Hybrid Data-driven Magnetofrictional and Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of an Eruptive Solar Active Region

Abstract

We present the first results of the hybrid data-driven magnetofrictional (MF) and data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of solar active region NOAA 11158, which produced an X-class flare and coronal mass ejection on 2011 February 15. First, we apply the MF approach to build the coronal magnetic configuration corresponding to the SDO/HMI photospheric magnetograms by using the JSOC PDFI_SS electric field inversions at the bottom boundary of the simulation domain. We then use the preeruptive MF state at about 1.5 hr before the observed X-class flare as the initial state for the MHD simulation, assuming a stratified polytropic solar corona. The MHD run shows that the initial magnetic configuration containing twisted magnetic fluxes and a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic null point is out of equilibrium. We find the eruption of a complex magnetic structure consisting of two magnetic flux ropes, as well as the development of flare ribbons, with their morphology being in good agreement with observations. We conclude that the combination of the data-driven MF and data-constrained MHD simulations is a useful practical tool for understanding the 3D magnetic structures of real solar ARs that are unobservable otherwise.

Keywords

• Solar filament eruptions
• Solar coronal mass ejections
• Solar flares
• Magnetohydrodynamical simulations