Published June 10, 2013 | Version v1
Journal article

ORIGIN OF MACROSPICULE AND JET IN POLAR CORONA BY A SMALL-SCALE KINKED FLUX TUBE

  • 1. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Manora Peak, Nainital 263129 (India)
  • 2. Group of Astrophysics, UMCS, ul. Radziszewskiego 10, 20-031 Lublin (Poland)
  • 3. Inter-University Centre for Astrophysics, Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (India)

Description

We report an observation of a small-scale flux tube that undergoes kinking and triggers the macrospicule and a jet on 2010 November 11 in the north polar corona. The small-scale flux tube emerged well before the triggering of the macrospicule and as time progresses the two opposite halves of this omega-shaped flux tube bent transversely and approach each other. After ∼2 minutes, the two approaching halves of the kinked flux tube touch each other and an internal reconnection as well as an energy release takes place at the adjoining location and a macrospicule was launched which goes up to a height of 12 Mm. Plasma begins to move horizontally as well as vertically upward along with the onset of the macrospicule and thereafter converts into a large-scale jet in which the core denser plasma reaches up to ∼40 Mm in the solar atmosphere with a projected speed of ∼95 km s–1. The fainter and decelerating plasma chunks of this jet were also seen up to ∼60 Mm. We perform a two-dimensional numerical simulation by considering the VAL-C initial atmospheric conditions to understand the physical scenario of the observed macrospicule and associated jet. The simulation results show that reconnection-generated velocity pulse in the lower solar atmosphere steepens into slow shock and the cool plasma is driven behind it in the form of macrospicule. The horizontal surface waves also appeared with shock fronts at different heights, which most likely drove and spread the large-scale jet associated with the macrospicule.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/770/1/L3

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Journal Volume
770
Journal Issue
1
Journal Page Range
[8 p.]
ISSN
2041-8205

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
44075436
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
ASTRONOMY; ASTROPHYSICS; CHROMOSPHERE; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; JETS; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS; PLASMA; SOLAR CORONA; SUN; WAVE PROPAGATION
Descriptors DEC
ATMOSPHERES; FLUID MECHANICS; HYDRODYNAMICS; MAIN SEQUENCE STARS; MECHANICS; PHYSICS; SIMULATION; SOLAR ATMOSPHERE; STARS; STELLAR ATMOSPHERES; STELLAR CORONAE