Coronal transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves in a solar prominence

TL;DR

This paper reports the observation of transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves in solar prominences, suggesting they could be Alfvén waves that contribute to coronal heating, based on Hinode satellite data.

Contribution

It provides evidence of transverse MHD waves in prominences and proposes their role in coronal heating, a novel insight into prominence dynamics.

Findings

Detection of fine-scale oscillations in prominence threads

Identification of these oscillations as transverse MHD waves

Implication of waves in coronal heating processes

Abstract

Solar prominences are cool 10$^4$ Kelvin plasma clouds supported in the surrounding 10$^6$ Kelvin coronal plasma by as-yet undetermined mechanisms. Observations from \emph{Hinode} show fine-scale threadlike structures oscillating in the plane of the sky with periods of several minutes. We suggest these transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves may represent Alfv\'en waves propagating on coronal magnetic field lines and these may play a role in heating the corona.