Magneto-acoustic oscillations observed in a solar plage region

Abstract

Abstract We gave an extensive study for the quasi-periodic perturbations on the time profiles of the line of sight (LOS) magnetic field in 10 × 10 sub-areas in a solar plage region (corresponds to a facula on the photosphere). The perturbations are found to be associated with the enhancement of He I 10830 Å absorption in a moss region, which is connected to loops with million-degree plasma. FFT analysis to the perturbations gives a kind of spectrum similar to that of Doppler velocity: a number of discrete periods around 5 minutes. The amplitudes of the magnetic perturbations are found to be proportional to magnetic field strength over these sub-areas. In addition, magnetic perturbations lag behind a quarter of the cycle in the phase with respect to the p-mode Doppler velocity. We show that the relationships can be well explained with an MHD solution for the magneto-acoustic oscillations in high-β plasma. Observational analysis also shows that, for the two regions with the stronger and weaker magnetic field, the perturbations are always anti-phased. All findings show that the magnetic perturbations are actually magneto-acoustic oscillations on the solar surface, the photosphere, powered by p-mode oscillations. The findings may provide a new diagnostic tool for exploring the relationship between magneto-acoustic oscillations and the heating of the solar upper atmosphere, as well as their role in helioseismology.