Extrapolated vector magnetic field distributions of AR 6659 in June 1991 by boundary element method of constant-? force-free field

Abstract

Using the boundary element method (BEM) for constant-α, force-free fields, the vector magnetic field distributions in the chromosphere of a flare-productive active region. AR 6659 in June 1991, are obtained by extrapolating from the observed vector magnetograms at the photosphere. The calculated transverse magnetic fields skew highly from the photosphere to the chromosphere in the following positive polarity sunspot whereas they skew only slightly in the main preceding sunspot. This suggests that more abundant energy was stored in the former area causing flares. Those results demostrate the validity of the BEM solution and the associations between the force-free magnetic field and the structure of the AR 6659 region. It shows that the features of the active region can be revealed by the constant-α force-free magnetic field approximation.