Cool transition region loops observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph

We report on the first Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) study of cool transition region loops. This class of loops has received little attention in the literature. A cluster of such loops was observed on the solar disk in active region NOAA11934, in the Si IV 1402.8 \AA\ spectral raster and 1400 \AA\ slit-jaw (SJ) images. We divide the loops into three groups and study their dynamics and interaction. The first group comprises relatively stable loops, with 382--626\,km cross-sections. Observed Doppler velocities are suggestive of siphon flows, gradually changing from -10 km/s at one end to 20 km/s at the other end of the loops. Nonthermal velocities from 15 to 25 km/s were determined. These physical properties suggest that these loops are impulsively heated by magnetic reconnection occurring at the blue-shifted footpoints where magnetic cancellation with a rate of $10^{15}$ Mx/s is found. The released magnetic energy is redistributed by the siphon flows. The second group corresponds to two footpoints rooted in mixed-magnetic-polarity regions, where magnetic cancellation occurred at a rate of $10^{15}$ Mx/s and line profiles with enhanced wings of up to 200 km/s were observed. These are suggestive of explosive-like events. The Doppler velocities combined with the SJ images suggest possible anti-parallel flows in finer loop strands. In the third group, interaction between two cool loop systems is observed. Evidence for magnetic reconnection between the two loop systems is reflected in the line profiles of explosive events, and a magnetic cancellation rate of $3\times10^{15}$ Mx/s observed in the corresponding area. The IRIS observations have thus opened a new window of opportunity for in-depth investigations of cool transition region loops. Further numerical experiments are crucial for understanding their physics and their role in the coronal heating processes.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Explosive events on sub-arcsecond scale in IRIS observations: a case study

We present study of a typical explosive event (EE) at sub-arcsecond scale witnessed by strong non-Gaussian profiles with blue- and red-shifted emission of up to 150 km/s seen in the transition-region Si IV 1402.8 \AA, and the chromospheric Mg II k 2796.4 \AA\ and C II 1334.5 \AA\ observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph at unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. For the first time a EE is found to be associated with very small-scale ($\sim$120 km wide) plasma ejection followed by retraction in the chromosphere. These small-scale jets originate from a compact bright-point-like structure of $\sim$1.5" size as seen in the IRIS 1330 \AA\ images. SDO/AIA and SDO/HMI co-observations show that the EE lies in the footpoint of a complex loop-like brightening system. The EE is detected in the higher temperature channels of AIA 171 \AA, 193 \AA\ and 131 \AA\ suggesting that it reaches a higher temperature of log T$=5.36\pm0.06$ (K). Brightenings observed in the AIA channels with durations 90--120 seconds are probably caused by the plasma ejections seen in the chromosphere. The wings of the C II line behave in a similar manner as the Si IV's indicating close formation temperatures, while the Mg II k wings show additional Doppler-shifted emission. Magnetic convergence or emergence followed by cancellation at a rate of $5\times10^{14}$ Mx s$^{-1}$ is associated with the EE region. The combined changes of the locations and the flux of different magnetic patches suggest that magnetic reconnection must have taken place. Our results challenge several theories put forward in the past to explain non-Gaussian line profiles, i.e. EEs. Our case study on its own, however, cannot reject these theories, thus further in-depth studies on the phenomena producing EEs are required.Comment: 16 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Plasma parameters and geometry of cool and warm active region loops

How the solar corona is heated to high temperatures remains an unsolved mystery in solar physics. In the present study we analyse observations of 50 whole active-region loops taken with the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board the Hinode satellite. Eleven loops were classified as cool (<1 MK) and 39 as warm (1-2 MK) loops. We study their plasma parameters such as densities, temperatures, filling factors, non-thermal velocities and Doppler velocities. We combine spectroscopic analysis with linear force-free magnetic-field extrapolation to derive the three-dimensional structure and positioning of the loops, their lengths and heights as well as the magnetic field strength along the loops. We use density-sensitive line pairs from Fe XII, Fe XIII, Si X and Mg VII ions to obtain electron densities by taking special care of intensity background-subtraction. The emission-measure loci method is used to obtain the loop temperatures. We find that the loops are nearly isothermal along the line-of-sight. Their filling factors are between 8% and 89%. We also compare the observed parameters with the theoretical RTV scaling law. We find that most of the loops are in an overpressure state relative to the RTV predictions. In a followup study, we will report a heating model of a parallel-cascade-based mechanism and will compare the model parameters with the loop plasma and structural parameters derived here.Comment: ApJ, accepted for publicatio

Narrow-line-width UV bursts in the transition region above Sunspots observed by IRIS

