Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in Partially Ionized Prominence Plasmas

TL;DR

This paper reviews how partial ionization in solar prominence plasmas affects magnetohydrodynamic waves, focusing on damping mechanisms like ion-neutral collisions, based on observational and theoretical studies.

Contribution

It synthesizes current research on the impact of partial ionization on MHD wave damping in prominence plasmas, highlighting ion-neutral collisions as a key mechanism.

Findings

Ion-neutral collisions contribute to wave damping.

Observations confirm oscillatory motions are damped.

Partial ionization significantly influences prominence wave dynamics.

Abstract

Prominences or filaments are cool clouds of partially ionized plasma living in the solar corona. Ground- and space-based observations have confirmed the presence of oscillatory motions in prominences and they have been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. Existing observational evidence points out that these oscillatory motions are damped in short spatial and temporal scales by some still not well known physical mechanism(s). Since prominences are partially ionized plasmas, a potential mechanism able to damp these oscillations could be ion-neutral collisions. Here, we will review the work done on the effects of partial ionization on MHD waves in prominence plasmas.