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Panesar, Navdeep K.

Publications and source records attributed to Panesar, Navdeep K..

At least 19 records

Onset of the Magnetic Explosion in On-Disk Solar Coronal Jets

In our recent studies of ~10 quiet region and ~13 coronal hole coronal jets, we found that flux cancelation is the fundamental process in the buildup and triggering of the minifilament eruption that drives the production of the jet. Here, we investigate the onset and growth of the ten on-disk quiet region jets, using EUV images (304, 171, 193, and 94 Å) from SDO/AIA and magnetograms from SDO/HMI. We find that: (i) in all ten events the minifilament starts to rise at or before the onset of the signature of internal or external reconnection; (ii) in two out of ten jets brightening from the external reconnection starts at the same time as the slow rise of the minifilament and (iii) in six out of ten jets brightening from the internal reconnection starts before the start of the brightening from external reconnection. These observations show that the magnetic explosion in coronal jets begins in the same way as the magnetic explosion in filament eruptions that make solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Our results indicate (1) that coronal jets are miniature versions of CME-producing eruptions and flux cancelation is the fundamental process that builds and triggers both the small-scale and the large-scale eruptions, and (2) that, contrary to the view of Moore et al (2018), the current sheet at which the external reconnection occurs in coronal jets usually starts to form at or after the onset of (and as a result of) the slow rise of the minifilament flux-rope eruption, and so is seldom of appreciable size before the onset of the slow rise of the minifilament flux-rope eruption.

Panesar, Navdeep K.↗

Magnetic Flux Cancelation as the Buildup and Trigger Mechanism for CME-Producing Eruptions in Two Small Active Regions

We follow two small, magnetically isolated CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)-producing solar active regions (ARs) from the time of their emergence until several days later, when their core regions erupt to produce the CMEs. In both cases, magnetograms show: (a) following an initial period where the poles of the emerging regions separate from each other, the poles then reverse direction and start to retract inward; (b) during the retraction period, flux cancelation occurs along the main neutral line of the regions, (c) this cancelation builds the sheared core field/flux rope that eventually erupts to make the CME. In the two cases, respectively 30 percent and 50 percent of the maximum flux of the region cancels prior to the eruption. Recent studies indicate that solar coronal jets frequently result from small-scale filaments eruptions (Sterling et al. 2015), with those “minifilament” eruptions also being built up and triggered by cancelation of magnetic flux (Panesar et al. 2016). Together, the small-AR eruptions here and the coronal jet results suggest that isolated bipolar regions tend to erupt when some threshold fraction, perhaps in the range of 50 percent, of the region’s maximum flux has canceled. Our observed erupting filaments/flux ropes form at sites of flux cancelation, in agreement with previous observations. Thus, the recent finding that minifilaments that erupt to form jets also form via flux cancelation is further evidence that minifilaments are small-scale versions of the long-studied full-sized filaments. (Details are in Sterling et al. 2018, ApJ, 864, 68.) Supported by NASA's Heliophysics Guest Investigators (HGI) Program and the MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center)/Hinode project.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗

Hi-C2.1 Observations of Solar Jetlets at Edges of Network Lanes

We present high resolution (0.2”) high cadence (5s) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations of small-­scale jetlet-­like features and spicule-­like features observed with NASA’s High-­resolution Coronal Imager2.1 (Hi-C) during its 5‐min observing span. We investigate the magnetic setting of 4 on-disk jetlets and 2 on-­disk spicules by using high resolution 172A images from Hi-­‐C and EUV images from Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and line-­of-­sight magnetograms from SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The jetlets and spicules are at edges of magnetic network lanes. From magnetograms co-­aligned with the Hi-­C and AIA images, we find that the jetlets stem from sites of likely flux cancelation between merging majority-polarity and weaker minority-­polarity flux, but in contrast to larger jetlets observed by IRIS some do not show obvious enhanced brightenings at their base. Based on the similarity of these observations of approx. 4 obvious Hi-­C small jetlets with our previous observations of 10 IRIS larger jetlets and approx. 30 coronal jets in quiet regions and coronal holes, we infer that flux cancelation is probably the essential process in the buildup and triggering of jetlets. Our observations suggest that network jetlet eruptions, large and small, are small-scale analogs of both larger-­scale coronal jet eruptions and the still-­larger-­scale eruptions that makemajor CMEs. For simplicitywe will use termjetlets for jetlet-­like features and spicules for spicule-­like features.

