Diversity of morphology of type II spicules in MURaM-ChE simulations

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Main Authors: Chandra, Sanghita, Cameron, Robert, Przybylski, Damien, Solanki, Sami K.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Chandra, Sanghita
Cameron, Robert
Przybylski, Damien
Solanki, Sami K.
author_facet Chandra, Sanghita
Cameron, Robert
Przybylski, Damien
Solanki, Sami K.
contents Spicules are ubiquitous, small-scale features in the solar atmosphere, exhibiting a jet-like appearance most clearly identified by their apparent motion in off-limb observations. While they are often interpreted as narrow, thread-like structures, their true three-dimensional (3D) structure remains unknown. We aim to uncover the 3D morphology and dynamics of fast-evolving spicules (type II) using a MURaM-ChE simulation. We use a H$α$ proxy that has been developed using non-equilibrium (NE) hydrogen populations in MURaM-ChE. The proxy, modelled as an escape probability, is synthesised to isolate on-disc as well as off-limb H$α$ wing features. The 3D structure of these features is investigated using the 3D information on opacity in H$α$. We identify type II spicules, with unique 3D morphologies: the dominant being thread-like and slab-like. The appearance of spicules as slabs or threads is a function of time and Doppler velocity. The spicules extending above the spicule-forest (2Mm -3Mm above the surface) tend to be located at quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs). We find that the spatially resolved contributions to the opacity of spicules are often similar for spicules synthesised in the horizontal direction, and their on-disk rapid blueshifted excursion (RBE) synthesised in the vertical direction at the same Doppler velocity of 37km/s. This confirms that RBEs are indeed the on-disc counterparts of spicules. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that cross-field motions can significantly contribute to spicule dynamics. Spicules exhibit a range of morphologies, including both slab-like and thread-like structures. Their observed appearance depends strongly on line-of-sight projection and Doppler sampling. Spicules are preferentially located at QSLs, highlighting the role of magnetic topology in driving spicular dynamics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_25886
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Diversity of morphology of type II spicules in MURaM-ChE simulations
Chandra, Sanghita
Cameron, Robert
Przybylski, Damien
Solanki, Sami K.
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Spicules are ubiquitous, small-scale features in the solar atmosphere, exhibiting a jet-like appearance most clearly identified by their apparent motion in off-limb observations. While they are often interpreted as narrow, thread-like structures, their true three-dimensional (3D) structure remains unknown. We aim to uncover the 3D morphology and dynamics of fast-evolving spicules (type II) using a MURaM-ChE simulation. We use a H$α$ proxy that has been developed using non-equilibrium (NE) hydrogen populations in MURaM-ChE. The proxy, modelled as an escape probability, is synthesised to isolate on-disc as well as off-limb H$α$ wing features. The 3D structure of these features is investigated using the 3D information on opacity in H$α$. We identify type II spicules, with unique 3D morphologies: the dominant being thread-like and slab-like. The appearance of spicules as slabs or threads is a function of time and Doppler velocity. The spicules extending above the spicule-forest (2Mm -3Mm above the surface) tend to be located at quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs). We find that the spatially resolved contributions to the opacity of spicules are often similar for spicules synthesised in the horizontal direction, and their on-disk rapid blueshifted excursion (RBE) synthesised in the vertical direction at the same Doppler velocity of 37km/s. This confirms that RBEs are indeed the on-disc counterparts of spicules. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that cross-field motions can significantly contribute to spicule dynamics. Spicules exhibit a range of morphologies, including both slab-like and thread-like structures. Their observed appearance depends strongly on line-of-sight projection and Doppler sampling. Spicules are preferentially located at QSLs, highlighting the role of magnetic topology in driving spicular dynamics.
title Diversity of morphology of type II spicules in MURaM-ChE simulations
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25886