Various small-scale structures abound in the solar atmosphere above active regions, playing an important role in the dynamics and evolution therein. We report on a new class of small-scale transition region structures in active regions, characterized by strong emissions but extremely narrow Si IV line profiles as found in observations taken with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Tentatively named as Narrow-line-width UV bursts (NUBs), these structures are located above sunspots and comprise of one or multiple compact bright cores at sub-arcsecond scales. We found six NUBs in two datasets (a raster and a sit-and-stare dataset). Among these, four events are short-living with a duration of $\sim$10 mins while two last for more than 36 mins. All NUBs have Doppler shifts of 15--18 km/s, while the NUB found in sit-and-stare data possesses an additional component at $\sim$50 km/s found only in the C II and Mg II lines. Given that these events are found to play a role in the local dynamics, it is important to further investigate the physical mechanisms that generate these phenomena and their role in the mass transport in sunspots.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures and 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ

Eruptions from coronal hole bright points : observations and non-potential modeling

Funding: DHM would like to thank the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK) through the consolidated grant ST/N000609/1 and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 647214).Context. We report on the third part of a series of studies on eruptions associated with small-scale loop complexes named coronal bright points (CBPs). Aims. A single case study of a CBP in an equatorial coronal hole with an exceptionally large size is investigated to extend our understanding of the formation of mini-filaments (MFs), their destabilisation and the origin of the eruption triggering the formation of jet-like features recorded in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray emission. We aim to explore the nature of the so called micro-flares in CBPs associated with jets in coronal holes and mini coronal mass ejections in the quiet Sun. Methods. Co-observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and GONG Halpha images are used together with a Non-Linear Force Free Field (NLFFF) relaxation approach, where the latter is based on a time series of HMI line-of-sight magnetograms. Results. A mini-filament (MF) that formed beneath the CBP arcade around 3–4 h before the eruption is seen in the Halpha and EUV AIA images to lift up and erupt triggering the formation of an X-ray jet. No significant photospheric magnetic flux concentration displacement (convergence) is observed and neither is magnetic flux cancellation between the two main magnetic polarities forming the CBP in the time period leading to the MF liftoff. The CBP micro-flare is associated with three flare kernels that formed shortly after the MF liftoff. No observational signature is found for reconnection beneath the erupting MF. The applied NLFFF modeling successfully reproduces both the CBP loop complex as well as the magnetic flux rope that hosts the MF. Conclusions. The applied NLFFF modellng is able to clearly show that an initial potential field can be evolved into a non-potential magnetic field configuration that contains free magnetic energy in the region that observationally hosts the eruption. The comparison of the magnetic field structure shows that the magnetic NLFFF model contains many of the features that can explain the dfferent observational signatures found in the evolution and eruption of the CBP. In future it may eventually indicate the location of destabilisation that results in the eruptions of flux ropes.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Eruptions from coronal bright points : a spectroscopic view by IRIS of a mini-filament eruption, QSL reconnection, and reconnection-driven outflows

Funding: The authors thank very much the referee for the very important comments and suggestions. MM and TW acknowledge DFG-grant WI3211/8-1. D.H.M. would like to acknowledge STFC for support via the Consolidated Grant SMC1/YST037. Open Access funding provided by the Max Planck Society.Context. Our study investigates a mini-filament eruption associated with cancelling magnetic fluxes. The eruption originates from a small-scale loop complex commonly known as a coronal bright point (CBP). The event is uniquely recorded in both the imaging and spectroscopic data taken with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Aims. The investigation aims to gain a better understanding of the physical processes driving these ubiquitous small-scale eruptions. Methods. We analysed IRIS spectroscopic and slit-jaw imaging observations as well as images taken in the extreme-ultraviolet channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and line-of-sight magnetic-field data from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. As the observations can only indicate the possible physical processes at play, we also employed a non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) relaxation approach based on the HMI magnetogram time series. This allowed us to further investigate the evolution of the magnetic-field structures involved in the eruption process. Results. We identified a strong small-scale brightening as a micro-flare in a CBP, recorded in emission from chromospheric to flaring plasmas. The mini-eruption is manifested via the ejection of hot (CBP loops) and cool (mini-filament) plasma recorded in both the imaging and spectroscopic data. The micro-flare is preceded by the appearance of an elongated bright feature in the IRIS slit-jaw 1400 Å images, located above the polarity inversion line. The micro-flare starts with an IRIS pixel size brightening and propagates bi-directionally along the elongated feature. We detected, in both the spectral and imaging IRIS data and AIA data, strong flows along and at the edges of the elongated feature; we believe that these represent reconnection outflows. Both edges of the elongated feature that wrap around the edges of the erupting MF evolve into a J-type shape, creating a sigmoid appearance. A quasi-separatrix layer (QSL) is identified in the vicinity of the polarity inversion line by computing the squashing factor, Q, in different horizontal planes of the NLFFF model.  Conclusions. This CBP spectro-imaging study provides further evidence that CBPs represent downscaled active regions and, as such, they may make a significant contribution to the mass and energy balance of the solar atmosphere. They are the sources of all range of typical active-region features, including magnetic reconnection along QSLs, (mini-)filament eruptions, (micro-)flaring, reconnection outflows, etc. The QSL reconnection site has the same spectral appearance as the so-called explosive events identified by strong blue- and red-shifted emission, thus providing an answer to an outstanding question regarding the true nature of this spectral phenomenon.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe