We report the smallest coronal jets ever observed in the quiet Sun with recent high-resolution observations from the High Resolution Telescopes (HRIEUV and HRILyα ) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the Solar Orbiter (SO). In the HRIEUV (174 Å) images, these microjets usually appear as nearly collimated structures with brightenings at their footpoints. Their average lifetime, projected speed, width, and maximum length are 4.6 minutes, 62 km s−1, 1.0 Mm, and 7.7 Mm, respectively. Inverted-Y shaped structures and moving blobs can be identified in some events. A subset of these events also reveal signatures in the HRILyα (H i Lyα at 1216 Å) images and the extreme ultraviolet images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Our differential emission-measure (EM) analysis suggests a multithermal nature and an average density of ∼1.4 × 109 cm−3 for these microjets. Their thermal and kinetic energies were estimated to be ∼3.9 × 1024 erg and ∼2.9 × 1023 erg, respectively, which are of the same order of the released energy predicted by the nanoflare theory. Most events appear to be located at the edges of network lanes and magnetic flux concentrations, suggesting that these coronal microjets are likely generated by magnetic reconnection between small-scale magnetic loops and the adjacent network field.

The propagation direction and true velocity of a solar coronal mass ejection, which are among the most decisive factors for its geo-effectiveness, are difficult to determine through single-perspective imaging observations. Here we show that Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic observations, together with imaging observations, could allow us to solve this problem. Using observations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we found clear blueshifted secondary emission components in extreme-ultraviolet spectral lines during a solar eruption on 2021 October 28. From simultaneous imaging observations, we found that the secondary components are caused by a mass ejection from the flare site. We estimated the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity of the ejecta from both the double Gaussian fitting method and the red-blue asymmetry analysis. The results of both methods agree well with each other, giving an average LOS velocity of the plasma of ∼423 km s−1. From the 304 Å image series taken by the Extreme ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory-A (STEREO-A) spacecraft, we estimated the plane-of-sky velocity from the STEREO-A viewpoint to be around 587 km s−1. The full velocity of the bulk motion of the ejecta was then computed by combining the imaging and spectroscopic observations, which turns out to be around 596 km s−1 with an angle of 42.°4 to the west of the Sun–Earth line and 16.°0 south to the ecliptic plane.

Coronal bright points (BPs) are associated with magnetic bipolar features (MBFs) and magnetic cancellation. Here, we investigate how BP-associated MBFs form and how the consequent magnetic cancellation occurs. We analyse longitudinal magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager to investigate the photospheric magnetic flux evolution of 70 BPs. From images taken in the 193 Å passband of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) we dermine that the BPs' lifetimes vary from 2.7 to 58.8 hours. The formation of the BP MBFs is found to involve three processes, namely emergence, convergence and local coalescence of the magnetic fluxes. The formation of a MBF can involve more than one of these processes. Out of the 70 cases, flux emergence is the main process of a MBF buildup of 52 BPs, mainly convergence is seen in 28, and 14 cases are associated with local coalescence. For MBFs formed by bipolar emergence, the time difference between the flux emergence and the BP appearance in the AIA 193 Å passband varies from 0.1 to 3.2 hours with an average of 1.3 hours. While magnetic cancellation is found in all 70 BPs, it can occur in three different ways: (I) between a MBF and small weak magnetic features (in 33 BPs); (II) within a MBF with the two polarities moving towards each other from a large distance (34 BPs); (III) within a MBF whose two main polarities emerge in the same place simultaneously (3 BPs). While a MBF builds up the skeleton of a BP, we find that the magnetic activities responsible for the BP heating may involve small weak fields.

Context. We investigate the chromospheric counterpart of small-scale coronal loops constituting a coronal bright point (CBP) and its response to a photospheric magnetic-flux increase accompanied by co-temporal CBP heating. Aims. The aim of this study is to simultaneously investigate the chromospheric and coronal layers associated with a CBP, and in so doing, provide further understanding on the heating of plasmas confined in small-scale loops. Methods. We used co-observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Helioseismic Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, together with data from the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph taken in the Hα and Ca II 8542.1 Å lines. We also employed both linear force-free and potential field extrapolation models to investigate the magnetic topology of the CBP loops and the overlying corona, respectively. We used a new multi-layer spectral inversion technique to derive the temporal variations of the temperature of the Hα loops (HLs). Results. We find that the counterpart of the CBP, as seen at chromospheric temperatures, is composed of a bundle of dark elongated features named in this work Hα loops, which constitute an integral part of the CBP loop magnetic structure. An increase in the photospheric magnetic flux due to flux emergence is accompanied by a rise of the coronal emission of the CBP loops, that is a heating episode. We also observe enhanced chromospheric activity associated with the occurrence of new HLs and mottles. While the coronal emission and magnetic flux increases appear to be co-temporal, the response of the Hα counterpart of the CBP occurs with a small delay of less than 3 min. A sharp temperature increase is found in one of the HLs and in one of the CBP footpoints estimated at 46% and 55% with respect to the pre-event values, also starting with a delay of less than 3 min following the coronal heating episode. The low-lying CBP loop structure remains non-potential for the entire observing period. The magnetic topological analysis of the overlying corona reveals the presence of a coronal null point at the beginning and towards the end of the heating episode. Conclusions. The delay in the response of the chromospheric counterpart of the CBP suggests that the heating may have occurred at coronal heights.

