arXiv subjects

Krzysztof Barczynski

Publications and source records attributed to Krzysztof Barczynski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Triple coronal hard X-ray source observed by STIX during a failed filament eruption

{Observations reveal hard X-ray sources in the solar corona with morphologies and locations distinct from typical solar flares. One expected mechanisms for hard X-ray (HXR) production in the solar corona is eruptions of various types. Failed eruptions are promising targets for detecting non-flare-related HXR sources because most of their energy is expected to be dissipated in the corona. } {We investigated the SOL2022-0 to determine the nature of coronal HXR sources associated with the event.} {We used Solar Orbiter's STIX, EUI, and SDO AIA observations. We reconstructed STIX images using the MARLIN algorithm. We used EUI data to cross-check the view of the event from two vantage points. The AIA images enabled kinematic analysis and reconstruction of differential emission measure (DEM) maps. We then used the AIA DEM to predict X-ray emission maps and compared them with STIX images. } {We find temporal and spatial correlations between the failed eruption and HXR sources. During the braking of the filament eruption, we observed non-thermal HXR emission from coronal sources along the path of the eruption. Thermal HXR emission was concentrated in three coronal sources formed with two separate mechanisms: chromospheric evaporation and direct heating. Directly heated sources are the result of the interaction of the eruption with the overlying magnetic field, and were observed to cool for an extremely long time.} {The HXR emission sources related to the interaction between the eruption and the overlying magnetic field might be typical structures in all flares. However, they appear to be weak, since their emission is only 5-20~\% of that from the flare coronal source. If footpoint sources were not occulted, then these weak coronal emission sources would not be visible due to the low dynamic range of HXR telescopes.}

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arXiv2026

Exploring if a coronal dimming event can produce coronal hole-like properties

Coronal dimmings, or transient coronal holes, are manifested as a sudden reduction in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray emission, often following solar eruptions. We investigate whether a dimming event can produce coronal hole-like plasma characteristics by comparing imaging and spectroscopic observations from Solar Orbiter, Hinode, IRIS, and SDO prior and during the dimming. The SDO/AIA 193 Å emission intensity in the dimming region was reduced to the same level as the neighbouring coronal hole within 11 hours. The Doppler velocity measured with Fe XII (corona) decreased from $-0.34^{+0.37}_{-0.27}$ km/s towards a predominant upflow of $-3.2^{+0.4}_{-0.6}$ km/s. The first ionisation potential (FIP) bias was reduced towards photospheric values. We found an increase in the number of automatically detected EUV brightenings near the dimming boundary in SDO/AIA 193 Å which could be a sign of magnetic reconnection. In the cooler SDO/AIA 171 Å or Solar Orbiter HRI_EUV 174 Å channel, we did not observe such an increase. Coronal bright points (CBPs) appeared relatively unaffected by the formation of the dimming. The Mg II $k_3$ (chromosphere) Doppler velocities were unchanged, except for a small reduction in the dimming upflows in areas with weak magnetic fields ($<20$ G). We find that the dimming only shows partial coronal hole-like properties; specifically, in the coronal emission lines and at temperatures of $>1$ MK. We suggest that this is due to the dimming resulting from plasma depletion only at higher altitudes. Since the CBPs were not significantly impacted by the dimming, we used their magnetic loop heights ($\sim 10$ Mm) as the lower limit to the dimming height. Our findings provide new insights into the atmospheric structure of coronal dimmings.

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arXiv2025

Accessing the fine temporal scale of EUV brightenings and their quasi-periodic pulsations: 1 second cadence observations by Solar Orbiter/EUI

Small scale extreme ultraviolet (EUV) transient brightenings are observationally abundant and critically important to investigate. Determining whether they share the same physical mechanisms as larger scale flares would have significant implications for the coronal heating problem. A recent study has revealed that quasi periodic pulsations (QPPs), a common feature in both solar and stellar flares, may also be present in EUV brightenings in the quiet Sun (QS). We aim to characterise the properties of EUV brightenings and their associated QPPs in both QS and active regions (ARs) using unprecedented 1 s cadence observations from Solar Orbiter/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI). We applied an automated detection algorithm to analyse statistical properties of EUV brightenings. QPPs were identified using complementary techniques optimised for both stationary and non stationary signals, including a Fourier based method, ensemble empirical mode decomposition, and wavelet analysis. Over 500000 and 300000 brightenings were detected in ARs and QS regions, respectively. Brightenings with lifetimes shorter than 3 s were detected, demonstrating the importance of high temporal resolution. QPP periods span from 5 to over 500 s and show similar distributions between AR and QS. We found a consistent power law scaling, with a weak correlation and a large spread, between QPP period and lifetime in EUV brightenings, solar, and stellar flares. The results support the interpretation that EUV brightenings may represent a small scale manifestation of the same physical mechanisms driving larger solar and stellar flares. Furthermore, the similarity in the statistical properties of EUV brightenings and their associated QPPs between AR and QS regions suggests that the underlying generation mechanisms may not strongly depend on the large scale magnetic environment.

