Coronal-Jet-Producing Minifilament Eruptions as a Possible Source of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Switchbacks

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that coronal jets, originating from minifilament eruptions, could be the source of the rapid magnetic field reversals known as switchbacks observed by the Parker Solar Probe.

Contribution

It proposes a novel connection between coronal jet eruptions and the generation of switchbacks, supported by observational evidence and propagation modeling.

Findings

Coronal jets can produce disturbances that reach PSP within ~25 minutes.

Erupting minifilament flux ropes can generate Alfvénic fluctuations observed as switchbacks.

Observed coronal jets are consistent with the properties needed to produce switchbacks at PSP.

Abstract

The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has observed copious rapid magnetic field direction changes in the near-Sun solar wind. These features have been called "switchbacks," and their origin is a mystery. But their widespread nature suggests that they may be generated by a frequently occurring process in the Sun's atmosphere. We examine the possibility that the switchbacks originate from coronal jets. Recent work suggests that many coronal jets result when photospheric magnetic flux cancels, and forms a small-scale "minifilament" flux rope that erupts and reconnects with coronal field. We argue that the reconnected erupting minifilament flux rope can manifest as an outward propagating Alfv\'enic fluctuation that steepens into an increasingly compact disturbance as it moves through the solar wind. Using previous observed properties of coronal jets that connect to coronagraph-observed white-light jets (a.k.a. "narrow CMEs"), along with typical solar wind speed values, we expect the coronal-jet-produced disturbances to traverse near-perihelion PSP in ~<25 min, with a velocity of ~400 km/s. To consider further the plausibility of this idea, we show that a previously studied series of equatorial latitude coronal jets, originating from the periphery of an active region, generate white-light jets in the outer corona (seen in STEREO/COR2 coronagraph images; 2.5---15 R_sun), and into the inner heliosphere (seen in STEREO/Hi1 heliospheric imager images; 15---84 R_sun). Thus it is tenable that disturbances put onto open coronal magnetic field lines by coronal-jet-producing erupting minifilament flux ropes can propagate out to PSP space and appear as switchbacks.