arXiv subjects

R. Erdelyi

Publications and source records attributed to R. Erdelyi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

On the formation height of low-corona and chromospheric channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

The multi-wavelength data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is extensively used in studying the physics of the Sun and its atmosphere. In this study, we estimate the formation heights of low-corona and chromospheric channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) over the atmospheres of sunspot umbrae during the quiet condition period within 20 different active regions. The upward propagating slow magnetoacoustic waves (slow MAWs) of 3-min period, which are perpetually present in sunspots, are utilized for this purpose. Employing a cross-correlation technique, the most frequent time lag between different channel pairs is measured. By combining this information with the local sound speed obtained from the characteristic formation temperatures of individual channels, we estimate the respective formation heights. The median values of formation heights obtained across all active regions in our sample are 356, 368, 858, 1180, and 1470 km, respectively, for the AIA 1600 {\AA}, 1700 {\AA}, 304 {\AA}, 131 {\AA}, and 171 {\AA} channels. The corresponding ranges in the formation heights are 247 $\--$ 453, 260 $\--$ 468, 575 $\--$ 1155, 709 $\--$ 1937, and 909 $\--$ 2585 km, respectively. These values are measured with respect to the HMI continuum. We find the formation height of UV channels is quite stable (between 250 $\--$ 500 km) and displays only a marginal difference between the AIA 1600 {\AA} and 1700 {\AA} during quiet conditions. On the other hand, the formation height of coronal channels is quite variable.

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arXiv2023

DKIST unveils the serpentine topology of quiet Sun magnetism in the photosphere

We present the first quiet Sun spectropolarimetric observations obtained with the Visible SpectroPolarimeter (ViSP) at the $4-$m Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). We recorded observations in a wavelength range that includes the magnetically sensitive Fe I $6301.5/6302.5$ $Å$ doublet. With an estimated spatial resolution of 0.08'', this represents the highest spatial resolution full-vector spectropolarimetric observations ever obtained of the quiet Sun. We identified $53$ small-scale magnetic elements, including $47$ magnetic loops and $4$ unipolar magnetic patches, with linear and circular polarisation detected in all of them. Of particular interest is a magnetic element in which the polarity of the magnetic vector appears to change three times in only $400$ km and which has linear polarisation signals throughout. We find complex Stokes $V$ profiles at the polarity inversion lines of magnetic loops and discover degenerate solutions, as we are unable to conclusively determine whether these arise due to gradients in the atmospheric parameters or smearing of opposite polarity signals. We analyse a granule which notably has linear and circular polarisation signals throughout, providing an opportunity to explore its magnetic properties. On this small scale we see the magnetic field strength range from $25$ G at the granular boundary to $2$ kG in the intergranular lane (IGL), and sanity check the values with the weak and strong field approximations. A value of $2$ kG in the IGL is among the highest measurements ever recorded for the internetwork.

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arXiv2020

Testing and Validating Two Morphological Flare Predictors by Logistic Regression Machine Learning

Whilst the most dynamic solar active regions (ARs) are known to flare frequently, predicting the occurrence of individual flares and their magnitude, is very much a developing field with strong potentials for machine learning applications. The present work is based on a method which is developed to define numerical measures of the mixed states of ARs with opposite polarities. The method yields compelling evidence for the assumed connection between the level of mixed states of a given AR and the level of the solar eruptive probability of this AR by employing two morphological parameters: (i) the separation parameter $S_{l-f}$ and (ii) the sum of the horizontal magnetic gradient $G_{S}$. In this work, we study the efficiency of $S_{l-f}$ and $G_{S}$ as flare predictors on a representative sample of ARs, based on the SOHO/MDI-Debrecen Data (SDD) and the SDO/HMI - Debrecen Data (HMIDD) sunspot catalogues. In particular, we investigate about 1000 ARs in order to test and validate the joint prediction capabilities of the two morphological parameters by applying the logistic regression machine learning method. Here, we confirm that the two parameters with their threshold values are, when applied together, good complementary predictors. Furthermore, the prediction probability of these predictor parameters is given at least 70\% a day before.

