  Context: The expansion of network magnetic fields with height is a
fundamental property of flux tube models. A rapid expansion is required to form
a magnetic canopy. Aims: We characterize the observed expansion properties of
magnetic network elements and compare them with the thin flux tube and sheet
approximations, as well as with magnetoconvection simulations. Methods: We used
data from the Hinode SOT NFI NaD1 channel and spectropolarimeter to study the
appearance of magnetic flux concentrations seen in circular polarization as a
function of position on the solar disk. We compared the observations with
synthetic observables from models based on the thin flux tube approximation and
magnetoconvection simulations with two different upper boundary conditions for
the magnetic field (potential and vertical). Results: The observed circular
polarization signal of magnetic flux concentrations changes from unipolar at
disk center to bipolar near the limb, which implies an expanding magnetic
field. The observed expansion agrees with expansion properties derived from the
thin flux sheet and tube approximations. Magnetoconvection simulations with a
potential field as the upper boundary condition for the magnetic field also
produce bipolar features near the limb while a simulation with a vertical field
boundary condition does not. Conclusions: The near-limb apparent bipolar
magnetic features seen in high-resolution Hinode observations can be
interpreted using a simple flux sheet or tube model. This lends further support
to the idea that magnetic features with vastly varying sizes have similar
relative expansion rates. The numerical simulations presented here are less
useful in interpreting the expansion since the diagnostics we are interested in
are strongly influenced by the choice of the upper boundary condition for the
magnetic field in the purely photospheric simulations.
