An ultra-long and quite thin coronal loop without significant expansion

Context. Coronal loops are the basic building blocks of the solar corona, which are related to the mass supply and heating of solar plasmas in the corona. However, their fundamental magnetic structures are still not well understood. Most coronal loops do not expand significantly, whereas the diverging magnetic field would have an expansion factor of about 5-10 over one pressure scale height. Aims. In this study, we investigate a unique coronal loop with a roughly constant cross section, it is ultra long and quite thin. A coronal loop model with magnetic helicity is presented to explain the small expansion of the loop width. Methods. This coronal loop was predominantly detectable in the 171 A channel of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). Then, the local magnetic field line was extrapolated by a Potential-Field-Source-Surface model. Finally, the differential emission measure analysis made from six AIA bandpasses was applied to obtain the thermal properties of this loop. Results. This coronal loop has a projected length of roughly 130 Mm, a width of about 1.5 +(-) 0.5 Mm and a lifetime of around 90 minutes. It follows an open magnetic field line. The cross section expanded very little (i.e., 1.5-2.0) along the loop length during its whole lifetime. This loop has a nearly constant temperature at about 0.7 +(-) 0.2 MK, whereas its density exhibits the typical structure of a stratified atmosphere. Conclusions. We use a thin twisted flux tube theory to construct a model for this non-expanding loop, and find that indeed with sufficient twist a coronal loop can attain equilibrium. However, we can not rule out other possibilities such as footpoint heating by small-scale reconnection, elevated scale height by a steady flow along the loop etc.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table

Simultaneous detection of flare-associated kink oscillations and extreme-ultraviolet waves

Kink oscillations, which are frequently observed in coronal loops and prominences, are often accompanied by extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) waves. However, much more needs to be explored regarding the causal relationships between kink oscillations and EUV waves. In this article, we report the simultaneous detection of kink oscillations and EUV waves that are both associated with an X2.1 flare on 2023 March 03 (SOL2023-03-03T17:39). The kink oscillations, which are almost perpendicular to the axes of loop-like structures, are observed in three coronal loops and one prominence. One short loop shows in-phase oscillation within the same period of 5.2 minutes at three positions. This oscillation could be triggered by the pushing of an expanding loop and interpreted as the standing kink wave. Time lags are found between the kink oscillations of the short loop and two long loops, suggesting that the kink wave travels in different loops. The kink oscillations of one long loop and the prominence are possibly driven by the disturbance of the CME, and that of another long loop might be attributed to the interaction of the EUV wave. The onset time of the kink oscillation of the short loop is nearly same as the beginning of an EUV wave. This fact demonstrates that they are almost simultaneous. The EUV wave is most likely excited by the expanding loop structure and shows two components. The leading component is a fast coronal wave, and the trailing one could be due to the stretching magnetic field lines.Comment: accepted for publication in the Science China Technological Science