Applications of magnetic winding

Dr David Mactaggart (University of Glasgow)

Thursday 10th February, 2022 14:00-15:00 Room 110/ZOOM (ID: 940 1661 4917)

Abstract

A new description of the topology of magnetic field lines in terms of their pairwise winding has recently been developed and given the highly original name: magnetic winding. This quantity is a renormalisation of magnetic helicity but, despite this close connection, winding and helicity can provide very different information about magnetic fields. In this talk, I will discuss two applications of magnetic winding to problems in solar physics. The first is to provide direct evidence that solar active regions are formed by the emergence of pre-twisted magnetic tubes - a property that was often assumed but also debated strongly. The second application is the robust prediction of solar flares. Initial tests show promising results that magnetic winding holds the key to flare predictions in both space and time, resulting in a significant improvement on present capabilities.

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