Solar prominences: 'double, double ... boil and bubble'

Abstract

Observations revealed rich dynamics within prominences, the cool 10,000 K, macroscopic (sizes of order 100 Mm) "clouds" in the million degree solar corona. Even quiescent prominences are continuously perturbed by hot, rising bubbles. Since prominence matter is hundredfold denser than coronal plasma, this bubbling is related to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. Here we report on true macroscopic simulations well into this bubbling phase, adopting a magnetohydrodynamic description from chromospheric layers up to 30 Mm height. Our virtual prominences rapidly establish fully non-linear (magneto)convective motions where hot bubbles interplay with falling pillars, with dynamical details including upwelling pillars forming within bubbles. Our simulations show impacting Rayleigh-Taylor fingers reflecting on transition region plasma, ensuring that cool, dense chromospheric material gets mixed with prominence matter up to very large heights. This offers an explanation for the return mass cycle mystery for prominence material. Synthetic views at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths show remarkable agreement with observations, with clear indications of shear-flow induced fragmentations.

18 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (7)

• MPI-AMRVAC for Solar and Astrophysics
• Accretion to Magnetized Stars through the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability: Global Three-Dimensional Simulations
• Simulating the in situ condensation process of solar prominences
• Rayleigh-Taylor instability in Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of the Crab Nebula
• Rayleigh-Taylor instability in prominences from numerical simulations including partial ionization effects
• Morphology and dynamics of solar prominences from 3D MHD simulations
• The Dynamics of Funnel Prominences

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Reconnection-Condensation Model for Solar Prominence Formation
• Quiescent prominence dynamics observed with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope . II. Prominence Bubble Boundary Layer Characteristics and the Onset of a Coupled Kelvin-Helmholtz Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
• Coronal rain in magnetic bipolar weak fields
• Prominence formation by levitation-condensation at extreme resolutions
• On the nature of the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability in Astrophysical Plasma: The case of uniform magnetic field strength
• Reconfiguration and eruption of a solar filament by magnetic reconnection with an emerging magnetic field
• Simulating Rayleigh-Taylor induced magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in prominences