Eruptions from quiet Sun coronal bright points. I. Observations

TL;DR

This study investigates the full lifecycle of quiet Sun coronal bright points using SDO/AIA data, revealing that most produce eruptions involving plasma ejections, micro-flares, and mini-CMEs, with eruptions often occurring after magnetic convergence and cancellation phases.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of eruption phenomena in quiet Sun CBPs, linking eruptions to magnetic evolution and plasma expulsion during their lifetime.

Findings

76% of CBPs produce at least one eruption.

Most eruptions occur ~17 hours after CBP formation.

11 out of 21 eruptions produce mini-CMEs.

Abstract

Observations of the full lifetime of CBPs in data taken with the AIA on board SDO in four passbands, He II 304 A, Fe IX/X 171 A, Fe XII 193 A, and Fe XVIII 94 A are investigated for the occurrence of plasma ejections, micro-flaring, mini-filament eruptions and mini coronal mass ejections (mini-CMEs). First and foremost, our study shows that the majority (76%) of quiet Sun CBPs (31 out of 42 CBPs) produce at least one eruption during their lifetime. From 21 eruptions in 11 CBPs, 18 occur in average ~17 hrs after the CBP formation for an average lifetime of the CBPs in AIA 193 A of ~21 hrs. This time delay in the eruption occurrence coincides in each BP with the convergence and cancellation phase of the CBP bipole evolution during which the CBPs become smaller until they fully disappear. The remaining three happen 4 - 6 hrs after the CBP formation. In sixteen out of 21 eruptions the magnetic convergence and cancellation involve the CBP main bipoles, while in three eruptions one of the BP magnetic fragments and a pre-existing fragment of opposite polarity converge and cancel. In one BP with two eruptions cancellation was not observed. The CBP eruptions involve in most cases the expulsion of chromospheric material either as elongated filamentary structure (mini-filament, MF) or a volume of cool material (cool plasma cloud, CPC), together with the CBP or higher overlying hot loops. Coronal waves were identified during three eruptions. A micro-flaring is observed beneath all erupting MFs/CPCs. It remains uncertain whether the destabilised MF causes the micro-flaring or the destabilisation and eruption of the MF is triggered by reconnection beneath the filament. In most eruptions, the cool erupting plasma obscures partially or fully the micro-flare until the erupting material moves away from the CBP. From 21 eruptions 11 are found to produce mini-CMEs.