English

Reconnection nanojets in an erupting solar filament with unprecedented high speeds

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2025-04-30 v1

Abstract

Solar nanojets are small-scale jets generated by component magnetic reconnection, characterized by collimated plasma motion perpendicular to the reconnecting magnetic field lines. As an indicator of nanoflare events, they are believed to play a significant role in coronal heating. Using high-resolution extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) imaging observations from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard the Solar Orbiter mission, we identified 27 nanojets in an erupting filament on September 30, 2024. They are potentially associated with the untwisting of magnetic field lines of the filament. Most nanojets exhibit velocities around 450 km s1^{-1}, with the fastest reaching approximately 800 km s1^{-1}, significantly higher than previously reported but comparable to the typical coronal Alfv\'en speed. To our knowledge, these are the highest speeds ever reported for small-scale jets (less than ~1 Mm wide) in the solar atmosphere. Our findings suggest that these nanoflare-type phenomena can be more dynamic than previously recognized and may contribute to the energy release process of solar eruptions and the heating of coronal active regions.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2504.20663,
  title  = {Reconnection nanojets in an erupting solar filament with unprecedented high speeds},
  author = {Yuhang Gao and Hui Tian and David Berghmans and Yadan Duan and Tom Van Doorsselaere and Hechao Chen and Emil Kraaikamp},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.20663},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in ApJL