太陽コロナにおけるプロミネンス形成メカニズムの解明(How solar prominences form)

2026-04-22 マックス・プランク研究所

Max Planck Societyの研究チームは、太陽コロナにおけるプロミネンス(紅炎)形成の新たな供給メカニズムを解明した。研究は太陽大気の高温コロナと低温プラズマの相互作用に注目し、従来の「下層からの物質供給」だけでなく、コロナ内での局所的な冷却と凝縮が重要な役割を果たすことを示した。観測データと数値シミュレーションを組み合わせ、磁場構造に沿ってプラズマが集積し、冷却によってフィラメント状構造が形成される過程を明確化した。これにより、太陽活動やコロナ質量放出の理解が進み、宇宙天気予測の精度向上に寄与すると期待される。

太陽コロナにおけるプロミネンス形成メカニズムの解明(How solar prominences form)
The new computer simulations are based on a magnetic field structure that is often associated with prominences: the magnetic field lines in the corona form a double arc with a small dip in the middle. As the calculations show, the flame-like prominence forms in this dip and remains trapped there. All relevant layers of the Sun were taken into account, from the corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, to parts of the convection zone below the Sun’s surface. For an animated version, see the institutes website.© MPS

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太陽プロミネンスの形成とダイナミクスに関する自己無撞着な数値シミュレーション Self-consistent numerical simulations for the formation and dynamics of solar prominences

Lisa-Marie Zessner,Robert H. Cameron,Sami K. Solanki &Damien Przybylski
Nature Astronomy  Published:22 April 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02840-7

Abstract

Solar prominences are cool and dense plasma structures floating in the hot solar corona. They are ubiquitous features in the solar atmosphere, but their formation mechanism is still unclear. Here we perform comprehensive fully three-dimensional numerical simulations of prominence formation including the physics necessary to describe all atmospheric layers of the sun. With appropriate initial conditions for the magnetic field, solar prominences form self-consistently in the simulations. The formation starts by the random ejection of a dense plasma seed from the chromosphere into the corona. Subsequently, the prominence is built up by a combination of plasma injections from the chromosphere and condensation of inflowing coronal plasma. The prominence properties qualitatively match those of observed prominences. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the dynamics at and below the solar surface in the formation and evolution of solar prominences. This suggests that subsurface dynamics should also be considered in the study of prominence eruptions, which can be associated with coronal mass ejections.

1702地球物理及び地球化学
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