scholarly journals The role of small-scale surface motions in the transfer of twist to a solar jet from a remote stable flux rope

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A169
Author(s):  
Reetika Joshi ◽  
Brigitte Schmieder ◽  
Guillaume Aulanier ◽  
Véronique Bommier ◽  
Ramesh Chandra

Context. Jets often have a helical structure containing ejected plasma that is both hot and also cooler and denser than the corona. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain how jets are triggered, primarily attributed to a magnetic reconnection between the emergence of magnetic flux and environment or that of twisted photospheric motions that bring the system into a state of instability. Aims. Multi-wavelength observations of a twisted jet observed with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) were used to understand how the twist was injected into the jet, thanks to the IRIS spectrographic slit fortuitously crossing the reconnection site at that time. Methods. We followed the magnetic history of the active region based on the analysis of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager vector magnetic field computed with the UNNOFIT code. The nature and dynamics of the jet reconnection site are characterised by the IRIS spectra. Results. This region is the result of the collapse of two emerging magnetic fluxes (EMFs) overlaid by arch filament systems that have been well-observed with AIA, IRIS, and the New Vacuum Solar Telescope in Hα. In the magnetic field maps, we found evidence of the pattern of a long sigmoidal flux rope (FR) along the polarity inversion line between the two EMFs, which is the site of the reconnection. Before the jet, an extension of the FR was present and a part of it was detached and formed a small bipole with a bald patch (BP) region, which dynamically became an X-current sheet over the dome of one EMF where the reconnection took place. At the time of the reconnection, the Mg II spectra exhibited a strong extension of the blue wing that is decreasing over a distance of 10 Mm (from −300 km s−1 to a few km s−1). This is the signature of the transfer of the twist to the jet. Conclusions. A comparison with numerical magnetohydrodynamics simulations confirms the existence of the long FR. We conjecture that there is a transfer of twist to the jet during the extension of the FR to the reconnection site without FR eruption. The reconnection would start in the low atmosphere in the BP reconnection region and extend at an X-point along the current sheet formed above.

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-564
Author(s):  
A.M Aslam

On September 24, 2011 a solar flare of M 7.1 class was released from the Sun. The flare was observed by most of the space and ground based observatories in various wavebands. We have carried out a study of this flare to understand its causes on Sun and impact on earth. The flare was released from NOAA active region AR 11302 at 12:33 UT. Although the region had already produced many M class flares and one X- class flare before this flare, the magnetic configuration was not relaxed and still continued to evolve as seen from HMI observations. From the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) multi-wavelength (131 Ã…, 171 Ã…, 304 Ã… and 1600Ã…) observations we identified that a rapidly rising flux rope triggered the flare although HMI observations revealed that magnetic configuration did not undergo a much pronounced change. The flare was associated with a halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) as recorded by LASCO/SOHO Observations. The flare associated CME was effective in causing an intense geomagnetic storm with minimum Dst index -103 nT. A radio burst of type II was also recorded by the WAVES/WIND. In the present study attempt is made to study the nature of coupling between solar transients and geospace.


2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Ana Belén Griñón-Marín ◽  
Adur Pastor Yabar ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
J. Todd Hoeksema ◽  
Aimee Norton

Abstract A spectral line inversion code, Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector (VFISV), has been used since 2010 May to infer the solar atmospheric parameters from the spectropolarimetric observations taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The magnetic filling factor, the fraction of the surface with a resolution element occupied by magnetic field, is set to have a constant value of 1 in the current version of VFISV. This report describes an improved inversion strategy for the spectropolarimetric data observed with HMI for magnetic field strengths of intermediate values in areas spatially not fully resolved. The VFISV inversion code has been modified to enable inversion of the Stokes profiles with two different components: one magnetic and one nonmagnetic. In this scheme, both components share the atmospheric components except for the magnetic field vector. In order to determine whether the new strategy is useful, we evaluate the inferred parameters inverted with one magnetic component (the original version of the HMI inversion) and with two components (the improved version) using a Bayesian analysis. In pixels with intermediate magnetic field strengths (e.g., plages), the new version provides statistically significant values of filling fraction and magnetic field vector. Not only does the fitting of the Stokes profile improve, but also the inference of the magnetic parameters and line-of-sight velocity are obtained uniquely. The new strategy is also proven to be effective for mitigating the anomalous hemispheric bias in the east–west magnetic field component in moderate field regions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S354) ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
Ioannis Kontogiannis ◽  
Christoph Kuckein ◽  
Sergio Javier González Manrique ◽  
Tobias Felipe ◽  
Meetu Verma ◽  
...  