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arXiv2025

Active region upflows in various coronal structures and their coupling to the lower atmosphere

Plasma upflows with a Doppler shift exceeding -10 km/s at active region (AR) boundaries are considered potential sources of the nascent slow solar wind. We investigate the driving mechanisms of a pair of coronal upflow regions on the western and eastern peripheries of an AR, which have different magnetic topologies and surroundings. It is aimed to explore how these upflows couple to the lower atmosphere. Using observations of the Fe XII 19.51 nm line from Hinode, we identified two upflow regions at the western and eastern boundaries of a decaying AR. Context images for the two regions were obtained by the High Resolution Imager (HRI) telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board the Solar Orbiter mission. Other instruments on Solar Orbiter and other observatories provide diagnostics to the lower atmosphere. Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) extrapolations were used to examine the magnetic field configuration associated with the AR upflows. The eastern upflow region, located over the AR moss, displays small-scale dynamic fibril structures, whereas the western region hosts fan-like loops. We found blueshifted Ne VIII emission at the eastern site, in contrast to redshifted Ne VIII profiles in the west. Magnetic field extrapolations reveal a pseudostreamer topology connecting both these regions. Moreover, low transition-region lines show systematically reduced redshift below the eastern footpoint. The observations support the scenario in which both upflows are driven by pressure imbalances created by coronal reconnection, leading to a continuous upflow above approximately 0.6 MK (i.e., Ne VIII line formation temperature). Meanwhile, mass flows in the lower transition region beneath the eastern upflow region appear to respond passively to the pressure-driven coronal upflows.

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arXiv2025

First coordinated observations between Solar Orbiter and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

Solar Orbiter and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) are two of the newest facilities available to the solar physics community. The first coordinated observations of the Sun by these two facilities occurred over the course of one week in October 2022. The returned data are open-access and will provide a valuable resource to researchers in the field. We provide an overview of the datasets collected by Solar Orbiter and DKIST through this coordination and discuss their scientific potential. Our aim is to demonstrate how these unique high-resolution coordinated observations, as well as similar observations obtained through subsequent campaigns, can help tackle important science questions in the field. Between 18 and 24 October 2022, Solar Orbiter and DKIST observed a decayed active region simultaneously. During this period, Solar Orbiter's separation angle with Earth decreased from 77° to 51°, enabling stereoscopic observations with DKIST. From Solar Orbiter, observations are provided by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), and the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instruments. Meanwhile, DKIST observed using the Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (CryoNIRSP), the Visible Broadband Imager (VBI), and the Visible Spectropolarimeter (ViSP). The first coordinated Solar Orbiter and DKIST campaign was a success, collecting observations multiple times over the week. We focus on three specific topics as representative examples, namely, coronal loop physics, the formation and evolution of the small-scale active region brightenings, and coronal rain dynamics. These open-access observations, and others like them, should help the solar physics community tackle key questions in the field. Such stereoscopic coordinated observations open up a new era in the analysis of the solar atmosphere.

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arXiv2024

Solar prominence diagnostics and their associated estimated errors from 1D NLTE Mg II h&k modelling

