Magnetic Flux Transport and Formation of Filament Channels

Abstract

We present a model of the transport of photospheric and coronal magnetic fields with the aim of explaining the observed global pattern of dextral and sinistral filaments on the quiet sun. The model is based on the assumption that the axial field in a filament channel originates in the surrounding coronal arcade. The model predicts that switchbacks in the polarity inversion line have opposite chirality on the two arms of the switchback: the higher latitude “lead” arm has sinistral (dextral) orientation in the North (South), while the lower latitude “return” arm has dextral (sinistral) orientation. This is in conflict with prominence observations which show that the chirality is the same on the two arms of a switchback. The model predicts the wrong sign of the axial field in polar crown filaments. This suggests that axial field in quiescent filaments are not produced by differential rotation acting on the surrounding coronal arcades.