Magnetic tornadoes and chromospheric swirls – Definition and classification

Wedemeyer, Sven, Scullion, Eamon, Steiner, Oskar, de la Cruz Rodriguez, Jaime and van der Voort, L. H. M. Rouppe (2013) Magnetic tornadoes and chromospheric swirls – Definition and classification. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 440 (1). 012005. ISSN 1742-6596

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/440/1/012005

Abstract

Chromospheric swirls are the observational signatures of rotating magnetic field structures in the solar atmosphere, also known as magnetic tornadoes. Swirls appear as dark rotating features in the core of the spectral line of singly ionized calcium at a wavelength of 854.2 nm. This signature can be very subtle and difficult to detect given the dynamic changes in the solar chromosphere. Important steps towards a systematic and objective detection method are the compilation and characterization of a statistically significant sample of observed and simulated chromospheric swirls. Here, we provide a more exact definition of the chromospheric swirl phenomenon and also present a first morphological classification of swirls with three types: (I) Ring, (II) Split, (III) Spiral. We also discuss the nature of the magnetic field structures connected to tornadoes and the influence of limited spatial resolution on the appearance of their photospheric footpoints.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: F500 Astronomy
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering
Depositing User: Paul Burns
Date Deposited: 12 Dec 2018 13:21
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2021 07:50
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37207

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