Abstract

One of the most important processes, responsible for many dynamical phenomena observed in the Sun, is the emergence of magnetic flux from the solar interior in active regions and the modification of the coronal magnetic field in response to the emergence. In fact, magnetic flux emergence might be responsible for the appearance of small-scale events (e.g., compact flares, plasmoids, active-region-associated X-ray brightenings) and large-scale events (e.g., X-class flares and CMEs). However, it is clear that the question of how exactly the magnetic fields rise through the convection zone of the Sun and emerge through the photosphere and chromosphere into the corona has still not been solved. Studying the process of flux emergence is an important step towards the understanding of the dynamic coupling between the solar interior and the outer solar atmosphere. In this talk, we review the recent progress and discuss what further developments are required, to understand better this magnetic coupling in the Sun.