Waves and Instabilities in the Solar Atmosphere (WISA)

Kink instability of partially ionized plasma jets in the solar atmosphere

Not scheduled

2m

Aula Gratton (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma)

Poster Contribution

Speaker

Dr Sergo Lomineishvili (Astronomical Institute Slovak Academy of Sciencies)

Description

We analyze the stability of chromospheric jets by investigating the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) in partially ionized plasma. Emphasizing the role of ambipolar diffusion, we explore how stability varies with the degree of ionization and compute KHI growth times for various conditions. A magnetic slab model with linear perturbation theory for incompressible, single-fluid MHD is used to derive a general dispersion equation for non-aligned jets. Partial ionization effects are incorporated through the generalized Ohm’s law, introducing ambipolar diffusion via Cowling conductivity. Since ambipolar diffusion is considered only within the jet, the continuity condition for the tangential electric field is omitted, while pressure continuity is modified. Analytical solutions reveal that chromospheric jets can become KH unstable even below the classical velocity threshold when ambipolar diffusion is included.