Aims. We present further development of the rolling root mean square (rRMS) algorithm. These improvements consist of an increase in computational speed and an estimation of the uncertainty on the recovered diagnostics. This improvement is named the cross root mean square (xRMS) algorithm. Methods. We used the quantile method to recover the statistics of the line profiles in order to study the evolution of the prominence observed by IRIS on 1 October 2019. We then introduced the improvements to rRMS. These improvements greatly increased the computational speed, and this increase in speed allowed us to use a large model grid. Thus, we utilised a grid of 23 940 models to recover the thermodynamic diagnostics. We used the 'good' (but not 'best') fitting models to recover an estimate of the uncertainty on the recovered diagnostics. Results. The maximum line-of-sight (LOS) velocities were found to be 70 km/s. The line widths were mostly 0.4 Å with the asymmetries of most pixels around zero. The central temperature of the prominence was found to range from 10 kK to 20 kK, with uncertainties of approximately +/-5 to +/-15 kK. The central pressure was around 0.2 dyn/cm2, with uncertainties of +/-0.2 to +/-0.3 dyn/cm2. The ionisation degree ranged from 1 to 1000, with uncertainties mostly in the range +/-10 to +/-100. The electron density was mostly 10^10 /cm3, with uncertainties of mostly +/-10^9. Conclusions. The new xRMS algorithm finds an estimation of the errors of the recovered thermodynamic properties. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt at systematically determining the errors from forward modelling. The large range of errors found may hint at the degeneracies present when using a single ion and/or species from forward modelling. In the future, co-aligned observations of more than one ion and/or species should be used to attempt to constrain this problem.

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arXiv2023

Two-horn quiescent prominence observed in H-alpha and MgII h&k lines with THEMIS and IRIS

Prominences are large magnetic structures in the corona filled by cool plasma with fast evolving fine structure. We aim to better understand the plasma conditions in the fine structure of a quiescent prominence including two transient horns observed at the bottom of the cavity using the high-resolution spectrograph IRIS and the MulTi-Raies (MTR) spectrograph of the THEMIS in the Canary Islands. We analysed the spectra obtained in H-alpha by THEMIS and MgII by IRIS and compare them with a grid of 23940 1D radiative transfer models which include a prominence-to-corona transition region (PCTR). The full observed profiles of MgII in each pixel are fitted completely by synthesised profiles with xRMS (Cross RMS; an improved version of the rolling root mean square (rRMS) method). When the RMS is below a certain threshold value, we recover the plasma conditions from the parameters of the model best fitting the observed line profile. This criterion is met in two regions (the horns and edge of the prominence) where the line profiles can generally be described as single peaked. The 1D models suggest that two different kinds of model atmospheres correspond to these two regions. The region at the edge is found to be fitted mainly with isothermal and isobaric models, while the other area (the horns) is seen to be fitted with models with a PCTR that have optical thicknesses <5. In the prominence edge, the theoretical relationship between the integrated intensities in H-alpha and MgII is verified and corresponds to low emission measure values. In these regions the electron density is ~10^10 cm^{-3}, while it is one order of magnitude less in the horn regions. In the horns, we find some profiles are best fitted with models with high mean temperatures. This suggests that the hot PCTR found in the horns could be interpreted as prominence plasma in condensation phase at the bottom of the coronal cavity.

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arXiv2023

Evolution of dynamic fibrils from the cooler chromosphere to the hotter corona

Dynamic fibrils (DFs) are commonly observed chromospheric features in solar active regions. Recent observations from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) aboard the Solar Orbiter have revealed unambiguous signatures of DFs at the coronal base, in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission. However, it remains unclear if the DFs detected in the EUV are linked to their chromospheric counterparts. Simultaneous detection of DFs from chromospheric to coronal temperatures could provide important information on their thermal structuring and evolution through the solar atmosphere. In this paper, we address this question by using coordinated EUV observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and EUI to establish a one-to-one correspondence between chromospheric and transition region DFs (observed by IRIS) with their coronal counterparts (observed by EUI and AIA). Our analysis confirms a close correspondence between DFs observed at different atmospheric layers, and reveals that DFs can reach temperatures of about 1.5 million Kelvin, typical of the coronal base in active regions. Furthermore, intensity evolution of these DFs, as measured by tracking them over time, reveals a shock-driven scenario in which plasma piles up near the tips of these DFs and, subsequently, these tips appear as bright blobs in coronal images. These findings provide information on the thermal structuring of DFs and their evolution and impact through the solar atmosphere.

