Evolution and Dynamics of a Solar Active Prominence

TL;DR

This study uses long-term magnetohydrodynamic simulations to reproduce the entire life cycle of a solar active prominence, revealing the dynamic processes behind its formation, evolution, and eruption.

Contribution

It presents the first comprehensive long-term MHD simulation that captures the full evolution and eruption of a solar active prominence, linking subsurface flows to observed phenomena.

Findings

Subsurface flows lead to magnetic flux cancellation at the photosphere.

Strong upflows are driven by gas pressure gradients along magnetic fields.

Eruption occurs naturally from the simulated prominence evolution.

Abstract

The life of a solar active prominence, one of the most remarkable objects on the Sun, is full of dynamics; after first appearing on the Sun the prominence continuously evolves with various internal motions and eventually produces a global eruption toward the interplane- tary space. Here we report that the whole life of an active prominence is successfully re- produced by performing as long-term a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a magnetized prominence plasma as was ever done. The simulation reveals underlying dynamic processes that give rise to observed properties of an active prominence: invisible subsurface flows self- consistently produce the cancellation of magnetic flux observed at the photosphere, while observed and somewhat counterintuitive strong upflows are driven against gravity by en- hanced gas pressure gradient force along a magnetic field line locally standing vertical. The most highlighted dynamic event, transition into an eruptive phase, occurs as a natural con- sequence of the self-consistent evolution of a prominence plasma interacting with a magnetic field, which is obtained by seamlessly reproducing dynamic processes involved in the forma- tion and eruption of an active prominence.