Adjusting the Potential Field Source Surface Height Based on MHD Simulations

Abstract: A potential field solution is widely used to extrapolate the coronal magnetic field above the Sun's surface to a certain height. This model applies the current-free approximation and assumes that the magnetic field is entirely radial beyond the source surface height, which is defined as the radial distance from the center of the Sun. Even though the source surface is commonly specified at 2.5 Rs (solar radii), previous studies have suggested that this value is not optimal in all cases. In this study, we propose a novel approach to specify the source surface height, by comparing the areas of the open magnetic field regions from the potential field solution with predictions made by a magnetohydrodynamics model, in our case the Alfven Wave Solar atmosphere Model. We find that the adjusted source surface height is significantly less than 2.5 Rs near solar minimum, and slightly larger than 2.5 Rs near solar maximum. We also report that the adjusted source surface height can provide a better open flux agreement with the observations near the solar minimum, while the comparison near the solar maximum is slightly worse.