Self-consistent numerical simulations for the formation and dynamics of solar prominences

TL;DR

This paper presents comprehensive 3D numerical simulations demonstrating how solar prominences form self-consistently through plasma ejection, injection, and condensation, aligning with observed prominence properties.

Contribution

The study introduces fully 3D simulations that incorporate all solar atmospheric layers, revealing prominence formation mechanisms driven by subsurface and surface dynamics.

Findings

Prominences form self-consistently in simulations with realistic initial conditions.

Formation involves plasma ejection, injection, and condensation processes.

Simulated prominence properties qualitatively match observations.

Abstract

Solar prominences are cool and dense plasma structures floating in the hot solar corona. They are ubiquitous features in the solar atmosphere, but their formation mechanism is still unclear. Here we perform comprehensive fully three-dimensional numerical simulations of prominence formation including the physics necessary to describe all atmospheric layers of the sun. With appropriate initial conditions for the magnetic field, solar prominences form self-consistently in the simulations. The formation starts by the random ejection of a dense plasma seed from the chromosphere into the corona. Subsequently, the prominence is built up by a combination of plasma injections from the chromosphere and condensation of inflowing coronal plasma. The prominence properties qualitatively match those of observed prominences. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the dynamics at and below the solar surface in the formation and evolution of solar prominences. This suggests that subsurface dynamics should also be considered in the study of prominence eruptions, which can be associated with coronal mass ejections.