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arXiv2023

Slow solar wind sources. High-resolution observations with a quadrature view

The origin of the slow solar wind is still an open issue. One possibility that has been suggested is that upflows at the edge of an active region can contribute to the slow solar wind. We aim to explain how the plasma upflows are generated, which mechanisms are responsible for them, and what the upflow region topology looks like. We investigated an upflow region using imaging data with the unprecedented temporal (3s) and spatial (2 pixels = 236km) resolution that were obtained on 30 March 2022 with the 174Å of the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imager (EUI)/High Resolution Imager (HRI) on board Solar Orbiter. During this time, the EUI and Earth-orbiting satellites (Solar Dynamics Observatory, Hinode, and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, IRIS) were located in quadrature (92 degrees), which provides a stereoscopic view with high resolution. We used the Hinode/EIS (Fe XII) spectroscopic data to find coronal upflow regions in the active region. The IRIS slit-jaw imager provides a high-resolution view of the transition region and chromosphere. For the first time, we have data that provide a quadrature view of a coronal upflow region with high spatial resolution. We found extended loops rooted in a coronal upflow region. Plasma upflows at the footpoints of extended loops determined spectroscopically through the Doppler shift are similar to the apparent upward motions seen through imaging in quadrature. The dynamics of small-scale structures in the upflow region can be used to identify two mechanisms of the plasma upflow: Mechanism I is reconnection of the hot coronal loops with open magnetic field lines in the solar corona, and mechanism II is reconnection of the small chromospheric loops with open magnetic field lines in the chromosphere or transition region. We identified the locations in which mechanisms I and II work.

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arXiv2022

Solar flare hard X-rays from the anchor points of an eruptive filament

Context. We present an analysis of a GOES M1.8 flare with excellent observational coverage in UV, EUV, and X-ray, including observations from the instruments IRIS, SDO with AIA, Hinode/EIS, Hinode/XRT, and Solar Orbiter with the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX). Hard X-ray emission is often observed at the footpoints of flare loops and is occasionally observed in the corona. In this flare, four nonthermal hard X-ray sources are seen. Aim. Our aim is to understand why we can observe four individual nonthermal sources in this flare and how we can characterize the physical properties of these four sources. Methods. We used the multiwavelength approach to analyze the flare and characterize the four sources. To do this, we combined imaging at different wavelengths and spectroscopic fitting in the EUV and X-ray range. Results. The flare is eruptive with an associated coronal mass ejection, and it shows the classical flare picture of a heated flare loop seen in EUV and X-rays, and two nonthermal hard X-ray footpoints at the loop ends. In addition to the main flare sources, we observed two outer sources in the UV, EUV, and nonthermal X-ray range located away from the main flare loop to the east and west. The two outer sources are clearly correlated in time, and they are only seen during the first two minutes of the impulsive phase, which lasts a total of about four minutes. Conclusions. Based on the analysis, we determine that the outer sources are the anchor points of an erupting filament. The hard X-ray emission is interpreted as flare-accelerated electrons that are injected upward into the filament and then precipitate along the filament toward the chromosphere, producing Bremsstrahlung. While sources like this have been speculated to exist, this is the first report of their detection.

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arXiv2022

Signatures of dynamic fibrils at the coronal base: Observations from Solar Orbiter/EUI

The solar chromosphere hosts a wide variety of transients, including dynamic fibrils (DFs) that are characterised as elongated, jet-like features seen in active regions, often through H$α$ diagnostics. So far, these features have been difficult to identify in coronal images primarily due to their small size and the lower spatial resolution of the current EUV imagers. Here we present the first unambiguous signatures of DFs in coronal EUV data using high-resolution images from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board Solar Orbiter. Using the data acquired with the 174~Å High Resolution Imager (HRI$_{EUV}$) of EUI, we find many bright dot-like features (of size 0.3-0.5 Mm) that move up and down (often repeatedly) in the core of an active region. In a space-time map, these features produce parabolic tracks akin to the chromospheric observations of DFs. Properties such as their speeds (14 km~s$^{-1}$), lifetime (332~s), deceleration (82 m~s$^{-2}$) and lengths (1293~km) are also reminiscent of the chromospheric DFs. The EUI data strongly suggest that these EUV bright dots are basically the hot tips (of the cooler chromospheric DFs) that could not be identified unambiguously before because of a lack of spatial resolution.