Panesar, Navdeep K.↗

The Cause of Faint Coronal Jets from Emerging-Flux Regions in Solar Coronal Holes

Coronal jets are transient thin bursts of magnetically channeled solar material from the surface into the corona. They are brightest at their base, with a bright point (jet bright point, JBP) at an edge of the base. Early studies (Shibata et al. 1992) suggested that jets result from magnetic flux emergence: a small bipole emerges into unipolar ambient field, driving the jet and forming the JBP via interchange reconnection. More recent studies, using higher-cadence, higher-resolution, and broader wavelength coverage than before, show that prominent coronal jets are usually driven by a minifialment eruption (Sterling et al. 2015), and that, rather than flux emergence, flux cancelation usually prepares and triggers the eruption (Panesar et al. 2016). Here, we analyzed eight emerging flux regions to determine whether the emerging flux directly drove any coronal jets. We used EUV images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) (in 304, 171, 211, 193, and 94 Å channels), and magnetograms from SDO/Helioseismic & Magnetic Imager (HMI). All eight regions produced jet-like features that were weak in intensity (“faint jets’’), by which we mean they were so faint that we likely would not have identified them as jets had we initially searched for jets in AIA movies alone (as in, e.g., Panesar et al. 2016, Moore et al. 2013) without knowing whether the base was an emerging bipole. In seven of the eight regions, all jets (faint or prominent) erupted from locations where one leg of the emerging bipole was evidently canceling with an ambient opposite-polarity flux clump. The eighth case, the one that had the fastest flux emergence, possibly made faint jets by the flux-emergence mechanism, but these too might instead have resulted from flux cancelation.

Harden, Abigail R.↗

Transient Fine-Scale Brightenings, Flows and Flux Cancellation in the Cool Arch Filament System Observed with HiC2.1

Solar active regions (ARs) contain the brightest and hottest coronal EUV (Extreme Ultra-Violet) loops - the core of an AR is typically the brightest structure inside the AR. In the present work we report fine-scale transient brightenings and flows in the coolest loops (the counterpart of chromospheric arch filament systems long observed in H-alpha filtergrams of bipolar emerging flux regions) seen in the core of an AR observed in 172 angstroms by Hi-C2.1 (High Resolution Coronal Imager, version 2.1). Some of these are rooted, at one of their feet, in mixed-polarity field in the photosphere. We complement the 5-min Hi-C2.1 data with SDO/AIA/HMI (Solar Dynamics Observatory / Atmospheric Imaging Assembly / Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) and IRIS SJ (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph Slit-Jaw) images and spectral data, and examine fine-scale events, flows and their photospheric magnetic field. We find counter streaming flows in the arch filament system, similar to that long observed in filaments. There are scattered fine-scale brightening events. Most, if not all, of these brightenings are at sites of converging opposite-polarity magnetic flux (implying flux cancellation, sometimes resulting from flux emergence). The fine-scale flows stem from some of the brightenings. Flux cancellation at these sites apparently results in fine-scale explosions that drive the counter streaming flows. In the IRIS spectra, we look for evidence of upflows from brightenings at ends of loops of the arch filament system.

Tiwari, Sanjiv K.↗

Magnetic Flux Cancelation as the Buildup and Trigger Mechanism for CME-Producing Eruptions in Two Small Active Regions

We follow two small, magnetically isolated CME-producing solar active regions (ARs) from the time of their emergence until several days later, when their core regions erupt to produce the CMEs. In both cases, magnetograms show: (a) following an initial period where the poles of the emerging regions separate from each other, the poles then reverse direction and start to retract inward; (b) during the retraction period, flux cancelation occurs along the main neutral line of the regions, (c) this cancelation builds the sheared core field/flux rope that eventually erupts to make the CME. In the two cases, respectively 30% and 50% of the maximum flux of the region cancels prior to the eruption. Recent studies indicate that solar coronal jets frequently result from small-scale filaments eruptions, with those "minifilament" eruptions also being built up and triggered by cancelation of magnetic flux. Together, the small-AR eruptions here and the coronal jet results suggest that isolated bipolar regions tend to erupt when some threshold fraction, perhaps in the range of 50%, of the region's maximum flux has canceled. Our observed erupting filaments/flux ropes form at sites of flux cancelation, in agreement with previous observations. Thus, the recent finding that minifilaments that erupt to form jets also form via flux cancelation is further evidence that minifilaments are small-scale versions of the long-studied full-sized filaments.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗

