English

Formation of Jet-driven Forced Reconnection Region and Associated Plasma Blobs in a Prominence Segment

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2025-02-19 v1

Abstract

We use data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to study the most likely formation of a forced reconnection region and associated plasma blobs, triggered by jet-like structures in a prominence segment. Around 05:44 UT on December 16th^{th}, 2017, hot jet-like structures lifted from a nearby active region and fell obliquely on one side of the prominence segment with velocities of \approx45--65 km s1^{-1}. These eruptions compressed the boundaries of the prominence and flux rope, forming an elongated reconnection region with inflow velocities of 47--52 km s1^{-1} and 36--49 km s1^{-1} in the projected plane. A thin, elongated reconnection region was formed, with multiple magnetic plasma blobs propagating bidirectionally at velocities of 91--178 km s1^{-1}. These dense blobs, associated with ongoing reconnection, may also be linked to the onset of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability. The blobs are attributed to plasmoids, moving at slower speeds (91--178 km s1^{-1}) due to the high density in the prominence segment. The dimensionless reconnection rate varied from 0.57--0.28, 0.53--0.26, and 0.41--0.20, indicating reconnection rate enhancement and supporting the forced reconnection scenario. After reconnection, the prominence plasma heated to 6 MK, releasing significant thermal energy (\approx5.4×\times1027^{27} erg), which drained cool prominence plasma and heated it to coronal temperatures. The ubiquity of jets and outflows in the solar atmosphere makes the aforementioned of reconnection and possible co-existence of K-H instability potentially important for the magnetic energy release and heating in the solar atmosphere.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2502.12889,
  title  = {Formation of Jet-driven Forced Reconnection Region and Associated Plasma Blobs in a Prominence Segment},
  author = {Sudheer K. Mishra and A. K. Srivastava and S. P. Rajaguru and P. Jelínek},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.12889},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

10 Figures and Accepted for publications in ApJ