| name | hore-2026-dominant-spatial-scales-coronal-field |
| description | Per-entry paper-skill in wave500_coronal_source_mapping_pfss_045 (HelioSI 501-corpus). See body and metadata.yaml for paper identity and claim boundary. |
hore-2026-dominant-spatial-scales-coronal-field
Runtime-neutral paper-skill. Layered: (1) scientific invariants, (2) executable protocol against abstract capabilities, (3) adapter notes (optional examples only), (4) research-generation affordances.
Trigger
Reach for this skill when you need to justify low-resolution synoptic magnetograms for global coronal modelling via a modal-power argument across Cycle 24.
Layer 1 — Scientific invariant
Paper identity
- Title: Uncovering the Dominant Spatial Scales of the Sun's Magnetic Field in Solar Cycle 24
- First author: A. Hore
- Authors: A. Hore, P. Bhowmik
- Year: 2026
- arXiv: 2604.10144 (posted 2026-04-11)
- Journal: TODO_verify_with_full_text
- DOI: TODO_verify_with_full_text
Claim (narrow form)
80% of MDI+HMI modal power lives at low harmonic degrees (spatial scale ~145 Mm), and effective harmonic degree of the PFSSE coronal field drops with height — so low-resolution magnetograms capture global coronal structure.
Method assumptions
- LoS-to-Br conversion is acceptable outside the polar cap.
- PFSSE is spectrum-preserving up to truncation.
- Modal-power-vs-degree is a meaningful summary statistic.
Data assumptions
- MDI (pre-2010) and HMI (post-2010) synoptic Br for Cycle 24.
- Consistent SH grid across the mission boundary.
Failure modes (skill memory)
- High-latitude noise dominates l→high tail — truncate the polar zone.
- SH leakage at Nyquist degree fakes high-l power.
- Effective-degree decrease with height depends on source-surface choice.
Figure / numerical targets
- Modal-power-vs-degree at the photosphere.
- Effective harmonic degree vs height.
- Truncated-Br reconstruction comparison.
Claim boundary
In scope. Cycle 24 global structure with MDI+HMI and PFSSE.
Out of scope — do NOT generalize:
- Do NOT extend to AR-internal scales or NLFFF studies.
- Do NOT use as license to replace HMI with very low-res magnetograms for transient-event work.
Layer 2 — Executable protocol (capability-typed)
Required capabilities (abstract)
| Capability | Purpose | Notes |
|---|
magnetogram.fetch_full_disk_br() | MDI/HMI full-disk Br | LoS→Br |
magnetogram.build_synoptic() | stitch synoptic | polar fill |
sph_harm.decompose() | modal power per l | truncation |
pfss.solve() | coronal field | for height-vs-l |
sph_harm.effective_degree() | summary statistic | |
Procedure
- Build Cycle-24 synoptic stream.
- SH-decompose each map; record power-vs-l.
- Solve PFSSE; decompose each shell.
- Compute effective degree at each height.
- Quantify reconstruction loss as a function of truncation.
Validation target
80% modal power at low l and monotonic effective-degree decrease with height.
Layer 3 — Adapter / runtime notes (optional examples)
- SH adapters: pyshtools / healpy / custom Gauss–Legendre. PFSS via sunkit-magex.pfss as an example.
Layer 4 — Research-generation affordances
- Generative hypothesis: residual high-l power that leaks upward at limb-side ARs predicts where loop-constrained corrections ([[multi-constraint-pfss-extrapolation-model]]) matter most.
- Composable experiment: re-run on stellar ZDI magnetograms to test low-degree dominance across late-type stars.
Skill graph → depends_on
- [[paper-stansby-2020-pfsspy-python-pfss]]
- [[wu-2026-nonspherical-coronal-magnetic-field-open-flux]]
Links
TODOs for full-text verification
- exact 80%-degree cutoff
- PFSSE truncation degree
- polar fill-in policy
- DOI