Kinematics and Fine Structure of An Unwinding Polar Jet Observed by SDO/AIA

TL;DR

This study provides detailed observations of an unwinding polar jet, revealing its helical structure, expansion phases, and magnetic twist transfer, supporting the magnetic reconnection-driven jet model.

Contribution

It offers high-resolution measurements of the jet's kinematics, twist transfer, and magnetic energy, advancing understanding of jet driving mechanisms.

Findings

Jet exhibited helical structure with shell-dominant mass distribution.

Three distinct radial expansion phases identified, each lasting about 12 minutes.

Magnetic twist and energy calculations support magnetic reconnection as the jet driver.

Abstract

We present an observational study of the kinematics and fine structure of an unwinding polar jet, with high temporal and spatial observations taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) and the Solar Magnetic Activity Research Telescope (SMART). During the rising period, the shape of the jet resembled a cylinder with helical structures on the surface, while the mass of the jet was mainly distributed on the cylinder's shell. In the radial direction, the jet expanded successively at its western side. The radial expansion presented three distinct phases: the gradually expanding phase, the fast expanding phase, and the steady phase. Each phase lasted for about 12 minutes. The angular speed of the unwinding jet and the twist transferred into the outer corona during the eruption are estimated to be 11.1 \times 10{-3} rad/s (period = 564 s) and 1.17 to 2.55 turns (or 2.34 to 5.1{\pi}) respectively. On the other hand, by calculating the azimuthal component of the magnetic field in the jet and comparing the free energy stored in the non-potential magnetic field with the jet's total energy, we find that the non-potential magnetic field in the jet is enough to supply the energy for the ejection. These new observational results strongly support the scenario that the jets are driven by the magnetic twist, which is stored in the twisted closed field of a bipole, and released through magnetic reconnection between the bipole and its ambient open field.