MAGNETIC KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY AT THE SUN

TLDR

Flows and instabilities are key drivers of dynamics in magnetized plasmas such as the solar corona, magnetosphere, and astrophysical jets, with nonlinear, multi‑scale interactions thought to influence plasma entry, turbulence generation, and drag. The study aims to clarify the efficiency of macroscopic instabilities by determining their overall morphological features. High‑resolution imaging of vortices on the surface of a fast coronal mass ejection by the Solar Dynamics Observatory was used to validate nonlinear dynamics theories of the magnetic Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The study presents the first temporally and spatially resolved observations of the magnetic Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the solar corona, providing a cornerstone for a unifying theory of flow‑driven instabilities in rarefied magnetized plasmas relevant to the Sun–Earth system.

Abstract

Flows and instabilities play a major role in the dynamics of magnetized plasmas including the solar corona, magnetospheric and heliospheric boundaries, cometary tails, and astrophysical jets. The nonlinear effects, multi-scale and microphysical interactions inherent to the flow-driven instabilities, are believed to play a role, e.g., in plasma entry across a discontinuity, generation of turbulence, and enhanced drag. However, in order to clarify the efficiency of macroscopic instabilities in these processes, we lack proper knowledge of their overall morphological features. Here we show the first observations of the temporally and spatially resolved evolution of the magnetic Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the solar corona. Unprecedented high-resolution imaging observations of vortices developing at the surface of a fast coronal mass ejecta are taken by the new Solar Dynamics Observatory, validating theories of the nonlinear dynamics involved. The new findings are a cornerstone for developing a unifying theory on flow-driven instabilities in rarefied magnetized plasmas, which is important for understanding the fundamental processes at work in key regions of the Sun–Earth system.