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arXiv2020

Differences in periodic magnetic helicity injection behaviour between flaring and non-flaring Active Regions: Case Study

The evolution of magnetic helicity has a close relationship with solar eruptions and is of interest as a predictive diagnostic. In this case study, we analyse the evolution of the normalised emergence, shearing and total magnetic helicity components in the case of three flaring and three non-flaring active regions (ARs) using SHARPs (Spaceweather Helioseismic Magnetic Imager Active Region Patches) vector magnetic field data. The evolution of the three magnetic helicity components is analysed with wavelet transforms, revealing significant common periodicities of the normalised emergence, shearing and total helicity fluxes before flares in the flaring ARs. The three non-flaring ARs do not show such common periodic behaviour. This case study suggests that the presence of significant periodicities in the power spectrum of magnetic helicity components could serve as a valuable precursor for flares.

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arXiv2020

Solar Flare Prediction Using Magnetic Field Diagnostics Above the Photosphere

In this article, we present the application of the weighted horizontal gradient of magnetic field (WGM) flare prediction method to 3-dimensional (3D) extrapolated magnetic configurations of 13 flaring solar active regions (ARs). The main aim is to identify an optimal height range, if any, in the interface region between the photosphere and lower corona, where the flare onset time prediction capability of WGM is best exploited. The optimal height is where flare prediction, by means of the WGM method, is achieved earlier than at the photospheric level. 3D magnetic structures, based on potential and non-linear force-free field extrapolations, are constructed to study a vertical range from the photosphere up to the low corona with a 45 km step size. The WGM method is applied as a function of height to all 13 flaring AR cases that are subject to certain selection criteria. We found that applying the WGM method between 1000 and 1800 km above the solar surface would improve the prediction of the flare onset time by around 2-8 hours.Certain caveats and an outlook for future work along these lines are also discussed.

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arXiv2018

Varying Driver Velocity Fields in Photospheric MHD Wave Simulations

Torsional motions are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere. In this work, we perform 3D numerical simulations which mimic a vortex-type photospheric driver with a Gaussian spatial profile. This driver is implemented to excite MHD waves in an axially symmetric, 3D magnetic flux tube embedded in a realistic solar atmosphere. The Gaussian width of the driver is varied and the resulting perturbations are compared. Velocity vectors were decomposed into parallel, perpendicular and azimuthal components with respect to pre-defined magnetic flux surfaces. These components correspond broadly to the fast, slow and Alfven modes, respectively. From these velocities the corresponding wave energy fluxes are calculated, allowing us to estimate the contribution of each mode to the energy flux. For the narrowest driver ($0.15$ Mm) the parallel component accounts for $\sim 55 - 65\%$ of the flux. This contribution increases smoothly with driver width up to nearly $90\%$ for the widest driver ($0.35$ Mm). The relative importance of the perpendicular and azimuthal components decrease at similar rates. The azimuthal energy flux varied between $\sim 35\%$ for the narrowest driver and $< 10\%$ for the widest one. Similarly, the perpendicular flux was $\sim 25 - 10\%$. We also demonstrate that the fast mode corresponds to the sausage wave in our simulations. Our results therefore show that the fast sausage wave is easily excited by this driver and that it carries the majority of the energy transported. For this vortex-type driver the Alfven wave does not contribute a significant amount of energy.

