative losses occur in solar or stellar chromospheres. For the quiet Sun, slightly over half of the chromospheric emission comes from regions which are essentially non-magnetic. For other stars, the calculations yield a simple working rule which suggests that most late-type stars with fields strong enough to be directly observable will have magnetically dominated chromospheres.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: