Fine strand-like structure in the solar corona from MHD transverse oscillations

Abstract

Current analytical and numerical modelling suggest the existence of ubiquitous thin current sheets in the corona that could explain the observed heating requirements. On the other hand, new high resolution observations of the corona indicate that its magnetic field may tend to organise itself in fine strand-like structures of few hundred kilometres widths. The link between small structure in models and the observed widths of strand-like structure several orders of magnitude larger is still not clear. A popular theoretical scenario is the nanoflare model, in which each strand is the product of an ensemble of heating events. Here, we suggest an alternative mechanism for strand generation. Through forward modelling of 3D MHD simulations we show that small amplitude transverse MHD waves can lead in a few periods time to strand-like structure in loops in EUV intensity images. Our model is based on previous numerical work showing that transverse MHD oscillations can lead to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities that deform the cross-sectional area of loops. While previous work has focused on large amplitude oscillations, here we show that the instability can occur even for low wave amplitudes for long and thin loops, matching those presently observed in the corona. We show that the vortices generated from the instability are velocity sheared regions with enhanced emissivity hosting current sheets. Strands result as a complex combination of the vortices and the line-of-sight angle, last for timescales of a period and can be observed for spatial resolutions of a tenth of loop radius.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in ApJL

References in corpus (18)

• Alfven Waves in the Lower Solar Atmosphere
• Heating of the Solar Chromosphere and Corona by Alfven Wave Turbulence
• MHD Waves and Coronal Seismology: an overview of recent results
• An Ab Initio Approach to the Solar Coronal Heating Problem
• Observing the fine structure of loops through high resolution spectroscopic observations of coronal rain with the CRISP instrument at the Swedish Solar Telescope
• Persistent Doppler shift oscillations observed with HINODE/EIS in the solar corona: spectroscopic signatures of Alfvenic waves and recurring upflows
• Nonlinear Instability of kink oscillations due to shear motions
• Surface Alfven waves in solar flux tubes
• Structure of solar coronal loops: from miniature to large-scale
• SDO/AIA Observation of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability in the Solar Corona
• High Spatial Resolution Observations of Loops in the Solar Corona
• Constant cross section of loops in the solar corona
• Transverse oscillations of loops with coronal rain observed by Hinode/SOT
• Hi-C & AIA observations of transverse MHD waves in active regions
• Line-of-sight geometrical and instrumental resolution effects on intensity perturbations by sausage modes
• A statistical study of transverse oscillations in a quiescent prominence
• The behavior of transverse waves in nonuniform solar flux tubes. II. Implications for coronal loop seismology
• Evolution of fast magnetoacoustic pulses in randomly structured coronal plasmas

Cited by in corpus (82)

