Numerical simulation of solar photospheric jet-like phenomena caused by magnetic reconnection

TL;DR

This study uses 3D MHD simulations to demonstrate that magnetic reconnection in the solar photosphere can produce jet-like phenomena, potentially contributing to atmospheric heating and spicule formation.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed simulation showing photospheric jets caused by magnetic reconnection, highlighting their role in local heating and spicule dynamics.

Findings

Jet-like structures caused by slow shocks from reconnection.

Jets propagate along background magnetic fields.

MHD waves from jets may influence atmospheric heating.

Abstract

Jet phenomena with a bright loop in their footpoint, called anemone jets, have been observed in the solar corona and chromosphere. These jets are formed as a consequence of magnetic reconnection, and from the scale universality of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), it can be expected that anemone jets exist even in the solar photosphere. However, it is not necessarily apparent that jets can be generated as a result of magnetic reconnection in the photosphere, where the magnetic energy is not dominant. Furthermore, MHD waves generated from the photospheric jets could contribute to chromospheric heating and spicule formation; however, this hypothesis has not yet been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we perform 3D MHD simulation including gravity with the solar photospheric parameter to investigate anemone jets in the solar photosphere. In the simulation, jet-like structures were induced by magnetic reconnection in the solar photosphere. We determined that these jet-like structures were caused by slow shocks formed by the reconnection and were propagated approximately in the direction of the background magnetic field. We also suggested that MHD waves from the jet-like structures could influence local atmospheric heating and spicule formation.