Small-scale, cyclic, transverse motions of plasma threads are usually seen in solar prominences, which are often interpreted as magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. Here, we observed small-scale decayless transverse oscillations in a quiescent prominence, and they appear to be omnipresent. The oscillatory periods of the emission intensity and a proxy for the line-of-sight Doppler shift are about half period of the displacement oscillations. This feature agrees well with the fast kink-mode waves in a flux tube. All the moving threads oscillate transversally spatially in phase and exhibit no significant damping throughout the visible segments, indicating that the fast kink MHD waves are persistently powered and ongoing dissipating energy is transferred to the ambient plasma in the quiet corona. However, our calculations suggest that the energy taken by the fast kink MHD waves alone can not support the coronal heating on the quiet Sun.
Transverse oscillations and propagating waves are frequently observed in threads of solar prominences/filaments and have been interpreted as kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes. We investigate the spatial damping of propagating kink MHD waves in transversely nonuniform and partially ionized prominence threads. Resonant absorption and ion-neutral collisions (Cowling's diffusion) are the damping mechanisms taken into account. The dispersion relation of resonant kink waves in a partially ionized magnetic flux tube is numerically solved by considering prominence conditions. Analytical expressions…
We report findings from 0.2" resolution observations of the 2007 October 03 quiescent prominence observed with the Solar Optical Telescope on the Hinode satellite. The observations show clear ejections from the top of the quiescent prominence of plasma blobs. The ejections, originating from the top of rising prominence threads, are impulsively accelerated to Alfvenic velocities and then undergo ballistic motion. The ejections have a characteristic size between ~ 1000 - 2000 km. These characteristics are similar to downwardly propagating knots (typical size ~ 700 km) that have been observed in …
We analyse the oscillatory properties of resonantly damped transverse kink oscillations in two-dimensional prominence threads. The fine structures are modelled as cylindrically symmetric magnetic flux tubes with a dense central part with prominence plasma properties and an evacuated part, both surrounded by coronal plasma. The equilibrium density is allowed to vary non-uniformly in both the transverse and the longitudinal directions.We examine the influence of longitudinal density structuring on periods, damping times, and damping rates for transverse kink modes computed by numerically solving…
We employ an automated detection algorithm to perform a global study of solar prominence characteristics. We process four months of TESIS observations in the He II 304 A line taken close to the solar minimum of 2008-2009 and focus mainly on quiescent and quiescent-eruptive prominences. We detect a total of 389 individual features ranging from 25x25 to 150x500 Mm in size and obtain distributions of many their spatial characteristics, such as latitudinal position, height, size and shape. To study their dynamics, we classify prominences as either stable or eruptive and calculate their average cen…
We report on the tornado-like evolution of a quiescent prominence on 2014 November 1. The eastern section of the prominence first rose slowly transforming into an arch-shaped structure as high as ~150 Mm above the limb; the arch then writhed moderately in a left-handed sense, while the originally dark prominence material became in emission in the Fe IX 171~Å passband, and a braided structure appeared at the eastern edge of the warped arch. The unraveling of the braided structure was associated with a transient brightening in EUV and apparently contributed to the formation of a curtain-like str…
Transverse oscillations of thin threads in solar prominences are frequently reported in high-resolution observations. Two typical features of the observations are that the oscillations are damped in time and that simultaneous mass flows along the threads are detected. Flows cause the dense threads to move along the prominence magnetic structure while the threads are oscillating. The oscillations have been interpreted in terms of standing magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) kink waves of the magnetic flux tubes which support the threads. The damping is most likely due to resonant absorption caused by pla…
