Fast Wave Trains Associated with Solar Eruptions: Insights from 3D Thermodynamic MHD Simulations

Abstract:

EUV imaging observations during the SDO/AIA era have provided new insights into a variety of wave phenomena occurring in the low solar corona. One example is the observation of quasi-periodic, fast-propagating wave trains that are associated with solar eruptions, including flares and CMEs. While there has been considerable progress in understanding such waves from both an observational and theoretical perspective, it remains a challenge to pin down their physical origin. In this work, we detail our results from a case-study 3D thermodynamic MHD simulation of a coronal mass ejection where quasi-periodic wave trains are generated during the simulated eruption. We find a direct correlation between the onset of non-steady reconnection in the flare current sheet and the generation of quasi-periodic wave train signatures when patchy, collimated downflows interact with the flare arcade. Via forward modeling of SDO/AIA observables, we explore how the appearance of the wave trains is affected by line-of-sight integration and the multi-thermal nature of the coronal medium. We also examine how the wave trains themselves are channeled by natural waveguides formed in 3D by the non-uniform background magnetic field. While the physical association of the reconnection dynamics to the generation of quasi-periodic wave trains appears to be a compelling result, unanswered questions posed from recent observations as well as future prospects will be discussed.