Twin Extreme Ultraviolet Waves in the Solar Corona

Abstract

Abstract Solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) waves are spectacular propagating disturbances with EUV enhancements in annular shapes in the solar corona. These EUV waves carry critical information about the coronal magnetized plasma that can shed light on the elusive physical parameters (e.g., the magnetic field strength) by global solar coronal magnetoseismology. EUV waves are closely associated with a wide range of solar atmospheric eruptions, from violent flares and coronal mass ejections to less energetic plasma jets or mini-filament eruptions. However, the physical nature and driving mechanism of EUV waves are still controversial. Here, we report the unique discovery of twin EUV waves (TEWs) that were formed in a single eruption with observations from two different perspectives. In all earlier studies, a single eruption was associated at most with a single EUV wave. The newly found TEWs urge us to revisit our theoretical understanding of the underlying formation mechanism(s) of coronal EUV waves. Two distinct scenarios of TEWs were found. In the first scenario, the two waves were separately associated with a filament eruption and a precursor jet, while in another scenario, the two waves were successively associated with a filament eruption. Hence, we label these distinguished scenarios as “fraternal TEWs” and “identical TEWs,” respectively. Further, we also suggest that impulsive lateral expansions of two distinct groups of coronal loops are critical to the formation of TEWs in a single eruption.