Plasma Ballistics on the (Magnetically Complex) Sun (click on image to see movie)
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Even small microflares can launch significant plasma motions. And
in the complex magnetic tangle that the Sun often provides, what
goes up sometimes comes down in surprising places. Here is a time
series of Al-poly images taken 08/08/09 showing two footpoint
brightenings which launch plasma surges. In the first case (launch
time ~01:09), the surge travels in a classical loop arch similar
to the quiescent structures visible throughout, but in the second
(launch time ~01:21), two loop strands are filled. One surge travels
in a trajectory similar to the first, while the second follows a
very long, stretched, likely non-potential loop and lands close to
the top of the frame, causing local heating of the other footpoint
(starting ~01:30). Clearly the magnetic structure around this
decaying active region is more Byzantine than the quiescent loops
would suggest!
Keywords: Jet, Microflares, Limb Filters: Al_poly |
(Prepared by Steve Saar)
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