The Sun’s atmosphere, or corona, is a hot, dynamic region filled with flowing plasma and magnetic structures that are invisible to the naked eye. Scientists are working to better understand how material from the corona escapes into space as the solar wind, and how light from the corona carries information about its structure.

In this study, we use a new modeling tool called FLUX to trace invisible magnetic structures in the Sun’s atmosphere and explore how these structures shape both the solar wind and the light we observe from Earth. By following these magnetic lines outward, we simulate how the solar wind might accelerate and how light scatters off electrons in the corona, creating patterns of brightness and polarization.

These simulations help researchers connect the shape of the Sun’s magnetic field to what we can measure with telescopes and spacecraft. Our results are designed to support solar missions like DKIST and PUNCH, which collect detailed images and measurements of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and the solar wind flowing into space.

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