Calcium Bright Knots and the Formation of Chromospheric Anemone Jets on the Sun

Abstract

Space-based observations show that the solar atmosphere from the solar chromosphere to the solar corona is filled with small-scale jets and is linked with small-scale explosions. These jets may be produced by mechanisms similar to those of large-scale flares and such jets may be related to the heating of the corona and chromosphere as well as the acceleration of solar wind. The chromospheric anemone jets on the Sun remain puzzling because their footpoints (or bright knots) have not been well resolved and the formation process of such enigmatic small-scale jets remains unclear. We propose a new model for chromospheric jets using the 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations, which show that the continuous, upward rising of small-scale twisted magnetic flux ropes in a magnetized solar chromosphere drives small-scale magnetic reconnection and the launching of several small-scale jets during the evolution of the chromospheric anemone jets. Our new, self-consistent, 3D computer modeling of small-scale, but ever-changing flux rope emergence in the magnetized solar atmosphere is fully consistent with observations and provides a universal mechanism for nanoflare and jet formation.

Keywords

• Solar chromosphere
• Solar magnetic reconnection