High-resolution observations of small-scale activity in coronal hole plumes

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Huang, Ziwen, Chitta, L. P., Teriaca, L., Cuadrado, R. Aznar, Peter, H., Solanki, S. K., Wiegelmann, T., Plaschke, F.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Huang, Ziwen
Chitta, L. P.
Teriaca, L.
Cuadrado, R. Aznar
Peter, H.
Solanki, S. K.
Wiegelmann, T.
Plaschke, F.
author_facet Huang, Ziwen
Chitta, L. P.
Teriaca, L.
Cuadrado, R. Aznar
Peter, H.
Solanki, S. K.
Wiegelmann, T.
Plaschke, F.
contents Plumes have been proposed to channel MHD waves and the solar wind into the heliosphere. High-speed propagating disturbances (PDs), though well detected in plumes, cannot yet be clearly assigned to MHD waves or to mass flows. Additionally, plume bases as observed in the extreme ultraviolet are riddled with small-scale transients that could be related to the PDs. We study three plumes within an equatorial coronal hole observed by the EUV High Resolution Imager of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter. The properties of the small-scale brightenings at the plume bases are investigated to interpret their nature and possible relation with PDs. We process images with the Difference of Gaussians method to highlight the target brightenings, which are further identified with two different approaches. In the 30-min observation, 50 brightenings are visually selected, which also help set thresholds for automatic detection, where we find 451 brightenings. Their properties, including velocities on the plane of sky (PoS), are analyzed statistically. Potential field extrapolation based on the magnetic field data from the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on board Solar Orbiter is used for correcting the PoS velocity to the real velocity along the magnetic field. We observe that the majority of the base brightenings are small-scale, short-lived, and slightly elongated at the plume bases. They display intricate movements, with most exhibiting velocities in the PoS of less than 10 km/s. Their 3-dimensional velocities are found to be substantially lower than (and difficult to reconcile with) the speeds of PDs. A direct link between base brightenings and PDs remains inconclusive. We propose two possibilities for base brightenings: they may be related to wave-driven Type I spicules or originate from interchange reconnections. Further investigation is required to validate these hypotheses.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_00767
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle High-resolution observations of small-scale activity in coronal hole plumes
Huang, Ziwen
Chitta, L. P.
Teriaca, L.
Cuadrado, R. Aznar
Peter, H.
Solanki, S. K.
Wiegelmann, T.
Plaschke, F.
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Plumes have been proposed to channel MHD waves and the solar wind into the heliosphere. High-speed propagating disturbances (PDs), though well detected in plumes, cannot yet be clearly assigned to MHD waves or to mass flows. Additionally, plume bases as observed in the extreme ultraviolet are riddled with small-scale transients that could be related to the PDs. We study three plumes within an equatorial coronal hole observed by the EUV High Resolution Imager of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter. The properties of the small-scale brightenings at the plume bases are investigated to interpret their nature and possible relation with PDs. We process images with the Difference of Gaussians method to highlight the target brightenings, which are further identified with two different approaches. In the 30-min observation, 50 brightenings are visually selected, which also help set thresholds for automatic detection, where we find 451 brightenings. Their properties, including velocities on the plane of sky (PoS), are analyzed statistically. Potential field extrapolation based on the magnetic field data from the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on board Solar Orbiter is used for correcting the PoS velocity to the real velocity along the magnetic field. We observe that the majority of the base brightenings are small-scale, short-lived, and slightly elongated at the plume bases. They display intricate movements, with most exhibiting velocities in the PoS of less than 10 km/s. Their 3-dimensional velocities are found to be substantially lower than (and difficult to reconcile with) the speeds of PDs. A direct link between base brightenings and PDs remains inconclusive. We propose two possibilities for base brightenings: they may be related to wave-driven Type I spicules or originate from interchange reconnections. Further investigation is required to validate these hypotheses.
title High-resolution observations of small-scale activity in coronal hole plumes
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.00767