Multi-channel Observations of Plasma Outflows and the Associated Small-Scale Magnetic Field Cacellations on the Edges of an Active Region

TL;DR

This study uses SDO/AIA and HMI/SDO observations to analyze plasma outflows at active region edges, linking them to small-scale magnetic reconnection events that generate these outflows along coronal loops.

Contribution

It reveals the connection between small-scale magnetic field cancellations and plasma outflows, highlighting magnetic reconnection as a key mechanism.

Findings

Plasma outflows occur along open coronal loops with speeds of 30-200 km/s.

Outflows originate at locations of mixed polarity small-scale magnetic fields.

Magnetic reconnection between emerging loops and large-scale loops drives plasma outflows.

Abstract

With the SDO/AIA instrument, continuous and intermittent plasma outflows are observed on the boundaries of an active region along two distinct open coronal loops. %with the speed of 30$\sim$200 km s$^{-1}$. By investigating the temporal sequence magnetograms obtained from HMI/SDO, it is found that small-scale magnetic reconnection probably plays an important role in the generation of the plasma outflows in the coronal loops. It is found that the origin of the plasma outflows coincides with the locations of the small-scale magnetic fields with mixed polarities, which suggests that the plasma outflows along coronal loops probably results from the magnetic reconnection between the small-scale close emerging loops and the large-scale open active region coronal loops.