Description

Copyright infringement not intended

Context

Astronomers recently discovered small plasma loops in the Sun's lower atmosphere. These micro loops are exceedingly small and short-lived, which has made them impossible to identify until now.

What are miniature plasma loops?

Miniature Plasma Loops are tiny, arc-shaped structures of hot plasma (ionized gas) found in the Sun’s atmosphere, specifically in the solar corona. Miniature plasma loops are around 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers long and fewer than 100 kilometers wide. This size roughly corresponds to the distance between Kashmir and Kanyakumari in India.
These loops exist in the lower solar atmosphere, particularly in the chromosphere, which is located just above the Sun's visible surface. Their small size and brief lifespan of a few minutes rendered them inconspicuous to previous solar observations.

Physical Properties and Magnetic Activity

The loops appear as strong arcs in the H-alpha spectral line, which is a vital sign of chromospheric activity.
Spectroscopic data demonstrated that non-thermal magnetic processes generated spectral line broadening and signal intensification.
These results point to magnetic reconnection events, in which tangled magnetic fields snap and realign, producing bursts of energy.
Plasma jets bursting from the tops of the loops are associated with these reconnection occurrences.

Temperature and Plasma Dynamics

Using the Differential Emission Measure measurement, the plasma inside these loops was discovered to reach temperatures of several million degrees Celsius.
This is exceptionally heated given their placement in the denser chromosphere, which makes such heating difficult to explain.
The loops light strongly in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, indicating high energy release.
Understanding this heating mechanism is still a difficulty for solar physicists.

Source: PIB

Practice Question:

Q. With reference to Miniature Plasma Loops recently observed on the Sun, consider the following statements:

1. Miniature plasma loops are tiny arch-like structures observed in the Sun’s corona.

2. These loops are believed to contribute to the process of coronal heating.

3. They are formed by the interaction between solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 1 and 3 only

D) 1, 2 and 3

Answer:

A) 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1: Correct – Miniature plasma loops are small, arch-like structures in the Sun’s outer atmosphere (corona).

Statement 2: Correct – These loops may play a role in explaining the mystery of coronal heating, where the Sun’s corona is hotter than its surface.

Statement 3: Incorrect – The loops are not related to the Earth’s magnetic field or the solar wind interaction with it. They are internal to solar atmospheric dynamics.