Unraveling the untwisting process and upward mass transfer of a twisted prominence driven by vortex motion

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamics of a twisted solar prominence, revealing vortex-driven destabilization and upward mass transfer, and proposes a novel mechanism based on Kármán Vortex Street instability.

Contribution

It introduces the first mechanism linking vortex shedding to prominence destabilization and upward mass transfer in solar prominences.

Findings

Prominence exhibited a twisted, stretched structure before destabilizing.

Outflow speeds exceeded 40 km/s during mass transfer.

Kármán Vortex Street instability explains the prominence's destabilization.

Abstract

Solar filaments/prominences are common features in the Sun's atmosphere that contain cool chromospheric material suspended within the hot corona. However, the intricate topology of these structures and the mechanisms driving their instability and upward material transfer are not well understood. This study is to analyze a specific twisted prominence on February 10, 2021, and to explore its dynamics, including stability, motion, and material transfer. The study utilizes high-resolution H$\alpha$ observations from the 1-m New Vacuum Solar Telescope and space-borne observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We analyzed the data to investigate the characteristics and behavior of the twisted prominence. We also detected and measured the outflow speed surrounding the prominence. The study reveals that the observed prominence exhibited a stretched and twisted structure at its apex, distinguishing it from familiar cloudy prominences. Following more than 30 hours of equilibrium, the prominence destabilized, leading to a series of dynamic phenomena, such as vortex motion, oscillations, resonations, untwisting, and the upward transfer of mass. Consequently, material from the top of the prominence was carried upward and deposited into the overlying magnetic arcades. Noteworthy, outflows surrounding the prominence were characterized by speeds exceeding 40 km $s^{-1}$. We propose, for the first time, a mechanism rooted in the K\'arm\'an Vortex Street instability to explain the destabilization of the prominence. The estimated typical Strouhal Number of 0.23$\pm$0.06, which is related to vortex shedding, falls within the expected range for the K\'arm\'an Vortex Street effect, as predicted by simulations. These discoveries provide new insights into the dynamics and fundamental topology of solar prominences and reveal a previously unknown mechanism for mass loading into the upper atmosphere.