AbstractWe study the evolution of the decaying active region NOAA 12708, from the photosphere up to the corona using high resolution, multi-wavelength GREGOR observations taken on May 9, 2018. We utilize spectropolarimetric scans of the 10830 Å spectral range by the GREGOR Infrared Spectrograph (GRIS), spectral imaging time-series in the Na ID2 spectral line by the GREGOR Fabry-Pérot Interferometer (GFPI) and context imaging in the Ca IIH and blue continuum by the High-resolution Fast Imager (HiFI). Context imaging in the UV/EUV from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) complements our dataset. The region under study contains one pore with a light-bridge, a few micro-pores and extended clusters of magnetic bright points. We study the magnetic structure from the photosphere up to the upper chromosphere through the spectropolarimetric observations in He II and Si I and through the magnetograms provided by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The high-resolution photospheric images reveal the complex interaction between granular-scale convective motions and a range of scales of magnetic field concentrations in unprecedented detail. The pore itself shows a strong interaction with the convective motions, which eventually leads to its decay, while, under the influence of the photospheric flow field, micro-pores appear and disappear. Compressible waves are generated, which are guided towards the upper atmosphere along the magnetic field lines of the various magnetic structures within the field-of-view. Modelling of the He i absorption profiles reveals high velocity components, mostly associated with magnetic bright points at the periphery of the active region, many of which correspond to asymmetric Si I Stokes-V profiles revealing a coupling between upper photospheric and upper chromospheric dynamics. Time-series of Na ID2 spectral images reveal episodic high velocity components at the same locations. State-of-the-art multi-wavelength GREGOR observations allow us to track and understand the mechanisms at work during the decay phase of the active region.


2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A67 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Kontogiannis ◽  
G. Tsiropoula ◽  
K. Tziotziou ◽  
C. Gontikakis ◽  
C. Kuckein ◽  
...  

Context. We study the evolution of a small-scale emerging flux region (EFR) in the quiet Sun, from its emergence in the photosphere to its appearance in the corona and its decay. Aims. We track processes and phenomena that take place across all atmospheric layers; we explore their interrelations and compare our findings with those from recent numerical modelling studies. Methods. We used imaging as well as spectral and spectropolarimetric observations from a suite of space-borne and ground-based instruments. Results. The EFR appears in the quiet Sun next to the chromospheric network and shows all morphological characteristics predicted by numerical simulations. The total magnetic flux of the region exhibits distinct evolutionary phases, namely an initial subtle increase, a fast increase with a Co-temporal fast expansion of the region area, a more gradual increase, and a slow decay. During the initial stages, fine-scale G-band and Ca II H bright points coalesce, forming clusters of positive- and negative-polarity in a largely bipolar configuration. During the fast expansion, flux tubes make their way to the chromosphere, pushing aside the ambient magnetic field and producing pressure-driven absorption fronts that are visible as blueshifted chromospheric features. The connectivity of the quiet-Sun network gradually changes and part of the existing network forms new connections with the newly emerged bipole. A few minutes after the bipole has reached its maximum magnetic flux, the bipole brightens in soft X-rays forming a coronal bright point. The coronal emission exhibits episodic brightenings on top of a long smooth increase. These coronal brightenings are also associated with surge-like chromospheric features visible in Hα, which can be attributed to reconnection with adjacent small-scale magnetic fields and the ambient quiet-Sun magnetic field. Conclusions. The emergence of magnetic flux even at the smallest scales can be the driver of a series of energetic phenomena visible at various atmospheric heights and temperature regimes. Multi-wavelength observations reveal a wealth of mechanisms which produce diverse observable effects during the different evolutionary stages of these small-scale structures.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. Erkaev ◽  
V. S. Semenov ◽  
I. V. Kubyshkin ◽  
M. V. Kubyshkina ◽  
H. K. Biernat

Abstract. One-fluid ideal MHD model is applied for description of current sheet flapping disturbances appearing due to a gradient of the normal magnetic field component. The wave modes are studied which are associated to the flapping waves observed in the Earth's magnetotail current sheet. In a linear approximation, solutions are obtained for model profiles of the electric current and plasma densities across the current sheet, which are described by hyperbolic functions. The flapping eigenfrequency is found as a function of wave number. For the Earth's magnetotail conditions, the estimated wave group speed is of the order of a few tens kilometers per second. The current sheet can be stable or unstable in dependence on the direction of the gradient of the normal magnetic field component. The obtained dispersion function is used for calculation of the flapping wave disturbances, which are produced by the given initial Gaussian perturbation at the center of the current sheet and propagating towards the flanks. The propagating flapping pulse has a smooth leading front, and a small scale oscillating trailing front, because the short wave oscillations propagate much slower than the long wave ones.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S335) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Ranadeep Sarkar ◽  
Nandita Srivastava ◽  
Sajal Kumar Dhara