Recent observations by Hinode/SOT show that MHD waves and mass flows are simultaneously present in the fine structure of solar prominences. We investigate standing kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves in flowing prominence threads from a theoretical point of view. We model a prominence fine structure as a cylindrical magnetic tube embedded in the solar corona with its ends line-tied in the photosphere. The magnetic cylinder is composed of a region with dense prominence plasma, which is flowing along the magnetic tube, whereas the rest of the flux tube is occupied by coronal plasma. We use the …
We study the triggering mechanism of a limb-prominence eruption and the associated coronal mass ejection near AR 12342 using SDO and LASCO/SOHO observations. The prominence is seen with an embedded flux thread (FT) at one end and bifurcates from the middle to a different footpoint location. The morphological evolution of the FT is similar to an unstable flux rope (FR), which we regard as prominence embedded FR. The FR twist exceeds the critical value. In addition, the morphology of the prominence plasma in 304Å~images marks the helical nature of the magnetic skeleton with a total of 2.96 turns…
We analyze solar quiescent prominence bubble characteristics and instability dynamics using Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) data. We measure bubble expansion rate, prominence downflows, and the profile of the boundary layer brightness and thickness as a function of time. The largest bubble analyzed rises into the prominence with a speed of about 1.3 km/s until it is destabilized by a localized shear flow on the boundary. Boundary layer thickness grows gradually as prominence downflows deposit plasma onto the bubble with characteristic speeds of 20 - 35 km/s. Lateral downflows initiate fro…
The launch of the Hinode satellite has allowed for seeing-free observations at high-resolution and high-cadence making it well suited to study the dynamics of quiescent prominences. In recent years it has become clear that quiescent prominences support small-amplitude transverse oscillations, however, sample sizes are usually too small for general conclusions to be drawn. We remedy this by providing a statistical study of transverse oscillations in vertical prominence threads. Over a three-hour period of observations it was possible to measure the properties of 3436 waves, finding periods from…
To understand the formation of quiescent solar prominences, the origin of their magnetic field structures, i.e., magnetic flux ropes (MFRs), must be revealed. We use three-dimensional magnetofriction simulations in a spherical subdomain to investigate the role of typical supergranular motions in the long-term formation of a prominence magnetic field. Time-dependant horizontal supergranular motions with and without the effect of Coriolis force are simulated on the solar surface via Voronoi tessellation. The vortical motions by the Coriolis effect at boundaries of supergranules inject magnetic h…
We investigate standing kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations in a prominence fine structure modeled as a straight and cylindrical magnetic tube only partially filled with the prominence material, and with its ends fixed at two rigid walls representing the solar photosphere. The prominence plasma is partially ionized and a transverse inhomogeneous transitional layer is included between the prominence thread and the coronal medium. Thus, ion-neutral collisions and resonant absorption are the considered damping mechanisms. Approximate analytical expressions of the period, the damping time,…
Solar prominences are magnetic structures incarcerating cool and dense gas in an otherwise hot solar corona. Prominences can be categorized as quiescent and active. Their origin and the presence of cool gas (~$10^4$K) within the hot (~$10^6$K) solar corona remains poorly understood. The structure and dynamics of solar prominences was investigated in a large number of observational and theoretical (both analytical and numerical) studies. In this paper, an analytic model of quiescent solar prominence is developed and used to demonstrate that the prominence velocity increases exponentially, which…
The first ionization potential (FIP) bias is currently used to trace the propagation of solar features ejected by the wind and solar eruptions (coronal mass ejections). The FIP bias also helps us to understand the formation of prominences, as it is a tracer for the solar origin of prominence plasma. This work aims to provide elemental composition and FIP bias in quiescent solar prominences. This is key information to link these features to remnants of solar eruptions measured in-situ within the heliosphere and to constrain the coronal or photospheric origin of prominence plasma. We used the di…