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arXiv2018

Applying the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient method to a simulated flaring Active Region

Here, we test the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient ($WG_M$) as a flare precursor, introduced by Korsos et. al. (2015, ApJ, 802, L21), by applying it to a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of solar-like flares Chatterjee et. al. (2016, Physical Review Letters, 116, 10, 101101). The pre-flare evolution of the $WG_M$ and the behavior of the distance parameter between the area-weighted barycenters of opposite polarity sunspots at various heights is investigated in the simulated $δ$-type sunspot. Four flares emanated from this sunspot. We found the optimum heights above the photosphere where the flare precursors of the $WG_M$ method are identifiable prior to each flare. These optimum heights agree reasonably well with the heights of the occurrence of flares identified from the analysis of their thermal and Ohmic heating signatures in the simulation. We also estimated the expected time of the flare onsets from the duration of the approaching-receding motion of the barycenters of opposite polarities before each single flare. The estimated onset time and the actual time of occurrence of each flare are in good agreement at the corresponding optimum heights. This numerical experiment further supports the use of flare precursors based on the $WG_M$ method.

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arXiv2018

On Quasi-biennial oscillations in chromospheric macrospicules and their potential relation to global solar magnetic field

This study aims to provide further evidence for the potential influence of the global solar magnetic field on localised chromospheric jets, the macrospicules (MS). To find a connection between the long-term variation of properties of MS and other solar activity proxies, including e.g. the temporal variation of the frequency shift of solar global oscillations, sunspot area, etc., a database overarching seven years of observations was built up. This database contains 362 MS, based on observations at the 30.4 nm of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on-board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Three of the five investigated physical properties of MS show a clear long-term temporal variation after smoothing the raw data. Wavelet analysis of the temporal variation of maximum length, maximum area and average velocity is carried out. The results reveal a strong pattern of periodicities at around 2-year (also referred to as Quasi-Biennial Oscillations -- QBOs). Comparison to solar activity proxies, that also possess the properties of QBOs, provides some interesting features: the minima and maxima of QBOs of MS properties occur at around the same epoch as the minima and maxima of these activity proxies. For most of the time span investigated, the oscillations are out-of-phase. This out-of-phase behaviour was also corroborated by a cross-correlation analysis. These results suggest that the physical processes, that generate and drive the long-term evolution of the global solar activity proxies, may be coupled to the short-term local physical processes driving the macrospicules, and, therefore modulate the properties of local dynamics.

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arXiv2018

Detailed analysis of dynamic evolution of three Active Regions before flare and CME occurrence at the photospheric level

We present a combined analysis of the applications of the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient (denoted as WG_M in Korsos et al., ApJ, 802, L21, 2015) method and the magnetic helicity tool (Berger & Field, JFM, 147, 133, 1984) employed for three active regions (ARs), namely NOAA AR11261, AR11283 and AR11429. All three active regions produced series flares and CMEs. We followed the evolution of the components of the WG_M and the magnetic helicity before the flare and CME occurrences. We found an unique and mutually shared behavior, called the U-shaped pattern, of the weighted distance component of WG_M and of the shearing component of the helicity flux before the flare and CME eruptions. This common pattern is associated with the decreasing-receding phase yet reported only known to be a necessary feature prior to solar flare eruption(s), but found now at the same time in the evolution of the shearing helicity parameter. This result leads to the conclusion that (i) the shearing motion of photospheric magnetic field may be a key driver for the solar eruption in addition to the flux emerging process, and that (ii) the found decreasing-approaching pattern in the evolution of shearing helicity may be another precursor indicator for improving the forecasting of solar eruptions.

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arXiv2018

On the evolution of pre-flare patterns of a 3-dimensional model of AR 11429

We apply a novel pre-flare tracking of sunspot groups towards improving the estimation of flare onset time by focusing on the evolution of the 3D magnetic field construction of AR 11429. The 3D magnetic structure is based on potential field extrapolation encompassing a vertical range from the photosphere through the chromosphere and transition region into the low corona. The basis of our proxy measure of activity prediction is the so-called weighted horizontal gradient of magnetic field (WG_M) defined between spots of opposite polarities close to the polarity inversion line of an active region. The temporal variation of the distance of the barycenter of the opposite polarities is also found to possess potentially important diagnostic information about the flare onset time estimation as function of height similar to its counterpart introduced initially in an application at the photosphere only in Korsos et al. (2015). We apply the photospheric pre-flare behavioural patterns of sunspot groups to the evolution of their associated 3D-constructed AR 11429 as function of height. We found that at a certain height in the lower solar atmosphere the onset time may be estimated much earlier than at the photosphere or at any other heights. Therefore, we present a tool and recipe that may potentially identify the optimum height for flare prognostic in the solar atmosphere allowing to improve our flare prediction capability and capacity.

