Letter to the Editor

Excitation of decay-less transverse oscillations of coronal loops by random motions

¹ Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, box 2400, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
e-mail: afa@iszf.irk.ru
² Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of SB RAS, Irkutsk, Russia
³ Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
⁴ St. Petersburg Branch, Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

Received: 25 November 2019
Accepted: 14 December 2019

Abstract

Context. The relatively large-amplitude decaying regime of transverse oscillations of coronal loops has been known for two decades and has been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic kink modes of cylindrical plasma waveguides. In this regime oscillations decay in several cycles. Recent observational analysis has revealed so-called decay-less, small-amplitude oscillations, in which a multi-harmonic structure has been detected. Several models have been proposed to explain these oscillations. In particular, decay-less oscillations have been described in terms of standing kink waves driven with continuous mono-periodic motions of loop footpoints, in terms of a simple oscillator model of forced oscillations due to harmonic external force, and as a self-oscillatory process due to the interaction of a loop with quasi-steady flows. However, an alternative mechanism is needed to explain the simultaneous excitation of several longitudinal harmonics of the oscillation.

Aims. We study the mechanism of random excitation of decay-less transverse oscillations of coronal loops.

Methods. With a spatially one-dimensional and time-dependent analytical model taking into account effects of the wave damping and kink speed variation along the loop, we considered transverse loop oscillations driven by random motions of footpoints. The footpoint motions were modelled by broad-band coloured noise.

Results. We found the excitation of loop eigenmodes and analysed their frequency ratios as well as the spatial structure of the oscillations along the loop. The obtained results successfully reproduce the observed properties of decay-less oscillations. In particular, excitation of eigenmodes of a loop as a resonator can explain the observed quasi-monochromatic nature of decay-less oscillations and the generation of multiple harmonics detected recently.

Conclusions. We propose a mechanism that can interpret decay-less transverse oscillations of coronal loops in terms of kink waves randomly driven at the loop footpoints.