Magnetic field amplification and structure formation by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

¹ Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
e-mail: beatriceannemone.popescubraileanu@kuleuven.be
² Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
³ Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
⁴ National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA 22306, USA

Received: 23 December 2021
Accepted: 15 December 2022

Abstract

We report our results from a set of high-resolution, two-fluid, non-linear simulations of the magnetized Rayleigh Taylor instability (RTI) at the interface between a solar prominence and the corona. These data follow results reported earlier on linear and early non-linear RTI dynamics in this environment. This paper is focused on the generation and amplification of magnetic structures by RTI. The simulations use a two-fluid model that includes collisions between neutrals and charges, including ionization and recombination, energy and momentum transfer, and frictional heating. The 2.5D magnetized RTI simulations demonstrate that in a fully developed state of RTI, a large fraction of the gravitational energy of a prominence thread can be converted into quasi-turbulent energy of the magnetic field. The RTI magnetic energy generation is further accompanied by magnetic and plasma density structure formation, including dynamic formation, break-up, and merging of current sheets and plasmoid sub-structures. The flow decoupling between neutrals and charges, as well as ionization and recombination reactions, are shown to have significant impact on the structure formation in a magnetized RTI.