Plasma flows in the cool loop systems

Abstract

We study the dynamics of low-lying cool loop systems for three datasets as observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Radiances, Doppler shifts and line widths are investigated in and around observed cool loop systems using various spectral lines formed between the photosphere and transition region (TR). Footpoints of the loop threads are either dominated by blueshifts or redshifts. The co-spatial variation of velocity above the blue-shifted footpoints of various loop threads shows a transition from very small upflow velocities ranging from (-1 to +1) km/s in the Mg\,{\sc ii} k line (2796.20~Å; formation temperature: log (T/K) = 4.0) to the high upflow velocities from (-10 to -20) km/s in Si\,{\sc iv}. Thus, the transition of the plasma flows from red-shift (downflows) to the blue-shift (upflows) is observed above the footpoints of these loop systems in the spectral line C\,{\sc ii} (1334.53~Å; \log (T/K) = 4.3) lying between Mg\,{\sc ii} k and Si\,{\sc iv} (1402.77~Å; log (T / K) = 4.8). This flow inversion is consistently observed in all three sets of the observational data. The other footpoint of loop system always remains red-shifted indicating downflowing plasma. The multi-spectral line analysis in the present paper provides a detailed scenario of the plasma flows inversions in cool loop systems leading to the mass transport and their formation. The impulsive energy release due to small-scale reconnection above loop footpoint seems to be the most likely cause for sudden initiation of the plasma flows evident at TR temperatures.

29 Pages, 14 figures, The Astrophysical Journal (in press)

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Transition region loops in the very late phase of flux-emergence in IRIS sit-and-stare observations
• Velocity Response of the Observed Explosive Events in the Lower Solar Atmosphere: I. Formation of the Flowing Cool Loop System
• Reconnection generated plasma flows in the quasi-separatrix layer in localised solar corona
• Signatures of red-shifted footpoints in the quiescent coronal loop system