The coronal veil

We demonstrate how apparently isolated loops could deceive observers, even when observations from multiple viewing angles are available. While we base our analysis on a simulation, the main findings are independent from a particular simulation setup and illustrate the intrinsic complexity involved in interpreting observations resulting from line-of-sight integration in an optically thin plasma. We propose alternative interpretation for strands seen in Extreme Ultraviolet images of the corona.

The "coronal veil" hypothesis is mathematically more generic, and naturally explains properties of loops that are difficult to address otherwise-such as their constant cross section and anomalously high density scale height. We challenge the paradigm of coronal loops as thin magnetic flux tubes, offering new understanding of solar corona, and by extension, of other magnetically confined bright hot plasmas.