Evidence of Shock-Driven Turbulence in the Solar Chromosphere

TL;DR

This study provides evidence that shock-driven turbulence significantly influences the high-frequency acoustic behavior of the solar chromosphere, with implications for coronal loop oscillations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that high-frequency power in the chromosphere arises from turbulence generated by shock oscillations, not just upward-propagating waves.

Findings

High-frequency power obeys a power-law distribution up to 25 mHz.

Chromospheric velocity PDFs are non-Gaussian and region-dependent.

Shock oscillations likely generate turbulence affecting coronal dynamics.

Abstract

We study the acoustic properties of the solar chromosphere in the high-frequency regime using a time sequence of velocity measurements in the chromospheric Ca II 854.2 nm line taken with the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer (IBIS). We concentrate on quiet-Sun behavior, apply Fourier analysis, and characterize the observations in terms of the probability density functions (PDFs) of velocity increments. We confirm the presence of significant oscillatory fluctuation power above the cutoff frequency and find that it obeys a power-law distribution with frequency up to our 25 mHz Nyquist limit. The chromospheric PDFs are non-Gaussian and asymmetric and they differ among network, fibril, and internetwork regions. This suggests that the chromospheric high-frequency power is not simply the result of short-period waves propagating upward from the photosphere but rather is the signature of turbulence generated within the chromosphere from shock oscillations near the cutoff frequency. The presence of this pervasive and broad spectrum of motions in the chromosphere is likely to have implications for the excitation of coronal loop oscillations.