Observations of apparent superslow wave propagation in solar prominences

Abstract

Phase mixing of standing continuum Alfvén waves and/or continuum slow waves in atmospheric magnetic structures such as coronal arcades can create the apparent effect of a wave propagating across the magnetic field. We observe a prominence with SDO/AIA on 2015 March 15 and find the presence of oscillatory motion. We aim to demonstrate that interpreting this motion as a magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) wave is faulty. We also connect the decrease of the apparent velocity over time with the phase mixing process, which depends on the curvature of the magnetic field lines. By measuring the displacement of the prominence at different heights to calculate the apparent velocity, we show that the propagation slows down over time, in accordance with the theoretical work of Kaneko et al. We also show that this propagation speed drops below what is to be expected for even slow MHD waves for those circumstances. We use a modified Kippenhahn-Schlüter prominence model to calculate the curvature of the magnetic field and fit our observations accordingly. Measuring three of the apparent waves, we get apparent velocities of 14, 8, and 4 km/s. Fitting a simple model for the magnetic field configuration, we obtain that the filament is located 103 Mm below the magnetic centre. We also obtain that the scale of the magnetic field strength in the vertical direction plays no role in the concept of apparent superslow waves and that the moment of excitation of the waves happened roughly one oscillation period before the end of the eruption that excited the oscillation. Some of the observed phase velocities are lower than expected for slow modes for the circumstances, showing that they rather fit with the concept of apparent superslow propagation. A fit with our magnetic field model allows for inferring the magnetic geometry of the prominence.

10 pages, 6 figures, 1 of which consists of 3 panels

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• Large amplitude oscillatory motion along a solar filament
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Cited by in corpus (6)

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• Resonant absorption of surface sausage and surface kink modes under photospheric conditions
• Interaction of solar jets with filaments: Triggering of large-amplitude filament oscillations
• Study of the excitation of large amplitude oscillations in a prominence by nearby flares
• The effect of flow on resonant absorption of slow MHD waves in magnetic flux tubes
• Exploration of long-period oscillations in an H$\alpha$ prominence