{
  "abstract": "The fine structure of the white-light corona reflects the coronal magnetic topology, and the quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), where the connectivity changes sharply and reconnection is expected to shape the density, are candidates for organizing it. In a coronal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, the QSLs are located by the squashing factor Q , and integrating log 10 Q along the line-of-sight gives an eclipse-like image, a model-derived proxy for this structure, but no open-source tool dedicated to producing such images was previously available. To fill this gap, we present Qorona (a contraction of Q and corona; https://github.com/RayanDhib/Qorona ), an open-source Python package specifically designed to perform this rendering for any global coronal MHD solution using the perpendicular squashing factor Q ⊥ , the variant of Q that remains robust where field lines graze a boundary. Qorona is model-agnostic (a new model or file format requires only a reader) and fast: a field-line painting algorithm exploits the constancy of Q ⊥ along field lines to decouple volume resolution from tracing cost, and parallel CPU and GPU back ends build the volume in minutes. Because the volume is viewpoint-independent, a single build serves any number of cameras and a range of products beyond the eclipse image: polarity-colored and near-limb renders, a field-line view, and a synoptic signed- log 10 Q ⊥ map. The field-line tracer and Q ⊥ engine match the closed-form Q ⊥ of an analytic dipole to 10 ⁻⁹ . We demonstrate the pipeline on a COCONUT coronal MHD simulation of the 2024 April 8 total solar eclipse: the three principal streamers of the synthetic Q ⊥ image lie within 7° in position angle of those observed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Centre for Mathematical Plasma-Astrophysics",
    "King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 23955-6900 Thuwal",
    "Kyung Hee University",
    "Observatoire de Paris",
    "LUNEX EMMESI COSPAR-PEX Eurospacehub",
    "Maria Curie-Skłodowska University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rayan Dhib",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3670-4678"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Firas Ben Ameur",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5097-2885"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tinatin Baratashvili",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1986-4496"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Hyun-Jin Jeong",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4616-947X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Haopeng Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4217-6990"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Quentin Noraz",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7422-1127"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Brigitte Schmieder",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3364-9183"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Lani",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4017-215X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Stefaan Poedts",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1743-0651"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9p60xw86a58kq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea841",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9p60xw86a58kq",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea841",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213486103",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea841/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9p60xw86a58kq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea841",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea841"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "openalex:3103|Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Qorona: Open, Model-agnostic Line-of-sight Rendering of the Perpendicular Squashing Factor for Eclipse-like Coronal Imaging",
  "title_text": "Qorona: Open, Model-agnostic Line-of-sight Rendering of the Perpendicular Squashing Factor for Eclipse-like Coronal Imaging",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9p60xw86a58kq",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}