• Coronal heating by MHD waves
• Decayless low-amplitude kink oscillations: a common phenomenon in the solar corona?
• Solar science with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - A new view of our Sun
• Resonant Absorption of Transverse Oscillations and Associated Heating in a Solar Prominence. II- Numerical aspects
• Kink oscillations of coronal loops
• Wave Heating of the Solar Atmosphere
• Flares in the Galactic center I: orbiting flux tubes in Magnetically Arrested Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Resonant Absorption of Transverse Oscillations and Associated Heating in a Solar Prominence. I- Observational aspects
• Three-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of the Formation of Solar Chromospheric Jets with Twisted Magnetic Field Lines
• Heating by transverse waves in simulated coronal loops
• Stability of rotating magnetized jets in the solar atmosphere. I. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
• Damping of nonlinear standing kink oscillations: a numerical study
• Heating effects from driven transverse and Alfvén waves in coronal loops
• Transverse Wave Induced Kelvin-Helmholtz Rolls in Spicules
• Modelling observed decay-less oscillations as resonantly enhanced Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices from transverse MHD waves and their seismological application
• The effects of resistivity and viscosity on the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in oscillating coronal loops
• The Coronal Veil
• Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in solar chromospheric jets: theory and observation
• 3D MHD modeling of twisted coronal loops
• Decayless oscillations in solar coronal bright points
• Forward Modelling of Standing Slow Modes in Flaring Coronal Loops
• Amplitudes and energy fluxes of simulated decayless kink oscillations
• Energetics of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability induced by transverse waves in twisted coronal loops
• Waves in Solar Coronal Loops
• Numerical simulations of transverse oscillations in radiatively cooling coronal loops
• Simulations of fully deformed oscillating flux tubes
• Forward Modelling of Standing Kink Modes in Coronal Loops I. Synthetic Views
• On Kelvin-Helmholtz and parametric instabilities driven by coronal waves
• Phase mixing and wave heating in a complex coronal plasma
• The instability and non-existence of multi-stranded loops, when driven by transverse waves
• Generating transverse loop oscillations through a steady-flow driver
• MHD turbulence formation in solar flares: 3D simulation and synthetic observations
• Non-linear damping of standing kink waves computed with Elsasser variables
• On the multi-threaded nature of solar spicules
• Forward Modelling of Propagating Slow Waves in Coronal Loops and Their Frequency-Dependent Damping
• Reflection Of Propagating Slow Magneto-acoustic Waves In Hot Coronal Loops : Multi-instrument Observations and Numerical Modelling
• Weak damping of propagating MHD kink waves in the quiescent corona
• First Perihelion of EUI on the Solar Orbiter mission
• An Analytical Model of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability of Transverse Coronal Loop Oscillations
• MHD wave modes resolved in fine-scale chromospheric magnetic structures
• Transverse loop oscillations via vortex shedding: a self oscillating process
• Coronal cooling as a result of mixing by the nonlinear Kelvin--Helmholtz instability
• Coronal loop transverse oscillations excited by different driver frequencies
• Wave heating in simulated multi-stranded coronal loops
• Field topologies in ideal and near ideal magnetohydrodynamics and vortex dynamics
• Estimating the energy dissipation {from Kelvin-Helmholtz instability induced} turbulence in oscillating coronal loops}
• Wave pressure and energy cascade rate of kink waves computed with Elsasser variables
• Resonant absorption in expanding coronal magnetic flux tubes with uniform density
• Transition to turbulence in nonuniform coronal loops driven by torsional Alfven waves
• Cut-off of transverse waves through the solar transition region
• Derivations and Observations of Prominence Bulk Motions and Mass
• Effect of Coronal Loop Structure on Wave Heating by Phase Mixing
• Broadening of the DEM by multi-shelled and turbulent loops
• Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in solar H-alpha surges
• Finite amplitude transverse oscillations of a magnetic rope
• Swirls in the Solar Corona
• Turbulence and particle energization in twisted flux ropes in solar-wind conditions
• II. The effect of axisymmetric and spatially varying equilibria and flow on MHD wave modes: Cylindrical geometry
• The fine-scale structure of polar coronal holes
• The effects of driving time scales on coronal heating in a stratified atmosphere
• Excitation and evolution of coronal oscillations in self-consistent 3D radiative MHD simulations of the solar atmosphere
• Assessing the capability of a model-based stellar XUV estimation
• Propagating Kink Waves in an Open Coronal Magnetic Flux Tube with Gravitational Stratification: Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation and Forward Modelling
• EUV flickering of solar coronal loops: a new diagnostic of coronal heating
• Forward Modeling of Simulated Transverse Oscillations in Coronal Loops and the Influence of Background Emission
• Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and Alfvenic vortex shedding in solar eruptions
• The dynamics and observability of circularly polarized kink waves
• Transition to turbulence in nonuniform coronal loops driven by torsional Alfvén waves. II. Extended analysis and effect of magnetic twist
• Coronal kink oscillations and photospheric driving: combining SolO/EUI and SST/CRISP high-resolution observations
• New analytical and numerical models of solar coronal loop: I. Application to forced vertical kink oscillations
• Fast Sausage Oscillations in Coronal Loops with Fine Structures
• Oblique Quasi-Kink Modes in Solar Coronal Slabs Embedded in an Asymmetric Magnetic Environment: Resonant Damping, Phase and Group Diagrams
• Fundamental Transverse Vibrations of the Active Region Solar Corona
• Transverse kink oscillations of inhomogeneous prominence threads: numerical analysis and H$\alpha$ forward modelling
• SSALMON - The Solar Simulations for the Atacama Large Millimeter Observatory Network
• Can we rely on EUV emission to identify coronal waveguides?
• Damping of coronal oscillations in self-consistent 3D radiative MHD simulations of the solar atmosphere
• Modeling the effects of a lightbridge on oscillations in a solar pore
• Stability of solar atmospheric structures harboring standing slow waves: An analytical model in a compressible plasma
• Identification of Nonlinear Damping of Transverse Loop Oscillations by KHI-induced Turbulence
• Pre-flare and active region plasma flows and structure seen by the short wavelength camera on SOLAR-C/EUVST
• Magnetic reconnection and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the solar corona