Observational Signatures of Simulated Reconnection Events in the Solar Chromosphere and Transition Region

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to study wave-driven magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere, revealing how it contributes to chromospheric jets and clarifies the relationship between various jet-like phenomena.

Contribution

It demonstrates that wave-induced reconnection can produce periodic jets and synthesizes multi-wavelength observations to interpret solar jet phenomena.

Findings

Reconnection is driven periodically by waves in the model.

Simulated observations match observed solar jet features.

Reconnection helps explain diverse jet phenomena in the solar atmosphere.

Abstract

We present the results of numerical simulations of wave-induced magnetic reconnection in a model of the solar atmosphere. In the magnetic field geometry we study in this article, the waves, driven by a monochromatic piston and a driver taken from Hinode observations, induce periodic reconnection of the magnetic field, and this reconnection appears to help drive long-period chromospheric jets. By synthesizing observations for a variety of wavelengths that are sensitive to a wide range of temperatures, we shed light on the often confusing relationship between the plethora of jet-like phenomena in the solar atmosphere, e.g., explosive events, spicules, blinkers, and other phenomena thought to be caused by reconnection.