Nanoflare Energy and Frequencies in a Driven Magnetically Closed Corona

The complex granular motion of the solar photosphere serves as the primary source of energy to maintain the high temperature of magnetically closed corona. The random photospheric motions cause magnetic field lines to twist and braid, adding stress to the lines. After reaching a certain threshold, the magnetic field releases the magnetic energy stored therein through small but impulsive events known as “nanoflares”. Despite what this straightforward picture might imply, heating is far more intricate than it appears. In fact, it is crucial to understand the occurrence frequency and energy distribution of these nanoflares to fully comprehend the detailed physics of the heating mechanism and to explain the resulting radiation spectrum. Using sophisticated 3D MHD simulations of a stratified solar atmosphere – from photosphere to corona – we realistically model the nanoflare energy release and plasma response for assumed photospheric driving. In this talk, I will present our results on the occurrence frequency and energy distribution of the nanoflares in addition to global delay between successive nanoflares required to maintain the hot coronal temperatures.