Flow instabilities in solar jets in their upstream and downstream regimes

Abstract

Using the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly 304 A images obtained from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we study two jets which occurred during the M5.8 class flare on 2017 April 3 and the M5.5 class flare on 2016 July 23, respectively. During the M5.8 class flare, many vortex-like structures occurred in the upstream and downstream regimes of the associated jet. While the jet was ejected upwards to the corona, some dark material at its base flowed through a bright structure with a velocity of 110 km/s. The boundary between the material and the structure changed from smooth to uneven. Later, the jet material at the higher atmosphere started to fall down with velocities of over 200 km/s, and the left boundary of the jet developed into a sawtooth pattern. The vortex-like structures were formed, and the growth rates of two structures were presented. During the M5.5 class flare, we also observed many vortex-like structures in the downstream regime of the jet. At the late stage of the jet, some material at the south boundary of the jet fell back to the solar surface, and vortex-like structures at the boundary grew from ripple-like minim into vortices with diameters of 3.4-5.4 Mm. The growth rates of the vortex-like structures were calculated. We suggest that the vortex-like structures in the upstream regime are the manifestations of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and those in the downstream regime are simultaneously driven by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and Raleigh-Taylor instability.

20 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

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