Future Prospects for Partially Ionised Solar Plasmas: the Prominence Case

TL;DR

This paper reviews the role of partial ionisation in solar prominences, highlighting its effects on stability, dynamics, and observational signatures, and discusses future research directions with advanced instrumentation.

Contribution

It provides a focused review of partial ionisation effects specifically in solar prominences, emphasizing recent observational and theoretical advances and proposing future research pathways.

Findings

Partial ionisation influences prominence stability and dynamics.

Observational signatures of partial ionisation have been identified.

Future instrumentation will enhance prominence modeling and understanding.

Abstract

Partially ionised plasmas (PIP) constitute an essential ingredient of our plasma universe. Historically, the physical effects associated with partial ionisation were considered in astrophysical topics such as the interstellar medium, molecular clouds, accretion disks and, later on, in solar physics. PIP can be found in layers of the Sun's atmosphere as well as in solar structures embedded within it. As a consequence, the dynamical behaviour of these layers and structures is influenced by the different physical effects introduced by partial ionisation. Here, rather than considering an exhaustive discussion of partially ionised effects in the different layers and structures of the solar atmosphere, we focus on solar prominences. The reason is that they represent a paradigmatic case of a partially ionised solar plasma, confined and insulated by the magnetic field, constituting an ideal environment to study the effects induced by partial ionisation. We present the current knowledge about the effects of partial ionisation in the global stability, mass cycle and dynamics of solar prominences. We revise the identified observational signatures of partial ionisation in prominences. We conclude with prospects for PIP research in prominences, proposing the path for advancing in the prominence modelling and theory and using new and upcoming instrumentation.