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Abstract Solar jets are ubiquitous phenomena in the solar atmosphere. They are important in mass and energy transport to the upper atmosphere and interplanetary space. Here, we report a detailed analysis of a small-scale chromospheric jet with high-resolution He i 10830 Å and TiO 7057 Å images observed by the 1.6 m aperture Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The observation reveals the finest dark threads inside the jet are rooted in the intergranular lanes. Their width is equal to the telescope’s diffraction limit at 10830 Å (∼100 km). The jet is recurrent and its association with the emergence and convergence of magnetic flux is observed. Together with other important features like photospheric flow toward the magnetic polarity inversion line, a bald-patch magnetic configuration, and earlier excitation of helium atoms, we propose that the jet might be initiated by magnetic reconnection in a U-shaped loop configuration. The plasmoid configuration results from the possible buoyancy of the magnetic reconnection, which reoccurs in a second step with an overlying magnetic field line. Notably, the second-step magnetic reconnection produces not only bidirectional cool or hot flows but also a new U-shaped loop configuration. The feature may be used to explain the recurrent behavior of the jet, since the new U-shaped loop can be driven to reconnect again.
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This content will become publicly available on May 29, 2026
Formation of Chromospheric Fan-shaped Jets through Magnetic Reconnection
Abstract Recurrent chromospheric fan-shaped jets highlight the highly dynamic nature of the solar atmosphere. They have been named as “light walls” or “peacock jets” in high-resolution observations. In this study, we examined the underlying mechanisms responsible for the generation of recurrent chromospheric fan-shaped jets utilizing data from the Goode Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory, along with data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. These jets appear as dark elongated structures in Hαwing images, persist for over an hour, and are located in the intergranular lanes between a pair of same-polarity sunspots. Our analysis reveals that magnetic flux cancellation at the jet base plays a crucial role in their formation. HMI line-of-sight magnetograms show a gradual decrease in opposite-polarity fluxes spanning the sequence of jets in Hα−0.8 Å images, suggesting that recurrent magnetic reconnection, likely driven by recurrent miniature flux-rope eruptions that are built up and triggered by flux cancellation, powers these jets. Additionally, magnetic field extrapolations reveal a 3D magnetic null-point topology at the jet formation site ∼1.25 Mm height. Furthermore, we observed strong brightening in the AIA 304 Å channel above the neutral line. Based on our observations and extrapolation results, we propose that these recurrent chromospheric fan-shaped jets align with the minifilament eruption model previously proposed for coronal jets. Though our study focuses on fan-shaped jets in between same-polarity sunspots, a similar mechanism might be responsible for light-bridge-associated fan-shaped jets.
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- PAR ID:
- 10618810
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Astronomical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Volume:
- 985
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2041-8205
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- L47
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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