TY  - JOUR
A1  - Valori, Gherarod
A1  - Demoulin, Pascal
A1  - Pariat, E.
A1  - Masson, S.
T1  - Accuracy of magnetic energy computations
JF  - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal
N2  - Context. For magnetically driven events, the magnetic energy of the system is the prime energy reservoir that fuels the dynamical evolution. In the solar context, the free energy (i.e., the energy in excess of the potential field energy) is one of the main indicators used in space weather forecasts to predict the eruptivity of active regions. A trustworthy estimation of the magnetic energy is therefore needed in three-dimensional (3D) models of the solar atmosphere, e. g., in coronal fields reconstructions or numerical simulations.
 Aims. The expression of the energy of a system as the sum of its potential energy and its free energy (Thomson's theorem) is strictly valid when the magnetic field is exactly solenoidal. For numerical realizations on a discrete grid, this property may be only approximately fulfilled. We show that the imperfect solenoidality induces terms in the energy that can lead to misinterpreting the amount of free energy present in a magnetic configuration.
 Methods. We consider a decomposition of the energy in solenoidal and nonsolenoidal parts which allows the unambiguous estimation of the nonsolenoidal contribution to the energy. We apply this decomposition to six typical cases broadly used in solar physics. We quantify to what extent the Thomson theorem is not satisfied when approximately solenoidal fields are used.
 Results. The quantified errors on energy vary from negligible to significant errors, depending on the extent of the nonsolenoidal component of the field. We identify the main source of errors and analyze the implications of adding a variable amount of divergence to various solenoidal fields. Finally, we present pathological unphysical situations where the estimated free energy would appear to be negative, as found in some previous works, and we identify the source of this error to be the presence of a finite divergence.
 Conclusions. We provide a method of quantifying the effect of a finite divergence in numerical fields, together with detailed diagnostics of its sources. We also compare the efficiency of two divergence-cleaning techniques. These results are applicable to a broad range of numerical realizations of magnetic fields.
KW  - magnetic fields
KW  - methods: numerical
KW  - Sun: surface magnetism
KW  - Sun: corona
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201220982
SN  - 0004-6361
VL  - 553
IS  - 2
PB  - EDP Sciences
CY  - Les Ulis
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Tepper-Garcia, Thor
A1  - Richter, Philipp
A1  - Schaye, Joop
T1  - Absorption signatures of warm-hot gas at low redshift - ne viii
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - At z < 1 a large fraction of the baryons is thought to reside in diffuse gas that has been shock-heated to high temperatures (10 (5)-10 (6) K). Absorption by the 770.41, 780.32 A doublet of Ne viii in quasar spectra represents a unique tool to study this elusive warm-hot phase. We have developed an analytic model for the properties of Ne viii absorbers that allows for an inhomogeneous metal distribution. Our model agrees with the predictions of a simulation from the OverWhelmingly Large Simulations project indicating that the average line-of-sight metal-filling fraction within the absorbing gas is low (c(L) similar to 0.1). Most of the Ne viii in our model is produced in low-density, collisionally ionized gas (n(H) = 10(-6)-10(-4) cm(-3), T = 10 (5)-10 (6) K). Strong Ne viii absorbers (log(10)(N-NeVIII/cm(-2))14), like those recently detected by Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, are found to arise in higher density gas (n(H) greater than or similar to 10(-4) cm(-3), T approximate to 5 x 10 (5) K). Ne viii cloudlets harbour only 1 per cent of the cosmic baryon budget. The baryon content of the surrounding gas (which has similar densities and temperatures as the Ne viii cloudlets) is a factor c(-1)L higher. We conclude that Ne viii absorbers are robust probes of shock-heated diffuse gas, but that spectra with signal-to-noise ratios S/N > 100 would be required to detect the bulk of the baryons in warm-hot gas.
KW  - methods: analytical
KW  - methods: numerical
KW  - galaxies: formation
KW  - intergalactic medium
KW  - quasars: absorption lines
KW  - cosmology: theory
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt1712
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 436
IS  - 3
SP  - 2063
EP  - 2081
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  -