paper

On the dynamics, thermodynamics and fine structure of virtual erupting filaments

arXiv:2602.15401 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202557941

Abstract

It is not fully understood why some solar filaments erupt while others do not. Those that do typically undergo a slow rise followed by an acceleration phase, though this transition requires further investigation. Erupting prominences have been observed to heat up during the acceleration phase, but the origin of this heating remains unclear. Moreover, some coronal mass ejections possess additional fine structure in white-light observations beyond the classical three-part morphology. We aim to elaborate on the dynamics of erupting prominences, investigate the heating during the acceleration phase, and correlate our findings with observations. We employ the open-source MPI-AMRVAC code to solve the 2.5D MHD equations on a coronal domain extending to 300 Mm, using adaptive mesh refinement to attain high resolution. Controlled combinations of footpoint shearing and converging motions applied to an initial magnetic arcade produce erupting flux ropes with self-consistent prominence and coronal rain formation due to thermal instability. We find both non-erupting and erupting cases related to the system energization. Comparison with observations from the AIA Filament Eruption Catalog shows that the slow-rise and impulsive phases are modulated by magnetic reconnection. The transition to acceleration corresponds to an increase in the inflow Alfvén Mach number. Thermal conduction and compressional heating can lead to prominence evaporation. We obtain nested circular fine structure in EUV images of the ejected flux ropes, partly resulting from plasmoid interactions. We conclude that internal heating processes and magnetic reconnection play key roles in the early evolution of CMEs.

14 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

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