WOUND MAGNETOSTATICS AND FLARING

We discuss the winding of a force-free axisymmetric magnetic field roo ted on a heavy conductor on z = 0. In quadrupolar symmetry the field e xpands in the half-space z > 0 and the toroidal flux concentrates on a conical surface. After a mean twist of 208 degrees, the conical layer hosts large toroidal current loops with reversal of the magnetic flux on either side. The evolution of the field structure is described by scale-free static solutions B similar to r(-(p+2)), with p taking valu es between 0 and 2. The large expansion factor of the field structure is suggestive of flaring originating on the solar photosphere.