Magnetic Flux Cancelation as the Buildup and Trigger Mechanism for CME-Producing Eruptions in two Small Active Regions

We follow two small, magnetically isolated CME-producing solar active regions (ARs) from the time of their emergence until the time that their core regions erupt to produce the CMEs several days later. In both cases, magnetograms show: (a) following an initial period where the poles of the emerging regions separate from each other, the poles then reverse direction and start to retract inward; (b) during the retraction period, flux cancelation occurs along the main neutral line of the regions, (c) this cancelation builds the sheared core field/flux rope that eventually erupts to make the CME. In the two cases, respectively 30% and 50% of the maximum flux of the region cancels prior to the eruption. Recent studies indicate that solar coronal jets frequently result from small-scale filaments eruptions, with those “minifilament” eruptions also being built up and triggered by cancelation of magnetic flux. Together, the small-AR eruptions here and the coronal jet results suggest that isolated bipolar regions tend to erupt before or when a threshold of roughly 50% of the region’s maximum flux has canceled. Our observed erupting filaments/flux ropes form at sites of flux cancelation, in agreement with previous observations. Thus, the recent finding that minifilaments that erupt to form jets also form via flux cancelation is further evidence that minifilaments are small-scale versions of the long-studied full-sized filaments.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗

IRIS and SDO Observations of Solar Jetlets Resulting from Flux Cancelation

Jets of all sizes are frequent magnetically channeled narrow eruptions. They occur in various solar environments: quiet regions, coronal holes and active regions. All coronal jets observed in UV, EUV and X-ray images show a bright spire with a base brightening, also known as jet bright point (JBP). Recent studies show that coronal jets are driven by small-scale filament eruptions. We found in on disk quiet regions and coronal holes that coronal jets originate at a neutral line between dominant-polarity flux and a patch of canceling minority-polarity flux.

Panesar, Navdeep K.↗

Flux Cancelation as the Trigger of Coronal Hole Jet Eruptions

Coronal jets are frequent magnetically-channeled narrow eruptions. They occur in various solar environments: quiet regions, coronal holes and active regions. All coronal jets observed in EUV and X-ray images show a bright spire with a base brightening, also known as jet bright point (JBP). Recent studies show that coronal jets are driven by small-scale filament eruptions (e.g. Hong et al. 2011, Shen et al. 2012, Adams et al. 2014, Sterling et al 2015). We (Panesar et al. 2016b) found in on disk quiet regions that coronal jets originate at a neutral line between dominant-polarity flux and a patch of canceling minority-polarity flux.

Panesar, Navdeep K.↗

Birth of a Bipolar Active Region in a Small Coronal Hole

We report on an the emergence of an anemone active region in a very small coronal hole (about 120'' across), beginning at approximately 19:00 UT on March 3, 2016. The emergence was initially observed by an amateur astronomer (RW) in an H-alpha movie from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG); it attracted the attention of the observer because there was no active region at the site of the H-alpha brightening. To examine the region in detail, we use data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) in wavelengths 193 Å, 211 Å, 304 Å, and 94 Å, and with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Data analysis and calibration activities such as scaling, rotation so that north is up, and removal of solar rotation are accomplished with SunPy. The emergence seen in HMI data begins with the appearance of a bipole close to the center of the coronal hole, followed by the appearance and growth of a coronal anemone in AIA-EUV images; as the emergence proceeds, the anemone fills the coronal hole in AIA wavelengths. The interchange reconnection of the emerging closed field with ambient open field builds the anemone and shifts the coronal hole from one side of the anemone to the other. Eventually, a sunspot forms in one foot of the emerging field. To date, studies of observations with SDO of anemone emergence in on-disk coronal holes are rare. This bipolar flux emergence episode fits well with the standard picture for the production of coronal-anemone regions.

Adams, Mitzi↗