The emergence of braided magnetic fields

We study the emergence of braided magnetic fields from the top of the solar interior through to the corona. It is widely believed that emerging regions smaller than active regions are formed in the upper convection zone near the photosphere. Here, bundles of braided, rather than twisted, magnetic field can be formed, which then rise upward to emerge into the atmosphere. To test this theory, we investigate the behaviour of braided magnetic fields as they emerge into the solar atmosphere. We compare and contrast our models to previous studies of twisted flux tube emergence and discuss results that can be tested observationally. Although this is just an initial study, our results suggest that the underlying magnetic field structure of small emerging regions need not be twisted and that braided field, formed in the convection zone, could suffice.