Reciprocatory magnetic reconnection in a coronal bright point

Abstract

Coronal bright points (CBPs) are small-scale and long-duration brightenings in the lower solar corona. They are often explained in terms of magnetic reconnection. We aim to study the sub-structures of a CBP and clarify the relationship among the brightenings of different patches inside the CBP. The event was observed by the X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard the Hinode spacecraft on 2009 August 22$-$23. The CBP showed repetitive brightenings (or CBP flashes). During each of the two successive CBP flashes, i.e., weak and strong flashes which are separated by $\sim$2 hr, the XRT images revealed that the CBP was composed of two chambers, i.e., patches A and B. During the weak flash, patch A brightened first, and patch B brightened $\sim$2 min later. During the transition, the right leg of a large-scale coronal loop drifted from the right side of the CBP to the left side. During the strong flash, patch B brightened first, and patch A brightened $\sim$2 min later. During the transition, the right leg of the large-scale coronal loop drifted from the left side of the CBP to the right side. In each flash, the rapid change of the connectivity of the large-scale coronal loop is strongly suggestive of the interchange reconnection. For the first time we found reciprocatory reconnection in the CBP, i.e., reconnected loops in the outflow region of the first reconnection process serve as the inflow of the second reconnection process.

13 pages, 8 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Jets in coronal holes: Hinode observations and 3D computer modelling
• Nonlinear Fast Magnetoacoustic Wave Propagation in the Neighbourhood of a 2D magnetic X-point: Oscillatory Reconnection
• Blobs in recurring EUV jets
• Recurrent solar jets in active regions
• The structure and dynamics of a bright point as seen with Hinode, SoHO and TRACE
• Dynamics of Coronal Bright Points as seen by Sun Watcher using Active Pixel System detector and Image Processing (SWAP), Atmospheric Imaging Assembly AIA), and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI)

Cited by in corpus (5)

• The magnetic drivers of campfires seen by the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) on Solar Orbiter
• Observational Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection for Brightenings and Transition Region Arcades in IRIS observations
• Observation of a reversal of breakout reconnection preceding a jet: evidence of oscillatory magnetic reconnection?
• A 2D Model for Coronal Bright Points: Association with Spicules, UV bursts, Surges and EUV Coronal Jets
• Moving structures in ultraviolet bright points: observations from Solar Orbiter/EUI