The Drivers of Active Region Outflows into the Slow Solar Wind

David H. Brooks, Amy R. Winebarger, Sabrina Savage, Harry P. Warren, Bart De Pontieu, Hardi Peter, Jonathan W. Cirtain, Leon Golub, Ken Kobayashi, Scott W. McIntosh, David McKenzie, Richard Morton, Laurel Rachmeler, Paola Testa, Sanjiv Tiwari, Robert Walsh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Plasma outflows from the edges of active regions have been suggested as a possible source of the slow solar wind. Spectroscopic measurements show that these outflows have an enhanced elemental composition, which is a distinct signature of the slow wind. Current spectroscopic observations, however, do not have sufficient spatial resolution to distinguish what structures are being measured or determine the driver of the outflows. The High-resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) flew on a sounding rocket in 2018 May and observed areas of active region outflow at the highest spatial resolution ever achieved (250 km). Here we use the Hi-C data to disentangle the outflow composition signatures observed with the Hinode satellite during the flight. We show that there are two components to the outflow emission: a substantial contribution from expanded plasma that appears to have been expelled from closed loops in the active region core and a second contribution from dynamic activity in active region plage, with a composition signature that reflects solar photospheric abundances. The two competing drivers of the outflows may explain the variable composition of the slow solar wind.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume894
Issue number2
Early online date18 May 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2020

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