Driving mechanisms of solar active region geysers: The role of interacting magnetic flux

TL;DR

This study investigates the mechanisms behind recurrent jets in solar active regions, highlighting the critical role of interacting magnetic flux elements and comparing observations with advanced MHD simulations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how magnetic flux interactions, especially moving magnetic features, drive recurrent jets in active regions, supported by both observations and simulations.

Findings

Recurrent jets originate from complex magnetic flux interactions.

Magnetic flux emergence and MMF interactions trigger jet activity.

Simulations confirm flux cancellation as a key process.

Abstract

Active region recurrent jets are manifestations of episodic magnetic energy release processes driven by complex interactions in the lower solar atmosphere. While magnetic flux emergence and cancellation are widely recognized as key contributors to jet formation, the mechanisms behind repeated magnetic reconnection remain poorly understood. In this letter, we report a sequence of nine recurrent jets originating from active region AR 12715 during its decay phase, where the jet activity was associated with a complex distribution of fragmented magnetic flux. Non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) extrapolations reveal the presence of low-lying, current-carrying loops beneath overarching open magnetic fields near the jet footpoints. These magnetic structures were perturbed by (i) emerging flux elements and (ii) interactions between oppositely polarized moving magnetic features (MMFs). To interpret these observations, we compare them with 3D radiative MHD simulation from the Bifrost model, which reproduce jet formation driven by interacting bipolar MMFs, leading to subsequent flux cancellation in the photosphere. Our results emphasize the critical role of MMF-driven flux interactions in initiating and sustaining recurrent jet activity in active regions.