The Sun: New Challenges

Abstract

Solar atmosphere is a single system unified by the presence of large-scale magnetic fields. Topological changes in magnetic fields that occur in one place may have consequences for coronal heating and eruptions for other, even remote locations. Coronal magnetic fields also play role in transport of magnetic helicity from Sun's subphotosphere/upper convection zone to the interplanetary space. We discuss observational evidence pertinent to some aspects of the solar corona being a global interconnected system, i.e., large-scale coronal heating due to new flux emergence, eruption of chromospheric filament resulting from changes in magnetic topology triggered by new flux emergence, sunspots rotation as manifestation of transport of helicity through the photosphere, and potential consequences of re-distribution of energy from solar luminosity to the dynamo for solar cycle variations of solar irradiance.