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arXiv2022

A Statistical Comparison of EUV Brightenings Observed by SO/EUI with Simulated Brightenings in Non-potential Simulations

The High Resolution Imager (HRI_EUV) telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument onboard Solar Orbiter has observed EUV brightenings, so-called campfires, as fine-scale structures at coronal temperatures. The goal of this paper is to compare the basic geometrical (size, orientation) and physical (intensity, lifetime) properties of the EUV brightenings with regions of energy dissipation in a non-potential coronal magnetic field simulation. In the simulation, HMI line-of-sight magnetograms are used as input to drive the evolution of solar coronal magnetic fields and energy dissipation. We applied an automatic EUV brightening detection method to EUV images obtained on 30 May 2020 by the HRI_EUV telescope. We applied the same detection method to the simulated energy dissipation maps from the non-potential simulation to detect simulated brightenings. We detected EUV brightenings with density of 1.41x10^{-3} brightenings/Mm^2 in the EUI observations and simulated brightenings between 2.76x10^{-2} - 4.14x10^{-2} brightenings/Mm^2 in the simulation, for the same time range. Although significantly more brightenings were produced in the simulations, the results show similar distributions of the key geometrical and physical properties of the observed and simulated brightenings. We conclude that the non-potential simulation can successfully reproduce statistically the characteristic properties of the EUV brightenings (typically with more than 85% similarity); only the duration of the events is significantly different between observations and simulation. Further investigations based on high-cadence and high-resolution magnetograms from Solar Orbiter are under consideration to improve the agreement between observation and simulation.

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arXiv2022

Plasma composition measurements in an active region from Solar Orbiter/SPICE and Hinode/EIS

A key goal of the Solar Orbiter mission is to connect elemental abundance measurements of the solar wind enveloping the spacecraft with EUV spectroscopic observations of their solar sources, but this is not an easy exercise. Observations from previous missions have revealed a highly complex picture of spatial and temporal variations of elemental abundances in the solar corona. We have used coordinated observations from Hinode and Solar Orbiter to attempt new abundance measurements with the SPICE (Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment) instrument, and benchmark them against standard analyses from EIS (EUV Imaging Spectrometer). We use observations of several solar features in AR 12781 taken from an Earth-facing view by EIS on 2020 November 10, and SPICE data obtained one week later on 2020 November 17; when the AR had rotated into the Solar Orbiter field-of-view. We identify a range of spectral lines that are useful for determining the transition region and low coronal temperature structure with SPICE, and demonstrate that SPICE measurements are able to differentiate between photospheric and coronal Mg/Ne abundances. The combination of SPICE and EIS is able to establish the atmospheric composition structure of a fan loop/outflow area at the active region edge. We also discuss the problem of resolving the degree of elemental fractionation with SPICE, which is more challenging without further constraints on the temperature structure, and comment on what that can tell us about the sources of the solar wind and solar energetic particles.

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arXiv2022

What drives decayless kink oscillations in active region coronal loops on the Sun?

We study here the phenomena of decayless kink oscillations in a system of active region (AR) coronal loops. Using high resolution observations from two different instruments, namely the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board Solar Orbiter and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we follow these AR loops for an hour each on three consecutive days. Our results show significantly more resolved decayless waves in the higher-resolution EUI data compared with the AIA data. Furthermore, the same system of loops exhibits many of these decayless oscillations on Day-2, while on Day-3, we detect very few oscillations and on Day-1, we find none at all. Analysis of photospheric magnetic field data reveals that at most times, these loops were rooted in sunspots, where supergranular flows are generally absent. This suggests that supergranular flows, which are often invoked as drivers of decayless waves, are not necessarily driving such oscillations in our observations. Similarly, our findings also cast doubt on other possible drivers of these waves, such as a transient driver or mode conversion of longitudinal waves near the loop footpoints. In conclusion, through our analysis we find that none of the commonly suspected sources proposed to drive decayless oscillations in active region loops seems to be operating in this event and hence, the search for that elusive wave driver needs to continue.

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arXiv2022

Spatial distribution of jets in solar active regions

Context. Solar active regions are known to have jets. These jets are associated with heating and the release of particles into the solar wind. Aim. Our aim is to understand the spatial distribution of coronal jets within active regions to understand if there is a preferential location for them to occur. Methods. We analysed five active regions using Solar Dynamics Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly data over a period of 2-3.5 days when the active regions were close to disk centre. Each active region had a different age, magnetic field strength, and topology. We developed a methodology for determining the position and length of the jets. Results. Jets are observed more frequently at the edges of the active regions and are more densely located around a strong leading sunspot. The number of coronal jets for our active regions is dependent on the age of the active region. The older active regions produce more jets than younger ones. Jets were observed dominantly at the edges of the active regions, and not as frequently in the centre. The number of jets is independent of the average unsigned magnetic field and total flux density in the whole active region. The jets are located around the edges of the strong leading sunspot.

