Thermal equilibria of coronal magnetic loops with non-constant cross-sectional area

Abstract

Equations of thermal equilibrium along coronal loops are solved in the absence of gravity but where the cross-sectional area changes along the loop. The footpoint temperature is assumed to be 2 × 104 K. Several fundamental types of solution are found, namely hot loops, cool loops, hot-cool loops (where the footpoints and summits are cool but the intermediate parts are hotter) and warm loops (cool along most of their lengths except the summits). On increasing the cross-sectional area the summit temperature generally increases slightly except for warm loops where no increase in temperature is recorded and hot-cool loops where a dramatic increase in summit temperature may occur. The cool and hot-cool loops may model elementary fibril structures within prominences.