An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings

Small-scale brightenings are ubiquitous, dynamic, and energetic phenomena found in the chromosphere. An advanced filter-detection algorithm applied to high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph enables the detection of these brightenings close to the noise level. Thi...

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Main Authors: Llŷr Dafydd Humphries, Huw Morgan, David Kuridze
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8576
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author Llŷr Dafydd Humphries
Huw Morgan
David Kuridze
author_facet Llŷr Dafydd Humphries
Huw Morgan
David Kuridze
author_sort Llŷr Dafydd Humphries
collection DOAJ
description Small-scale brightenings are ubiquitous, dynamic, and energetic phenomena found in the chromosphere. An advanced filter-detection algorithm applied to high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph enables the detection of these brightenings close to the noise level. This algorithm also tracks the movement of these brightenings and extracts their characteristics. This work outlines the results of an in-depth analysis of a quiet-Sun data set including a comparison of a brighter domain—associated with a supergranular boundary—to the quiescent internetwork domains. Several characteristics of brightenings from both domains are extracted and analysed, providing a range of sizes, durations, brightness values, travel distances, and speeds. The “active” quiet-Sun events tend to travel shorter distances and at slower speeds across the plane of the sky than their “true” quiet-Sun counterparts. These results are consistent with the magnetic field model of supergranular photospheric structures and the magnetic canopy model of the chromosphere above. Spectroscopic analyses reveal that bright points demonstrate blueshift (as well as some bidirectionality) and that they may rise from the chromosphere into the transition region. We believe that these bright points are magnetic in nature, are likely the result of magnetic reconnection, and follow current sheets between magnetic field gradients, rather than travel along magnetic field lines themselves.
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spelling doaj-art-6165e4bb70f14c52aa76fff75b1cb3422024-11-22T07:53:38ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01976219410.3847/1538-4357/ad8576An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS BrighteningsLlŷr Dafydd Humphries0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6326-1118Huw Morgan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6547-5838David Kuridze2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2760-2311Aberystwyth University , Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences, Aberystwyth SY23 3FL, UK ; ldh6@aber.ac.uk, hum2@aber.ac.uk, dak21@aber.ac.ukAberystwyth University , Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences, Aberystwyth SY23 3FL, UK ; ldh6@aber.ac.uk, hum2@aber.ac.uk, dak21@aber.ac.ukAberystwyth University , Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences, Aberystwyth SY23 3FL, UK ; ldh6@aber.ac.uk, hum2@aber.ac.uk, dak21@aber.ac.uk; National Solar Observatory , 3665 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, USA; Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory , Abastumani, 0301, GeorgiaSmall-scale brightenings are ubiquitous, dynamic, and energetic phenomena found in the chromosphere. An advanced filter-detection algorithm applied to high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph enables the detection of these brightenings close to the noise level. This algorithm also tracks the movement of these brightenings and extracts their characteristics. This work outlines the results of an in-depth analysis of a quiet-Sun data set including a comparison of a brighter domain—associated with a supergranular boundary—to the quiescent internetwork domains. Several characteristics of brightenings from both domains are extracted and analysed, providing a range of sizes, durations, brightness values, travel distances, and speeds. The “active” quiet-Sun events tend to travel shorter distances and at slower speeds across the plane of the sky than their “true” quiet-Sun counterparts. These results are consistent with the magnetic field model of supergranular photospheric structures and the magnetic canopy model of the chromosphere above. Spectroscopic analyses reveal that bright points demonstrate blueshift (as well as some bidirectionality) and that they may rise from the chromosphere into the transition region. We believe that these bright points are magnetic in nature, are likely the result of magnetic reconnection, and follow current sheets between magnetic field gradients, rather than travel along magnetic field lines themselves.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8576Quiet solar chromosphereSolar chromosphereSolar magnetic bright pointsSolar magnetic reconnection
spellingShingle Llŷr Dafydd Humphries
Huw Morgan
David Kuridze
An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
The Astrophysical Journal
Quiet solar chromosphere
Solar chromosphere
Solar magnetic bright points
Solar magnetic reconnection
title An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
title_full An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
title_fullStr An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
title_full_unstemmed An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
title_short An In-depth Analysis of Quiet-Sun IRIS Brightenings
title_sort in depth analysis of quiet sun iris brightenings
topic Quiet solar chromosphere
Solar chromosphere
Solar magnetic bright points
Solar magnetic reconnection
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8576
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