A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation

A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A unified picture of swirl-driven coronal heating: magnetic energy supply and dissipation Hidetaka Kuniyoshi, Shinsuke Imada, Takaaki Yokoyama This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6684973/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The coronal heating problem is one of the most critical challenges in solar physics. Recent observations have revealed that small-scale swirls are ubiquitous in the photosphere and chromosphere, suggesting that they may play a significant role in transferring magnetic energy into the corona. However, the overall contribution of swirls to the total magnetic energy supply and subsequent coronal heating remains uncertain. To address this, we perform statistical analyses of simulated swirls using a three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation extending from the convection zone to the corona in the quiet Sun. Our results reveal that swirls account for approximately half of the total magnetic energy. Furthermore, they strongly suggest that swirls can trigger coronal heating events through magnetic reconnection. The occurrence frequency of these events follows a power-law-like distribution, consistent with observations of coronal heating signatures known as "nanoflares", indicating that swirls are promising candidates as their drivers. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Space physics/Solar physics Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Computational astrophysics Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Astrophysical magnetic fields Solar coronal heating Solar coronal loop Solar chromosphere Radiative magnetohydrodynamics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files supplvideo1.mp4 Supplemental Video 1 supplvideo2.mp4 Supplemental Video 2 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6684973","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":460310337,"identity":"f30b3062-2d04-4ac3-ab0e-68ccf8712f13","order_by":0,"name":"Hidetaka 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