On the Topological Evolution of the Coronal Magnetic Field During the Solar Cycle

Abstract

Using an axisymmetric model that includes the effects of flux emergence and surface transport processes, we calculate the evolution of the photospheric magnetic field over the solar cycle and derive a corresponding sequence of coronal configurations by means of a potential-field source-surface extrapolation. By identifying magnetic neutral points and tracking changes in the total flux within each topological domain, we construct an overall picture of how open and closed flux is transported as the coronal field reverses its polarity: