Damping of coronal oscillations in self-consistent 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the solar atmosphere

Abstract

Context. Oscillations are abundant in the solar corona. Coronal loop oscillations are typically studied using highly idealised models of magnetic flux tubes. In order to improve our understanding of coronal oscillations, it is necessary to consider the effect of a realistic magnetic field topology and the density structuring. Aims. We analyse the damping of coronal oscillations using a self-consistent 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulation of the solar atmosphere spanning from the convection zone into the corona, the associated oscillation dissipation and heating, and finally, the physical processes that cause the damping and dissipation. The simulated corona that forms in this model does not depend on any prior assumptions about the shape of the coronal loops. Methods. We analysed the evolution of a bundle of magnetic loops by tracing the magnetic field. Results. We find that the bundle of magnetic loops shows damped transverse oscillations in response to perturbations in two separate instances, with oscillation periods of 177 s and 191 s, velocity amplitudes of 10 km s−1 and 16 km s−1, and damping times of 176 s and 198 s. The coronal oscillations lead to the development of velocity shear in the simulated corona, which results in the formation of vortices seen in the velocity field that are caused by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This contributes to the damping and dissipation of the transverse oscillations. Conclusions. The oscillation parameters and evolution we observed are in line with the values that are typically seen in observations of coronal loop oscillations. The dynamic evolution of the coronal loop bundle suggests that the models of monolithic and static coronal loops with constant lengths might need to be re-evaluated by relaxing the assumption of highly idealised wave guides.