paper

Apparent Transverse Motion of Light Bridges Coupled to Coronal Loop Dynamics

arXiv:2606.09562 · doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae7715

Abstract

Light bridges are commonly observed in active regions and are interpreted as signatures of magnetoconvective processes in sunspots. Several studies have attempted to classify them in the past based on their morphological characteristics. Recent observations have revealed new dynamical properties of light bridges, including their signatures in the upper solar atmosphere, particularly in the chromosphere, and their coupling with coronal features. In this study, we observed two cases of rare and unusual dynamics as light bridges evolve. Using data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the evolution of the light bridges is analysed, and the results are reported here. Based on our findings, we propose that the unique movements of the light bridges in the observed sunspot and earlier studies could be an apparent view of the umbral core dynamics. Investigation into these dynamics through signatures in the higher atmosphere reveals a clear coupling to coronal loops and their dynamics.

15 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ. For Animated Figures: https://zenodo.org/records/19508008

References in corpus (18)