Various small-scale structures abound in the solar atmosphere above active regions, playing an important role in the dynamics and evolution therein. We report on a new class of small-scale transition region structures in active regions, characterized by strong emissions but extremely narrow Si iv line profiles as found in observations taken with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Tentatively named as Narrow-line-width UV bursts (NUBs), these structures are located above sunspots and comprise of one or multiple compact bright cores at sub-arcsecond scales. We found six NUBs in two datasets (a raster and a sit-and-stare dataset). Among these, four events are short-living with a duration of ∼10 mins while two last for more than 36 mins. All NUBs have Doppler shifts of 15-18 km s −1 , while the NUB found in sit-and-stare data possesses an additional component at ∼50 km s −1 found only in the C ii and Mg ii lines. Given that these events are found to play a role in the local dynamics, it is important to further investigate the physical mechanisms that generate these phenomena and their role in the mass transport in sunspots.

We present a case study for the global extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wave and its chromospheric counterpart the Moreton-Ramsey Wave associated with the second X-class flare in Solar Cycle 25 and a halo coronal mass ejection (CME). The EUV wave was observed in the Hα and EUV passbands with different characteristic temperatures. In the 171 Å and 193/195 Å images, the wave propagates circularly with an initial velocity of 600–720 km s−1 and a deceleration of 110–320 m s−2. The local coronal plasma is heated from log(T/K) ≈ 5.9 to log(T/K) ≈ 6.2 during the passage of the wave front. The Hα and 304 Å images also reveal signatures of wave propagation with a velocity of 310–540 km s−1. With multiwavelength and dual-perspective observations, we found that the wave front likely propagates forwardly inclined to the solar surface with a tilt angle of ∼53°.2. Our results suggest that this EUV wave is a fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic wave or shock driven by the expansion of the associated CME, whose wave front is likely a dome-shaped structure that could impact the upper chromosphere, transition region, and corona.

Light bridges (LBs) are bright lanes that divide one sunspot umbra into two or more parts. Though frequently observed in sunspots, their formation mechanisms have rarely been studied and thus are not well understood. Here we present results from the first statistical investigation on the formation of LBs. Using observations with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we identified 144 LBs within 71 active regions (ARs) over the whole year of 2014. The formation processes of these LBs can be categorized into three groups: penumbral intrusion (type-A), sunspot merging (type-B) and umbral-dot emergence (type-C). The numbers of events in these three categories are 74, 57 and 13, respectively. The duration of the LB formation process is mostly less than 40 hours, with an average of ∼20 hours. Most LBs have a maximum length of less than 20″. For type-A LBs, we found a positive correlation between the LB length and the duration of the LB formation process, suggesting a similar speed of penumbral intrusion in different sunspots.

As one of the most common features in the solar atmosphere, filaments are significant not only in solar physics but also in stellar and laboratory plasma physics. With the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, here we report on multi-wavelength observations of eruptions of a small (30 arcsec) filament (SF) and its consequences while interacting with ambient magnetic features including a large (300 arcsec) filament (LF). The eruptions of the SF drive a two-side-loop jet that is a result of magnetic reconnection between the SF threads and an overlying magnetic channel. As a consequence of the eruption, the heating in the footpoints of the SF destabilizes the barbs of the LF rooted nearby. Supersonic chromospheric plasma flows along the barbs of the LF are then observed in the H α passband and they apparently feed materials to the LF. We suggest that they are shock-driven plasma flows or chromospheric evaporations, which can both be the consequences of heating in the chromosphere by non-thermal particles generated in the magnetic reconnection associated with the two-side-loop jet. Our observations demonstrate that the destabilization in the vicinity of the footpoints of a barb can drive chromospheric plasma feeding to the filament.