We present observational evidence of apparent plasma rotational motions in the feet of a solar prominence. Our study is based on spectroscopic observations taken in the \ion{He}{1}~1083.0~nm multiplet with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. We recorded a time sequence of spectra with 34 s cadence placing the slit of the spectrograph almost parallel to the solar limb and crossing two feet of an intermediate size, quiescent {\it hedgerow} prominence. The data show opposite Doppler shifts, $\pm$~6\kms, at the edges of the prominence feet. We argue that these shifts may be interpreted as prominence plasma rotating counterclockwise around the vertical axis to the solar surface as viewed from above. The evolution of the prominence seen in EUV images taken with the {\it Solar Dynamic Observatory} provided us clues to interpret the results as swirling motions. Moreover, time-distance images taken far from the central wavelength show plasma structures moving parallel to the solar limb with velocities of about $10-15$\kms. Finally, the shapes of the observed intensity profiles suggest the presence of, at least, two components at some locations at the edges of the prominence feet. One of them is typically Doppler shifted (up to $\sim$~20\kms) with respect to the other, thus suggesting the existence of supersonic counter-streaming flows along the line-of-sight.
Advertised on
References
It may interest you
-
The magnetic field in the solar chromosphere plays a key role in the heating of the outer solar atmosphere and in the build-up and sudden release of energy in solar flares. However, uncovering the magnetic field vector in the solar chromosphere is a difficult task because the magnetic field leaves its fingerprints in the very faint polarization of the light, which is far from easy to measure and interpret. We analyse the spectropolarimetric observations obtained with the Chromospheric Layer Spectropolarimeter on board a sounding rocket. This suborbital space experiment observed the nearAdvertised on
-
The properties of blue supergiants are key for constraining the end of the main sequence phase, a phase during which massive stars spend most of their lifetimes. The lack of fast-rotating stars below 21.000K, a temperature around which stellar winds change in behaviour, has been proposed to be caused by enhanced mass-loss rates, which would spin down the star. Alternatively, the lack of fast-rotating stars may be the result of stars reaching the end of the main sequence. Here, we combine newly derived estimates of photospheric and wind parameters, wind terminal velocities from the literatureAdvertised on
-
The formation and evolution of the disk of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, remains an enigma in astronomy. In particular, the relationship between the thick disk and the thin disk —two key components of the Milky Way— is still unclear. Understanding the chemical and dynamical properties of the stars within these disks is crucial, especially in the parameter spaces where their characteristics overlap, such the metallicity regime around [Fe/H] ~ -0.7, which marks the metal-poor end of the thin disk, higher than that of the thick disk. This is often interpreted as an indication that the thin diskAdvertised on