High-resolution Chromospheric Observations of a Solar Minifilament: Formation and Destabilization

Abstract

Abstract Using H α line core and off-band imaging data from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope in China, we present a high-resolution observation on the entire life cycle of a solar minifilament from its birth to its final eruption. We find that the minifilament originates from a series of cascade-like reconfigurations of chromospheric fine structures. During which, owing to strong photospheric shearing and converging flows near its polarity inversion line, basic short chromospheric fibrils first slowly coalesce to elongated dark threads, and then further create a longer filament channel in a “head-to-tail” linkage scenario. In this course, obvious magnetic flux cancelation simultaneously proceeds below it, and further facilitates its destabilization. In its onset phase, clear clues indicate that the minifilament first starts to rise without brightening signals; instead, after a slow-to-fast acceleration, obvious runaway reconnection soon takes over its final jet-like eruption. Besides, off-band observations further reveal that the formed minifilament has a possible flux-rope configuration, and chromospheric upflows that detected in its early forming phase persistently supplies cool plasma into its channel. This observation is consistent with earlier observations and supports the view that both miniature and large-scale filaments may share analogous formation and destabilization mechanisms.