We report an observation of a partially erupting prominence and associated dynamical plasma processes based on observations recorded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The prominence first goes through a slow rise (SR) phase followed by a fast rise (FR). The slow rise phase started after a couple of small brightenings seen toward the footpoints. At the turning point from SR to FR, the prominence had already become kinked. The prominence shows strong brightening at the central kink location during the start of FR. We interpret this as intern…
We present an estimation of the lower limits of local magnetic fields in quiescent, activated, and active (surges) promineces, based on reconstructed 3-dimensional (3D) trajectories of individual prominence knots. The 3D trajectories, velocities, tangential and centripetal accelerations of the knots were reconstructed using observational data collected with a single ground-based telescope equipped with a Multi-channel Subtractive Double Pass imaging spectrograph. Lower limits of magnetic fields channeling observed plasma flows were estimated under assumption of the equipartition principle. Ass…
We present observational evidence of apparent plasma rotational motions in the feet of a solar prominence. Our study is based on spectroscopic observations taken in the He I 1083.0 nm multiplet with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. We recorded a time sequence of spectra with 34 s cadence placing the slit of the spectrograph almost parallel to the solar limb and crossing two feet of an intermediate size, quiescent hedgerow prominence. The data show opposite Doppler shifts, +/- 6 km/s, at the edges of the prominence feet. We argue that these shifts…
Multi-wavelength observations of prominence eruptions provide an opportunity to uncover the physical mechanism of the triggering and the evolution process of the eruption. In this paper, we investigated an erupting prominence on October 14, 2012, recorded in Hα, EUV, and X-ray wavelengths. The process of the eruption gives evidences on the existence of a helical magnetic structure and showing the twist being converting to writhe. The estimated twist is ~6π (3 turns), exceeding the threshold of the kink instability. The rising plasma then reached a high speed, estimated at 228 km s-1, followed …
The dynamics of prominence fine structures is a challenge to understand the formation of cool plasma prominence embedded in the hot corona. Recent observations from the high resolution Hinode/SOT telescope allow us to compute velocities perpendicularly to the line-of-sight or transverse velocities. Combining simultaneous observations obtained in H-alpha with Hinode/SOT and the MSDP spectrograph operating in the Meudon solar tower we derive the velocity vectors of a quiescent prominence. The velocities perpendicular to the line-of-sight are measured by time slice technique, the Dopplershifts by…
Aims: Out of a novel observing technique, we publish for the first time, SoHO-SUMER observations of the true spectral line profile of hydrogen Lyman-alpha in quiescent prominences. With SoHO not being in Earth orbit, our high-quality data set is free from geocoronal absorption. We study the line profile and compare it with earlier observations of the higher Lyman lines and recent model predictions. Methods: We applied the reduced-aperture observing mode to two prominence targets and started a statistical analysis of the line profiles in both data sets. In particular, we investigated the shape …
This series of papers investigates the dynamic interior of a quiescent prominence revealed by recent {\it Hinode} and {\it SDO/AIA} high-resolution observations. This first paper is a study of the static equilibrium of the Kippenhahn-Schlüter diffuse plasma slab, suspended vertically in a bowed magnetic field, under the frozen-in condition and subject to a theoretical thermal balance among an optically-thin radiation, heating, and field-aligned thermal conduction. The everywhere-analytical solutions to this nonlinear problem are an extremely restricted subset of the physically admissible state…
We present the detection of a bubble-like cavity traveling through a quiescent prominence. The H-alpha emission in the cavity is >16 times smaller than in its surroundings. The cavity propagates almost with the phase-velocity of MHD compressive waves. We suggest a disruption of the lateral magnetic stability. The Ca II 8542 spectra indicate a material outflow along the lines of force up to 12 km/s.
