Description
The coronal heating problem is one of the most important topics in solar physics. Recent advancements in observational accuracy have revealed numerous facts that cannot be explained by the conventional classical model of solar coronal heating. Among these, small-scale swirls on the photosphere, of which diameters are comparable to the resolution limits of current observational instruments, have been highlighted as a potential new source of magnetic energy supply to the corona. However, the overall contribution of swirls to the total magnetic energy supply to the corona remains uncertain. Additionally, theoretical model capable of deriving the magnetic energy dissipation caused by swirls has yet to be established. To address this, we have conducted statistical analyses using radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations that consistently solve the coupling from the convection zone to the corona. We have investigated the statistical properties of magnetic energy supply and dissipation caused by swirls in a unified framework. Our results reveal that swirls account for approximately half of the total magnetic energy supplied to the corona. Furthermore, the swirls trigger coronal heating events through magnetic reconnection, whose occurrence frequency follows a power-law-like distribution in the nanoflare-like energy range consistent with quiet Sun observations.
