Large-Scale Vortex Motion and Multiple Plasmoid Ejection Due to Twisting Prominence Threads and Associated Reconnection
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Large-Scale Vortex Motion and Multiple Plasmoid Ejection Due to Twisting Prominence Threads and Associated Reconnection Sudheer K. Mishra1
· A.K. Srivastava1 · P.F. Chen2,3
Received: 10 February 2020 / Accepted: 4 November 2020 / Published online: 25 November 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract We analyze the characteristics of a quiescent polar prominence using the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Initially, small-scale barb-like structures are evident on the solar disk, which firstly grow vertically and thereafter move towards the south-west limb. Later, a spine connects these barbs and we observe apparent rotating motions in the upper part of the prominence. These apparent rotating motions might play an important role for the evolution and growth of the filament by transferring cool plasma and magnetic twist. Large-scale vortex motion is evident in the upper part of the prominence and consists of a swirl-like structure within it. The slow motion of the footpoint twists the legs of the prominence due to magnetic shear, causing two different kinds of magnetic reconnection. The internal reconnection is initiated by a resistive-tearing-mode instability, which leads to the formation of multiple plasmoids in the elongated current sheet. The estimated growth rate was found to be 0.02 – 0.05. The magnetic reconnection heats the current sheet for a small duration. However, most of the energy release due to magnetic reconnection is absorbed by the surrounding cool and dense plasma and used to accelerate the plasmoid ejection. The multiple plasmoid ejections destroy the current sheet. Thereafter, the magnetic arcades collapse near the X-point. Oppositely directed magnetic arcades may reconnect with the southern segment of the prominence and an elongated thin current sheet is formed. This external reconnection drives the prominence eruption. Keywords Prominence · Vortex-motion · Reconnection · Corona Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-020-01733-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
B S.K. Mishra
[email protected]
1
Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
2
School of Astronomy & Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
3
Key Laboratary of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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1. Introduction The solar corona contains of large-scale sheared or twisted magnetic fields that lie above the polarity inversion line. These sheared magnetic fields are sometimes associated with solar filaments (or so-called prominences). Solar prominences are comparatively cool and dense plasma structures suspended in the rarified (and hotter by a million degrees) corona with the help of a magnetic field (e.g. Labrosse et al., 2010; Mackay et al., 2010; Parenti, 2014). On the basis of magnetic-field strength and the loc
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