Chromospheric Anemone Jets as Evidence of Ubiquitous Reconnection

TL;DR

This paper presents observational evidence of widespread small-scale magnetic reconnection in the solar chromosphere, indicated by the ubiquitous presence of chromospheric anemone jets, which may contribute to solar atmospheric heating.

Contribution

It provides observational evidence linking chromospheric jets to magnetic reconnection, suggesting a universal process affecting solar atmospheric heating.

Findings

Chromospheric anemone jets are common outside sunspots.

Jets exhibit inverted Y-shape, indicating reconnection.

Jets' properties imply small-scale, ubiquitous reconnection.

Abstract

The heating of the solar chromosphere and corona is a long-standing puzzle in solar physics. Hinode observations show the ubiquitous presence of chromospheric anemone jets outside sunspots in active regions. They are typically 3 to 7 arc seconds = 2000 to 5000 kilometers long and 0.2 to 0.4 arc second = 150 to 300 kilometers wide, and their velocity is 10 to 20 kilometers per second. These small jets have an inverted Y-shape, similar to the shape of x-ray anemone jets in the corona. These features imply that magnetic reconnection similar to that in the corona is occurring at a much smaller spatial scale throughout the chromosphere and suggest that the heating of the solar chromosphere and corona may be related to small-scale ubiquitous reconnection.