The hidden magnetic structures of a solar intermediate filament revealed by the injected flare material

TL;DR

This study reveals the fine-scale magnetic structures of a solar intermediate filament by analyzing EUV observations and flare material injection, providing new insights into filament formation and eruption mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel reconstruction of the filament's magnetic structures using high-resolution EUV data and two methods, uncovering complex magnetic configurations.

Findings

Revealed compact magnetic fields encasing the filament

Identified intertwined helical magnetic structures

Mapped arched magnetic loops along the filament

Abstract

Solar filaments are spectacular objects in the solar atmosphere, consisting of accumulations of cool, dense, and partially ionized plasma suspended in the hot solar corona against gravity. The magnetic structures that support the filament material remain elusive, partly due to the lack of high resolution magnetic field measurements in the chromosphere and corona. In this study, we reconstruct the magnetic structures of a solar intermediate filament using EUV observations and two different methods, to follow the injection of hot material from a B-class solar flare. Our analysis reveals the fine-scale magnetic structures of the filament, including a compact set of mutually wrapped magnetic fields encasing the cool filament material, two groups of helical magnetic structures intertwining with the main filament, and a series of arched magnetic loops positioned along the filament. Additionally, we also find that the northern footpoints of the helical structures are rooted in the same location, while their southern footpoints are rooted in different areas. The results obtained in this study offer new insights into the formation and eruption mechanisms of solar filaments.