The effects of rotation on the evolution of rising omega loops in a stratified model convection zone

We present three-dimensional MHD simulations of buoyant magnetic flux tubes that rise through a stratified model convection zone in the presence of solar rotation. The equations of MHD are solved in the anelastic approximation, and the results are used to determine the effects of solar rotation on the dynamic evolution of an Omega -loop. We find that the Coriolis force significantly suppresses the degree of fragmentation at the apex of the loop during its ascent toward the photosphere. If the initial axial field strength of the tube is reduced, then, in the absence of forces due to convective motions, the degree of apex fragmentation is also reduced. Our simulations confirm the results of thin flux-tube calculations that show the leading polarity of an emerging active region positioned closer to the equator than the trailing polarity and the trailing leg of the loop oriented more vertically than the leading leg. We show that the Coriolis force slows the rise of the tube and induces a retrograde flow in both the magnetized and unmagnetized plasma of an emerging active region. Observationally, we predict that this flow will appear to originate at the leading polarity and will terminate at the trailing polarity.