Propagating disturbances in the solar corona and spicular connection

Abstract

Spicules are small, hairy-like structures seen at the solar limb, mainly at chromospheric and transition region lines. They generally live for 3–10 minutes. We study these spicules in a south polar region of the Sun with coordinated observations using the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Propagating disturbances (PDs) are observed everywhere in the polar off-limb regions of the Sun at coronal heights. From these simultaneous observations, we show that the spicules and the PDs may have originated through a common process. From spacetime maps, we find that the start of the trajectory of PDs is almost cotemporal with the time of the rise of the spicular envelope as seen by IRIS slit-jaw images at 2796 and 1400 Å. During the return of spicular material, brightenings are seen in AIA 171 and 193 Å images. The quasi-periodic nature of the spicular activity, as revealed by the IRIS spectral image sequences, and its relation to coronal PDs, as recorded by the coronal AIA channels, suggest that they share a common origin. We propose that reconnection-like processes generate the spicules and waves simultaneously. The waves escape while the cool spicular material falls back.