paper

Solar Active Region Coronal Jets II: Triggering and Evolution of Violent Jets

arXiv:1705.03040 · doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa7945

Abstract

We study a series of X-ray-bright, rapidly-evolving active-region coronal jets outside the leading sunspot of AR 12259, using Hinode/XRT, SDO/AIA and HMI, and IRIS data. The detailed evolution of such rapidly evolving "violent" jets remained a mystery after our previous investigation of active region jets (Sterling et al. 2016, Paper 1). The jets we investigate here erupt from three localized subregions, each containing a rapidly evolving (positive) minority-polarity magnetic-flux patch bathed in a (majority) negative-polarity magnetic-flux background. At least several of the jets begin with eruptions of what appear to be thin (thickness <~2") miniature-filament (minifilament) "strands" from a magnetic neutral line where magnetic flux cancelation is ongoing, consistent with the magnetic configuration presented for coronal-hole jets in Sterling et al. (2015). Some jets strands are difficult/impossible to detect, perhaps due to, e.g. their thinness, obscuration by surrounding bright or dark features, or the absence of erupting cool-material minifilaments in those jets. Tracing in detail the flux evolution in one of the subregions, we find bursts of strong jetting occurring only during times of strong flux cancelation. Averaged over seven jetting episodes, the cancelation rate was ~1.5x10^19 Mx/hr. An average flux of ~5x10^18 Mx canceled prior to each episode, arguably building up ~10^28 - 10^29 ergs of free magnetic energy per jet. From these and previous observations, we infer that flux cancelation is the fundamental process responsible for the pre-eruption buildup and triggering of at least many jets in active regions, quiet regions, and coronal holes.

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