In this paper, we report our multiwavelength observations of the simultaneous transverse and longitudinal oscillations in a quiescent prominence on 2015 June 29. A C2.4 flare took place in active region 12373, which was associated with a pair of short ribbons and a remote ribbon. During the impulsive phase of the flare, a coronal jet spurted out of the primary flare site and propagated in the northwest direction at an apparent speed of $\sim$224 km s$^{-1}$. Part of the jet stopped near the remote ribbon. The remaining part continued moving forward before stopping to the east of prominence. On…
Prominence bubbles are cavities rising into quiescent prominences from below. The bubble-prominence interface is often the active location for the formation of plumes, which flow turbulently into quiescent prominences. Not only the origin of prominence bubbles is poorly understood, but most of their physical characteristics are still largely unknown. Here, we investigate the dynamical properties of a bubble, which is observed since its early emergence beneath the spine of a quiescent prominence on 20 October 2017 in the H$α$ line-center and in $\pm$0.4 angstrom line-wing wavelengths by the 1-m…
We present high-resolution observations of two kinds of dynamic behavior in a quiescent prominence using the New Vacuum Solar Telescope, i.e., Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (KHIs) and small-scale oscillations. The KHIs were identified as rapidly developed vortex-like structures with counter-clockwise/clockwise rotations in the Ha red-wing images at +0.3 A, which were produced by the strong shear-flows motions on the surface/interface of prominence plumes. The KHI growth rates are estimated to be about 0.0135 +(-)0.0004 and 0.0138 +(-) 0.0004. Our observational results further suggest that the…
In this paper, we present multiwavelength observations of helical kink instability as a trigger of a CME which occurred in AR NOAA 11163 on 24 February 2011. The CME was associated with a M3.5 limb flare. High resolution observations from SDO/AIA suggest the development of helical kink instability in the erupting prominence, which implies a flux rope structure of the magnetic field. A brightening starts below the apex of the prominence with its slow rising motion (~100 km/s) during the activation phase. A bright structure, indicative of a helix with ~3-4 turns, was transiently formed at this p…
Propagating transverse waves are thought to be a key transporter of Poynting flux throughout the Sun's atmosphere. Recent studies have shown that these transverse motions, interpreted as the magnetohydrodynamic kink mode, are prevalent throughout the corona. The associated energy estimates suggest the waves carry enough energy to meet the demands of the coronal radiative losses in the quiescent Sun. However, it is still unclear how the waves deposit their energy into the coronal plasma. We present the results from a large-scale study of propagating kink waves in the quiescent corona using data…
The paper analyzes the structure and dynamics of a quiescent prominence that occurred on October 22, 2013. We aim to determine the physical characteristics of the observed prominence using MgII k and h, CII (1334 and 1336 A), and SiIV (1394 A) lines observed by IRIS. We employed the 1D non-LTE modeling of MgII lines assuming static isothermal-isobaric slabs. We selected a large grid of models with realistic input parameters and computed synthetic MgII lines. The method of Scargle periodograms was used to detect possible prominence oscillations. We analyzed 2160 points of the observed prominenc…
The eruption of a large quiescent prominence on 17 August 2013 and associated coronal mass ejection (CME) were observed from different vantage points by Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Screening of the quiet Sun by the prominence produced an isolated negative microwave burst. We estimated parameters of the erupting prominence from a model of radio absorption and measured from 304 Å images. Their variations obtained by both methods are similar and agree within a factor of two. The CME development …
Magnetic field vector measurements are always ambiguous, that is, two or more field vectors are solutions of the observed polarisation. The aim of the present paper is to solve the ambiguity by comparing the ambiguous field vectors obtained in the same prominence observed on two consecutive days. The effect of the solar rotation is to modify the scattering angle of the prominence radiation, which modifies the symmetry of the ambiguous solutions. This method, which is a kind of tomography, was successfully applied in the past to the average magnetic field vector of 20 prominences observed at th…
The Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP) has opened up exciting opportunities to probe transverse MHD waves in the Sun's corona. The archive of CoMP data is utilised to generate a catalogue of quiescent coronal loops that can be used for studying propagating kink waves. The catalogue contains 120 loops observed between 2012-2014. This catalogue is further used to undertake a statistical study of propagating kink waves in the quiet regions of the solar corona, investigating phase speeds, loop lengths, footpoint power ratio and equilibrium parameter values. The statistical study enables us t…