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arXiv2021

Solar prominence diagnostics from non-LTE modelling of Mgii h&k line profiles

Aims: We investigate a new method to for obtaining the plasma parameters of solar prominences observed in the Mgii h&k spectral lines by comparing line profiles from the IRIS satellite to a bank of profiles computed with a one-dimensional non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer code. Methods: Using a grid of 1007 one-dimensional non-LTE radiative transfer models we carry out this new method to match computed spectra to observed line profiles while accounting for line core shifts not present in the models. The prominence observations were carried out by the IRIS satellite on 19 April 2018. Results: The prominence is very dynamic with many flows. The models are able to recover satisfactory matches in areas of the prominence where single line profiles are observed. We recover: mean temperatures of 6000 to 50,000K; mean pressures of 0.01 to 0.5 dyne cm$^{-2}$; column masses of 3.7$\times10^{-8}$ to 5$\times10^{-4}$ g cm$^{-2}$; a mean electron density of 7.3$\times10^{8}$ to 1.8$\times10^{11}$ cm$^{-3}$; and an ionisation degree ${n_\text{HII}}/{n_\text{HI}}=0.03 - 4500$. The highest values for the ionisation degree are found in areas where the line of sight crosses mostly plasma from the PCTR, correlating with high mean temperatures and correspondingly no H$α$ emission. Conclusions: This new method naturally returns information on how closely the observed and computed profiles match, allowing the user to identify areas where no satisfactory match between models and observations can be obtained. Regions where satisfactory fits were found were more likely to contain a model encompassing a PCTR. The line core shift can also be recovered from this new method, and it shows a good qualitative match with that of the line core shift found by the quantile method. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach to line core shifts in the new method.

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arXiv2021

Spectro-imagery of an active tornado-like prominence: formation and evolution

The nature of flows in tornado-prominences is an open issue. While the AIA imager aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) allowed us to follow the global structure of a tornado-like prominence during five hours, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and the Multi subtractive Double pass spectrograph (MSDP) permitted to obtain plasma diagnostics of its fine structures. We aim to address two questions. Is the observed plasma rotation conceptually acceptable in a flux rope magnetic support configuration with dips? How is the plasma density distributed in the tornado-like prominence? We calculated line-of-sight velocities and non-thermal line widths using Gaussian fitting for Mg II lines and bisector method for H-alpha line. We determined the electron density from Mg II line integrated intensities and profile fitting methods using 1D NLTE radiative transfer theory models. The global structure of the prominence observed in H-alpha, and Mg II h and k lines fits with a magnetic field structure configuration with dips. Coherent Dopplershifts in red- and blue-shifted areas observed in both lines were detected along rapidly-changing vertical and horizontal structures. However, the tornado at the top of the prominence consists of multiple-fine threads with opposite flows suggesting counter streaming flows rather than rotation. Surprisingly we found that the electron density at the top of the prominence could be larger (10^11 cm^{-3}) than in the inner part of the prominence. We suggest that the tornado is in a formation state with cooling of hot plasma in a first phase, and following that, a phase of leakage of the formed blobs with large transverse flows of material along long loops extended away of the UV prominence top. The existence of such long magnetic field lines on both sides of the prominence would avoid the tornado-like prominence to really turn around its axis.

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arXiv2021

The Formation and Lifetime of Outflows in a Solar Active Region

Active regions are thought to be one contributor to the slow solar wind. Upflows in EUV coronal spectral lines are routinely osberved at their boundaries, and provide the most direct way for upflowing material to escape into the heliosphere. The mechanisms that form and drive these upflows, however, remain to be fully characterised. It is unclear how quickly they form, or how long they exist during their lifetimes. They could be initiated low in the atmosphere during magnetic flux emergence, or as a response to processes occuring high in the corona when the active region is fully developed. On 2019, March 31, a simple bipolar active region (AR 12737) emerged and upflows developed on each side. We used observations from Hinode, SDO, IRIS, and Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to investigate the formation and development of the upflows from the eastern side. We used the spectroscopic data to detect the upflow, and then used the imaging data to try to trace its signature back to earlier in the active region emergence phase. We find that the upflow forms quickly, low down in the atmosphere, and that its initiation appears associated with a small field-opening eruption and the onset of a radio noise storm detected by PSP. We also confirmed that the upflows existed for the vast majority of the time the active region was observed. These results suggest that the contribution to the solar wind occurs even when the region is small, and continues for most of its lifetime.

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