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arXiv2017

An application of the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient to solar compact and eruptive events

We propose to apply the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient ($WG_{M}$), introduced in Korsos et al (2015), for analysing the pre-flare and pre-CME behaviour and evolution of Active Regions (ARs) using the SDO/HMI-Debrecen Data catalogue. To demonstrate the power of investigative capabilities of the $WG_M$ method, in terms of flare and CME eruptions, we studied two typical ARs, namely, AR 12158 and AR 12192. The choice of ARs represent canonical cases. AR 12158 produced an X1.6 flare with fast "halo" CME ($v_{linear}$=1267 $km s^{-1}$) while in AR 12192 there occurred a range of powerful X-class eruptions, i.e. X1.1, X1.6, X3.1, X1.0, X2.0 and X2.0-class energetic flares, interestingly, none with an accompanying CME. The value itself and temporal variation of $WG_{M}$ is found to possess potentially important diagnostic information about the intensity of the expected flare class. Furthermore, we have also estimated the flare onset time from the relationship of duration of converging and diverging motions of the area-weighted barycenters of two subgroups of opposite magnetic polarities. This test turns out not only to provide information about the intensity of the expected flare-class and the flare onset time but may also indicate whether a flare will occur with/without fast CME. We have also found that, in the case when the negative polarity barycenter has moved around and the positive one "remained" at the same coordinates preceding eruption, the flare occurred with fast "halo" CME. Otherwise, when both the negative and the positive polarity barycenters have moved around, the AR produced flares without CME. If these properties found for the movement of the barycenters are generic pre-cursors of CME eruption (or lack of it), identifying them may serve as an excellent pre-condition for refining the forecast of the lift-off of CMEs.

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arXiv2017

Dissipative instabilities in a partially ionised prominence plasma slab: II. The effect of compressibility

This present study deals with the dissipative instability that appears in a compressible partially ionised plasma slab embedded in a uniform magnetic field, modelling the state of the plasma in solar prominences. In the partially ionised plasma, the dominant dissipative effect is the Cowling resistivity. The regions outside the slab (modelling the solar corona) are fully ionised, and the dominant mechanism of dissipation is viscosity. Analytical solutions to the extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations are found inside and outside of the slab and solutions are matched at the boundaries of the slab. The dispersion relation is derived and solutions are found analytically in the slender slab limit, while the conditions necessary for the appearance of the instability is investigated numerically for the entire parameter space. Our study is focussed on the effect of the compressibility on the generation and evolution of instabilities. We find that compressibility reduces the threshold of the equilibrium flow, where waves can be unstable, to a level that is comparable to the internal cusp speed, which is of the same order of flow speeds that are currently observed in solar prominences. Our study addresses only the slow waves, as these are the most likely perturbations to become unstable, however the time-scales of the instability are found to be rather large ranging from $10^5$-$10^7$ seconds. It is determined that the instability threshold is further influenced by the concentration of neutrals and the strength of the viscosity of the corona. Interestingly, these two latter aspects have opposite effects. Our numerical analysis shows that the interplay between the equilibrium flow, neutrals and dispersion can change considerably the nature of waves.