We present high-resolution observations of a quiescent solar prominence which was consisted of a vertical and a horizontal foot encircled by an overlying spine, and counter-streaming mass flows were ubiquitous in the prominence. While the horizontal foot and the spine were connecting to the solar surface, the vertical foot was suspended above the solar surface and supported by a semicircular bubble structure. The bubble first collapsed and then reformed at a similar height, finally, it started to oscillate for a long time. We find that the collapsing and oscillation of the bubble boundary were…
Magnetic flux rope (MFR) is a coherent and helical magnetic field structure that is recently found probably to appear as an elongated hot-channel prior to a solar eruption. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the hot-channel and associated prominence through analyzing a limb event on 2011 September 12. In the early rise phase, the hot-channel was cospatial with the prominence initially. It then quickly expanded, resulting in a separation of the top of the hot-channel from that of the prominence. Meanwhile, both of them experienced an instantaneous morphology transformation f…
Using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, we investigate the eruption of coronal flux ropes underlying coronal streamers and the development of a prominence eruption. We initialize a quasi-steady solution of a coronal helmet streamer, into which we impose at the lower boundary the slow emergence of a part of a twisted magnetic torus. As a result a quasi-equilibrium flux rope is built up under the streamer. With varying sizes of the streamer and the different length and total twist of the emerged flux rope, we found different scenarios for the evolution from quasi-equilibri…
The launch of Hinode satellite led to the discovery of rising plumes, dark in chromospheric lines, in quiescent prominences that propagate from large (~10 Mm) bubbles that form at the base of the prominences. These plumes present a very interesting opportunity to study Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena in quiescent prominences, but obstacles still remain. One of the biggest issues is that of the magnetic field strength, which is not easily measurable in prominences. In this paper we present a method that may be used to determine a prominence's plasma βwhen rising plumes are observed. Using t…
Context. Understanding the close relationship between the plasma and the magnetic field is important to describe and explain the observed complex dynamics of solar prominences. Aims. We determine if a close relationship between plasma and magnetic field parameters measured in a well-observed solar prominence with high spatial resolution can be found. Methods. We select a prominence observed on 15 July 2014 from space (IRIS, Hinode, SDO) and from the ground (THEMIS). We perform a robust co-alignment of the data sets using a 2D cross-correlation technique. We derive the magnetic field parameters…
We carry out magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the quasi-static evolution and eruption of a twisted coronal flux rope under a coronal streamer built up by an imposed flux emergence at the lower boundary. The MHD model incorporates a simple empirical coronal heating, optically thin radiative cooling, and field aligned thermal conduction, and thus allows the formation of prominence condensations. We find that during the quasi-static evolution, prominence/filament condensations of an elongated, sigmoid morphology form in the dips of the significantly twisted field lines of the emerged flux…
We show preliminary results of an ongoing investigation aimed at determining the configuration of the magnetic field vector in the threads of a quiescent hedgerow solar prominence using high-spatial resolution spectropolarimetric observations taken in the He I 1083.0 nm multiplet. The data consist of a two-dimensional map of a quiescent hedgerow prominence showing vertical threads. The observations were obtained with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope at the Observatorio del Teide (Spain). The He I 1083.0 nm Stokes signals are interpreted with an in…
We show that the line broadening in quiescent solar prominences is mainly due to non-thermal velocities. We have simultaneously observed a wide range of optically thin lines in quiescent prominences, selected for bright and narrow Mg\,b emission without line satellites from macro-shifts. We find a ratio of reduced widths of H-gamma and H-delta of 1.05 +-0.03 which can hardly be attributed to saturation, since both are optically thin for the prominences observed: tau(gamma)<0.3 ; tau(delta)<0.15. We confirm the ratio of reduced widths of He4772(triplet) and He5015(singlet of 1.1 +-0.05 at highe…
We study recent observations of propagating fluctuations in a prominence foot with Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) high-resolution observations in Ca~II and H alpha emission which we identify as nonlinear fast magnetosnic waves. Here we analyze further the observations of propagating waves and flows with Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) Mg~II slit jaw images, in addition to Hinode/SOT Ca~II images. We find that the waves have typical periods in the range of 5 - 11 minutes and wavelengths in the plane of the sky (POS) of about 2000 km, while the flows in narrow threads have typ…
