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Title: Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities

Abstract

In this paper we perform 2D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of coronal jets driven by flux emergence along the lower boundary. The reconnection layers are susceptible to the formation of blobs that are ejected in the jet. Our simulation with low plasma β (Case I) shows that magnetic islands form easily and propagate upward in the jet. These islands are multithermal and thus are predicted to show up in hot channels (335 Å and 211 Å) and the cool channel (304 Å) in observations by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The islands have maximum temperatures of 8 MK, lifetimes of 120 s, diameters of 6 Mm, and velocities of 200 km s-1. These parameters are similar to the properties of blobs observed in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) jets by AIA. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability develops in our simulation with moderately high plasma β (Case II) and leads to the formation of bright vortex-like blobs above the multiple high magnetosonic Mach number regions that appear along the jet. These vortex-like blobs can also be identified in the AIA channels. However, they eventually move downward and disappear after the high magnetosonic Mach number regions disappear. In the lower plasma β case,more » the lifetime for the jet is shorter, the jet and magnetic islands are formed with higher velocities and temperatures, the current-sheet fragments are more chaotic, and more magnetic islands are generated. Our results show that the plasmoid instability and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability along the jet are both possible causes of the formation of blobs observed at EUV wavelengths.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Yunnan Observatories, and Center for Astronomical Mega-Science
  2. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Key Lab. for Dark Matter and Space Science, Purple Mountain Observatory
  3. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States)
  4. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Yunnan Observatories
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1537186
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0016363
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 841; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1538-4357
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Astronomy & Astrophysics; instabilities; magnetic reconnection; magnetohydrodynamics (MHD); methods: numerical; Sun: activity

Citation Formats

Ni, Lei, Zhang, Qing-Min, Murphy, Nicholas A., and Lin, Jun. Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa6ffe.
Ni, Lei, Zhang, Qing-Min, Murphy, Nicholas A., & Lin, Jun. Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities. United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa6ffe
Ni, Lei, Zhang, Qing-Min, Murphy, Nicholas A., and Lin, Jun. 2017. "Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities". United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa6ffe. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1537186.
@article{osti_1537186,
title = {Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities},
author = {Ni, Lei and Zhang, Qing-Min and Murphy, Nicholas A. and Lin, Jun},
abstractNote = {In this paper we perform 2D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of coronal jets driven by flux emergence along the lower boundary. The reconnection layers are susceptible to the formation of blobs that are ejected in the jet. Our simulation with low plasma β (Case I) shows that magnetic islands form easily and propagate upward in the jet. These islands are multithermal and thus are predicted to show up in hot channels (335 Å and 211 Å) and the cool channel (304 Å) in observations by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The islands have maximum temperatures of 8 MK, lifetimes of 120 s, diameters of 6 Mm, and velocities of 200 km s-1. These parameters are similar to the properties of blobs observed in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) jets by AIA. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability develops in our simulation with moderately high plasma β (Case II) and leads to the formation of bright vortex-like blobs above the multiple high magnetosonic Mach number regions that appear along the jet. These vortex-like blobs can also be identified in the AIA channels. However, they eventually move downward and disappear after the high magnetosonic Mach number regions disappear. In the lower plasma β case, the lifetime for the jet is shorter, the jet and magnetic islands are formed with higher velocities and temperatures, the current-sheet fragments are more chaotic, and more magnetic islands are generated. Our results show that the plasmoid instability and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability along the jet are both possible causes of the formation of blobs observed at EUV wavelengths.},
doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aa6ffe},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1537186}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal (Online)},
issn = {1538-4357},
number = 1,
volume = 841,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Twin CME Launched by a Blowout Jet Originated from the Eruption of a Quiet-Sun Mini-filament
journal, June 2019


Nonequilibrium ionization and ambipolar diffusion in solar magnetic flux emergence processes
journal, January 2020


A maximum entropy principle for inferring the distribution of 3D plasmoids
journal, January 2018


Generation of solar spicules and subsequent atmospheric heating
journal, November 2019


Successive Two-sided Loop Jets Caused by Magnetic Reconnection between Two Adjacent Filamentary Threads
journal, August 2017


On a Solar Blowout Jet: Driving Mechanism and the Formation of Cool and Hot Components
journal, December 2017


Magnetic Reconnection at the Earliest Stage of Solar Flux Emergence
journal, February 2018


Two Kinds of Dynamic Behavior in a Quiescent Prominence Observed by the NVST
journal, August 2018


Subarcsecond Blobs in Flare-related Coronal Jets
journal, January 2019


Observation of a Reversal of Breakout Reconnection Preceding a Jet: Evidence of Oscillatory Magnetic Reconnection?
journal, April 2019


Observing Current Sheet Formation Forced by Non-radial Rotating Motion of Mini-filaments
journal, July 2019


Bidirectional Reconnection Outflows in an Active Region
journal, September 2019


Spectroscopic and Stereoscopic Observations of the Solar Jets
journal, December 2019


Transfer of Twists from a Mini-filament to Large-scale Loops by Magnetic Reconnection
journal, December 2019


Simultaneous Observation of a Flux Rope Eruption and Magnetic Reconnection during an X-class Solar Flare
journal, January 2018


Onset of Turbulent Fast Magnetic Reconnection Observed in the Solar Atmosphere
journal, February 2020


Nonequilibrium ionization and ambipolar diffusion in solar magnetic flux emergence processes
text, January 2019


Generation of Solar Spicules and Subsequent Atmospheric Heating
text, January 2020