Magnetic tornadoes and chromospheric swirls -- Definition and classification
Abstract
Chromospheric swirls are the observational signatures of rotating magnetic field structures in the solar atmosphere, also known as magnetic tornadoes. Swirls appear as dark rotating features in the core of the spectral line of singly ionized calcium at a wavelength of 854.2 nm. This signature can be very subtle and difficult to detect given the dynamic changes in the solar chromosphere. Important steps towards a systematic and objective detection method are the compilation and characterization of a statistically significant sample of observed and simulated chromospheric swirls. Here, we provide a more exact definition of the chromospheric swirl phenomenon and also present a first morphological classification of swirls with three types: (I) Ring, (II) Split, (III) Spiral. We also discuss the nature of the magnetic field structures connected to tornadoes and the influence of limited spatial resolution on the appearance of their photospheric footpoints.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1303.0179,
title = {Magnetic tornadoes and chromospheric swirls -- Definition and classification},
author = {Sven Wedemeyer and Eamon Scullion and Oskar Steiner and Jaime de la Cruz Rodriguez and Luc Rouppe van der Voort},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1303.0179},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
8 pages, 4 figures, proceedings article for the conference "Eclipse on the Coral Sea: Cycle 24 Ascending" GONG 2012/LWS/SDO-5/SOHO 27, which has been held in Palm Cove, Australia, in 2012. Accepted version