The ratio of the period of the fundamental mode to that of the first overtone of kink oscillations, from here on the "period ratio", is a seismology tool that can be used to infer information about the spatial variation of density along solar magnetic flux tubes. The period ratio is 2 in longitudinally homogeneous thin tubes, but it differs from 2 due to longitudinal inhomogeneity. In this paper we investigate the period ratio in longitudinally inhomogeneous prominence threads and explore its implications for prominence seismology. We numerically solve the two-dimensional eigenvalue problem of…
The launch of the Hinode satellite has allowed unprecedented high resolution, stable images of solar quiescent prominences to be taken over extended periods of time. These new images led to the discovery of dark upflows that propagated from the base of prominences developing highly turbulent profiles. As yet, how these flows are driven is not fully understood. To study the physics behind this phenomena we use 3-D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to investigate the nonlinear stability of the Kippenhahn-Shlüter prominence model to the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The model simulate…
We analyze the observations of a quiescent prominence acquired by the Telescope Heliographique pour l'Etude du Magnetisme et des Instabilites Solaires (THEMIS) in the He I 5876 A (He I D3) multiplet aiming to measure the spectral characteristics of the He I D3 profiles and to find for them an adequate fitting model. The component characteristics of the He I D3 Stokes I profiles are measured by the fitting system approximating them with a double Gaussian. This model yields an He I D3 component peak intensity ratio of $5.5\pm0.4$, which differs from the value of 8 expected in the optically thin …
Developing an understanding of how magnetic fields can become entangled in a prominence is important for predicting a possible eruption. This work investigates the kinetic energy and vorticity associated with plasma motion residing inside quiescent prominences (QPs). These plasma flow characteristics can be utilized to improve our understanding of how the prominence maintains a stable magnetic field configuration. Three different contrast-enhanced solar prominence observations from Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope were used to construct velocity maps -- in the plane of the sky -- via a Fourier l…
Prominence threads are very long and thin flux tubes which are partially filled with cold plasma. Observations have shown that transverse oscillations are frequent in these solar structures. The observations are usually interpreted as the fundamental kink mode, while the detection of the first harmonic remains elusive. Here, we aim to study how the density inhomogeneity in the longitudinal and radial directions modify the periods and damping times of kink oscillations, and how this effect would be reflected in observations. We solve the ideal magnetohydrodynamics equations through two differen…
We focus on Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) calcium II H-line observations of a solar quiescent prominence (QP) that exhibits highly variable dynamics suggestive of turbulence. These images capture a sufficient range of scales spatially ($\sim$0.1-100 arc seconds) and temporally ($\sim$16.8 s - 4.5 hrs) to allow the application of statistical methods used to quantify finite range fluid turbulence. We present the first such application of these techniques to the spatial intensity field of a long lived solar prominence. Fully evolved inertial range turbulence in an infinite medium exhibits …
Transverse oscillations of small amplitude are commonly seen in high-resolution observations of filament threads, i.e. the fine-structures of solar filaments/prominences, and are typically damped in a few periods. Kink wave modes supported by the thread body offer a consistent explanation of these observed oscillations. Among the proposed mechanisms to explain the kink mode damping, resonant absorption in the Alfven continuum seems to be the most efficient as it produces damping times of about 3 periods. However, for a nonzero-beta plasma and typical prominence conditions, the kink mode is als…
Prominences, or filaments, are a striking phenomenon in the solar atmosphere. Besides their own rich features and dynamics, they are related to many other activities, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In the past several years we have been investigating the prominence formation, oscillations, and eruptions through both data analysis and radiative hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. This paper reviews our progress on these topics, which includes: (1) With updated radiative cooling function, the coronal condensation becomes a little faster than previous …
Solar prominences are long-lived cool and dense plasma curtains in the hot and rarefied outer solar atmosphere or corona. The physical mechanism responsible for their formation and especially for their internal plasma circulation has been uncertain for decades. The observed ubiquitous down flows in quiescent prominences are difficult to interpret as plasma with high conductivity seems to move across horizontal magnetic field lines. Here we present three-dimensional numerical simulations of prominence formation and evolution in an elongated magnetic flux rope as a result of in-situ plasma conde…