AbstractWe have studied the dynamics of the solar active region (AR) NOAA 12192 using full-disc continuum images and the vector magnetograms observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). AR 12192 is the largest region of the solar cycle 24. It underwent a noticeable growth and produced 6 X-class, 22 M-class and 53 C-class flares during its disc passage. But the most peculiar fact of this AR is that it was associated with only one CME in spite of producing several X-class flares. In this work, we present the area evolution of this giant sunspot group during the first three rotations when it appeared as AR 12172, AR 12192 and AR 12209, respectively. We have also attempted to make a comparative study of the flare-related photospheric magnetic field and Lorentz force changes for both the eruptive and non-eruptive flares produced by AR 12192.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamini K. Rao ◽  
Abhishek K. Srivastava ◽  
Pradeep Kayshap ◽  
Bhola N. Dwivedi

Abstract. We observed quiescent coronal loops using multi-wavelength observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) on 2016 April 13. The flows at the footpoints of such loop systems are studied using spectral data from Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). The Doppler velocity distributions at the footpoints lying in the moss region show the negligible or small flows at Ni I, Mg II k3 and C II line corresponding to upper photospheric and chromospheric emissions. Significant red-shifts (downflows) ranging from (1 to 7) km s−1 are observed at Si IV (1393.78 Å; log(T/K) = 4.8) which is found to be consistent with the existing results regarding dynamical loop systems and moss regions. Such downflows agree well with the impulsive heating mechanism reported earlier.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Réka Winslow ◽  
Amy Murphy ◽  
Nathan Schwadron ◽  
Noé Lugaz ◽  
Wenyuan Yu ◽  
...  

<p>Small flux ropes (SFRs) are interplanetary magnetic flux ropes with durations from a few minutes to a few hours. We have built a comprehensive catalog of SFRs at Mercury using magnetometer data from the orbital phase of the MESSENGER mission (2011-2015). In the absence of solar wind plasma measurements, we developed strict identification criteria for SFRs in the magnetometer observations, including conducting force-free field fits for each flux rope. We identified a total of 48 events that met our strict criteria, with events ranging in duration from 2.5 minutes to 4 hours. Using superposed epoch analysis, we obtained the generic SFR magnetic field profile at Mercury. Due to the large variation in Mercury's heliocentric distance (0.31-0.47 AU), we split the data into two distance bins. We found that the average SFR profile is more symmetric "farther from the Sun", in line with the idea that SFRs form closer to the Sun and undergo a relaxation process in the solar wind. Based on this result, as well as the SFR durations and the magnetic field strength fall-off with heliocentric distance, we infer that the SFRs observed at Mercury are expanding as they propagate with the solar wind. We also determined that the SFR occurrence frequency is nearly four times as high at Mercury as for similarly detected events at 1 AU. Most interestingly, we found two SFR populations in our dataset, one likely generated in a quasi-periodic formation process near the heliospheric current sheet, and the other formed away from the current sheet in isolated events.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 647 ◽  
pp. A178
Author(s):  
T. Roudier ◽  
M. Švanda ◽  
J. M. Malherbe ◽  
J. Ballot ◽  
D. Korda ◽  
...  

Downflows on the solar surface are suspected to play a major role in the dynamics of the convection zone, at least in its outer part. We investigate the existence of the long-lasting downflows whose effects influence the interior of the Sun but also the outer layers. We study the sets of Dopplergrams and magnetograms observed with Solar Dynamics Observatory and Hinode spacecrafts and an magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation. All of the aligned sequences, which were corrected from the satellite motions and tracked with the differential rotation, were used to detect the long-lasting downflows in the quiet-Sun at the disc centre. To learn about the structure of the flows below the solar surface, the time-distance local helioseismology was used. The inspection of the 3D data cube (x, y, t) of the 24 h Doppler sequence allowed us to detect 13 persistent downflows. Their lifetimes lie in the range between 3.5 and 20 h with a sizes between 2″ and 3″ and speeds between −0.25 and −0.72 km s−1. These persistent downflows are always filled with the magnetic field with an amplitude of up to 600 Gauss. The helioseismic inversion allows us to describe the persistent downflows and compare them to the other (non-persistent) downflows in the field of view. The persistent downflows seem to penetrate much deeper and, in the case of a well-formed vortex, the vorticity keeps its integrity to the depth of about 5 Mm. In the MHD simulation, only sub-arcsecond downflows are detected with no evidence of a vortex comparable in size to observations at the surface of the Sun. The long temporal sequences from the space-borne allows us to show the existence of long-persistent downflows together with the magnetic field. They penetrate inside the Sun but are also connected with the anchoring of coronal loops in the photosphere, indicating a link between downflows and the coronal activity. A links suggests that EUV cyclones over the quiet Sun could be an effective way to heat the corona.


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