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arXiv2017

The Frequency-dependent Damping of Slow Magnetoacoustic Waves in a Sunspot Umbral Atmosphere

High spatial and temporal resolution images of a sunspot, obtained simultaneously in multiple optical and UV wavelengths, are employed to study the propagation and damping characteristics of slow magnetoacoustic waves up to transition region heights. Power spectra are generated from intensity oscillations in sunspot umbra, across multiple atmospheric heights, for frequencies up to a few hundred mHz. It is observed that the power spectra display a power-law dependence over the entire frequency range, with a significant enhancement around 5.5 mHz found for the chromospheric channels. The phase-difference spectra reveal a cutoff frequency near 3 mHz, up to which the oscillations are evanescent, while those with higher frequencies propagate upwards. The power-law index appears to increase with atmospheric height. Also, shorter damping lengths are observed for oscillations with higher frequencies suggesting frequency-dependent damping. Using the relative amplitudes of the 5.5 mHz (3 minute) oscillations, we estimate the energy flux at different heights, which seems to decay gradually from the photosphere, in agreement with recent numerical simulations. Furthermore, a comparison of power spectra across the umbral radius highlights an enhancement of high-frequency waves near the umbral center, which does not seem to be related to magnetic field inclination angle effects.

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arXiv2017

Quasi-biennial oscillations in the cross-correlation of properties of macrospicules

Jets, whatever small (e.g. spicules) or large (e.g. macrospicules) their size, may play a key role in momentum and energy transport from photosphere to chromosphere and at least to the low corona. Here, we investigate the properties of abundant, large-scale dynamic jets observable in the solar atmosphere: the macrospicules (MS). These jets are observationally more distinct phenomena than their little, and perhaps more ubiquitous, cousins, the spicules. Investigation of long-term variation of the properties of macrospicules may help to a better understanding of their underlying physics of generation and role in coronal heating. Taking advantage of the high temporal and spatial resolution of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a new dataset, with several hundreds of macrospicules, was constructed encompassing a period of observations over six years. Here, we analyse the measured properties and relations between these properties of macrospicules as function of time during the observed time interval. We found that cross-correlations of several of these macrospicule properties display a strong oscillatory pattern. Next, wavelet analysis is used to provide more detailed information about the temporal behaviour of the various properties of MS. For coronal hole macrospicules, a significant peak is found at around 2-year period. This peak also exists partially or is shifted to longer period, in the case of quiet Sun macrospicules. These observed findings may be rooted in the underlying mechanism generating the solar magnetic field, i.e. the global solar dynamo.

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arXiv2016

Systematic variations of macrospicule properties observed by SDO/AIA over half a decade

Macrospicules (MS) are localised small-scale jet-like phenomena in the solar atmosphere, which have the potential to transport considerable amount of momentum and energy from the lower solar atmospheric regions to the Transition Region and the low corona. A detailed statistical analysis of their temporal behaviour and spatial properties is carried out in this work. By means of state-of-the-art spatial and temporal resolution observations, yielded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we constructed a database covering a 5.5-year long period, containing 301 macrospicules that occurred between June 2010 and December 2015 detected at 30.4 nm wavelength. Here, we report the long-term variation of the height, length, average speed and width of MS in Coronal Holes and Quiet Sun areas both in the northern and southern hemisphere of the Sun. This new database helps to refine our knowledge about the physical properties of MS. Cross-correlation of these properties show a relatively strong correlation, but not always a dominant one. However, a more detailed analysis indicates a wave-like signature in the behaviour of MS properties in time. The period of these long-term oscillatory behaviours are just under two years. Also, in terms of solar north/south hemispheres, a strong asymmetry was found in the spatial distribution of MS properties, which may be accounted for the solar dynamo. This latter feature may then indicate a strong and rather intrinsic link between global internal and local atmospheric phenomena in the Sun.

