{
  "id": "1210.2919",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2012-10-10T13:52:05.000Z",
  "updated": "2012-10-10T13:52:05.000Z",
  "title": "Non-neutralized Electric Current Patterns in Solar Active Regions: Origin of the Shear-Generating Lorentz Force",
  "authors": [
    "Manolis K. Georgoulis",
    "Viacheslav S. Titov",
    "Zoran Mikic"
  ],
  "comment": "41 pp, 9 Figures, ApJ, in press - Please notice that the resolution of some figures has been degraded due to size considerations",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.SR"
  ],
  "abstract": "Using solar vector magnetograms of the highest available spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio we perform a detailed study of electric current patterns in two solar active regions: a flaring/eruptive, and a flare-quiet one. We aim to determine whether active regions inject non-neutralized (net) electric currents in the solar atmosphere, responding to a debate initiated nearly two decades ago that remains inconclusive. We find that well-formed, intense magnetic polarity inversion lines (PILs) within active regions are the only photospheric magnetic structures that support significant net current. More intense PILs seem to imply stronger non-neutralized current patterns per polarity. This finding revises previous works that claim frequent injections of intense non-neutralized currents by most active regions appearing in the solar disk but also works that altogether rule out injection of non-neutralized currents. In agreement with previous studies, we also find that magnetically isolated active regions remain globally current-balanced. In addition, we confirm and quantify the preference of a given magnetic polarity to follow a given sense of electric currents, indicating a dominant sense of twist in active regions. This coherence effect is more pronounced in more compact active regions with stronger PILs and must be of sub-photospheric origin. Our results yield a natural explanation of the Lorentz force, invariably generating velocity and magnetic shear along strong PILs, thus setting a physical context for the observed pre-eruption evolution in solar active regions.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2012-10-10T13:52:05.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "solar active regions",
      "non-neutralized electric current patterns",
      "shear-generating lorentz force",
      "magnetic polarity inversion lines",
      "active regions remain"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1088/0004-637X/761/1/61",
      "journal": "The Astrophysical Journal",
      "year": 2012,
      "month": "Dec",
      "volume": 761,
      "number": 1,
      "pages": 61
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 41,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 1190152,
      "adsabs": "2012ApJ...761...61G"
    }
  }
}