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arXiv2016

On The Relationship Between Magnetic Cancellation and UV Burst Formation

Burst-like events with signatures in the UV are often observed co-spatial to strong line-of-sight photospheric magnetic fields. Several authors, for example, have noted the spatial relationship between Ellerman bombs (EBs) and Moving Magnetic Features (MMFs), regions of flux which disconnect from a sunspot or pore before propagating away in the moat flow and often displaying evidence of cancellation. In this article, data collected by the Solar Dynamics Observatory's Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly are analysed in an attempt to understand the potential links between such cancellation and UV burst formation. Two MMFs from AR 11579, three bi-poles from AR 11765, and six bi-poles (four of which were co-spatial to IRIS bursts) in AR 11850 were identified for analysis. All of these cancellation features were found to have lifetimes of the order hours and cancellation rates of the order 10^14-10^15 Mx s^-1. H-alpha line wing data from the Dunn Solar Telescope's Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer were also available for AR 11579 facilitating a discussion of links between MMFs and EBs. Using an algebraic model of photospheric magnetic reconnection, the measured cancellation rates are then used to ascertain estimates of certain quantities (such as up-flow speeds, jet extents, and potential energy releases) which compared reasonably to the properties of EBs reported within the literature. Our results suggest that cancellation rates of the order measured here are capable of supplying enough energy to drive certain UV bursts (including EBs), however, they are not a guaranteeing condition for burst formation.

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arXiv2015

Wave Damping Observed in Upwardly Propagating Sausage-mode Oscillations contained within a Magnetic Pore

We present observational evidence of compressible magnetohydrodynamic wave modes propagating from the solar photosphere through to the base of the transition region in a solar magnetic pore. High cadence images were obtained simultaneously across four wavelength bands using the Dunn Solar Telescope. Employing Fourier and wavelet techniques, sausage-mode oscillations displaying significant power were detected in both intensity and area fluctuations. The intensity and area fluctuations exhibit a range of periods from 181-412s, with an average period ~290s, consistent with the global p-mode spectrum. Intensity and area oscillations present in adjacent bandpasses were found to be out-of-phase with one another, displaying phase angles of 6.12 degrees, 5.82 degrees and 15.97 degrees between 4170 Angstrom continuum - G-band, G-band - Na I D1 and Na I D1 - Ca II K heights, respectively, reiterating the presence of upwardly-propagating sausage-mode waves. A phase relationship of ~0 degrees between same-bandpass emission and area perturbations of the pore best categorises the waves as belonging to the `slow' regime of a dispersion diagram. Theoretical calculations reveal that the waves are surface modes, with initial photospheric energies in excess of 35000 W/m^2. The wave energetics indicate a substantial decrease in energy with atmospheric height, confirming that magnetic pores are able to transport waves that exhibit appreciable energy damping, which may release considerable energy into the local chromospheric plasma.

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arXiv2013

On standing sausage waves in photospheric magnetic waveguides

By focusing on the oscillations of the cross-sectional area and the intensity of magnetic waveguides located in the lower solar atmosphere, we aim to detect and identify magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) sausage waves. Capturing several series of high-resolution images of pores and sunspots and employing wavelet analysis in conjunction with empirical mode decomposition (EMD) makes the MHD wave analysis possible. For this paper, two sunspots and one pore (with a light bridge) were chosen as representative examples of MHD waveguides in the lower solar atmosphere. The sunspots and pore display a range of periods from 4 to 65 minutes. The sunspots support longer periods than the pore - generally enabling a doubling or quadrupling of the maximum pore oscillatory period. All of these structures display area oscillations indicative of MHD sausage modes and in-phase behaviour between the area and intensity, presenting mounting evidence for the presence of the slow sausage mode within these waveguides. The presence of fast and slow MHD sausage waves has been detected in three different magnetic waveguides in the lower solar photosphere. Furthermore, these oscillations are potentially standing harmonics supported in the waveguides which are sandwiched vertically between the temperature minimum in the lower solar atmosphere and the transition region. Standing harmonic oscillations, by means of solar magneto-seismology, may allow insight into the sub-resolution structure of photospheric MHD waveguides.

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