Connectivity rewiring and filament formation by active region emergence observed with Solar Orbiter
Abstract
Using an 11-day dataset from Solar Orbiter, combining EUV imaging, Hα observations, vector magnetograms and nonlinear force-free field extrapolations, we track the evolution from the emergence of a new active region to the reconfiguration of coronal connectivity. We find that the restructuring proceeds through a sequence of localized reconnection events that propagate along the filament channel, producing successive brightenings and bidirectional flows. This process leads to the gradual erosion of the original filament and the simultaneous formation of a new, highly sheared filament connecting the two regions. Magnetic modeling reveals a transition from a sheared arcade supporting the initial filament to a twisted flux rope underlying the newly formed structure. Our results demonstrate that flux emergence can reorganize filament channels through a spatially and temporally ordered sequence of reconnection events, rather than a single impulsive episode. This sequential reconnection front provides a natural mechanism for filament formation in evolving active regions and highlights the importance of continuously changing magnetic connectivity in the corona.
Related
- Supersonic flows observed by THEMIS related to a coronal bright point and filament
- Triple coronal hard X-ray source observed by STIX during a failed filament eruption
- Gravity-driven Emergence of Multi-fractal Density Structure in the Orion A Integral Shaped Filament
- Episodic Plasma Flows and Coronal Brightenings in an Arch Filament System Observed with SUNRISE III
- The WEFT project: I. The emergence of turbulence in a cosmic filament
BibTeX
@misc{li2026connectivity,
title = {{Connectivity rewiring and filament formation by active region emergence observed with Solar Orbiter}},
author = {Xiaohong Li and Sami K. Solanki and Thomas Wiegelmann and Gherardo Valori and Daniele Calchetti and Johann Hirzberger and Clara Froment and Henrik Eklund and Nicolas Poirier and Luc Rouppe van der Voort and Elias R. Udnæs and Joachim Woch and Achim Gandorfer},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.35677},
eprint = {2610.35677},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.35677},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Connectivity rewiring and filament formation by active region emergence observed with Solar Orbiter
AU - Xiaohong Li
AU - Sami K. Solanki
AU - Thomas Wiegelmann
AU - Gherardo Valori
AU - Daniele Calchetti
AU - Johann Hirzberger
AU - Clara Froment
AU - Henrik Eklund
AU - Nicolas Poirier
AU - Luc Rouppe van der Voort
AU - Elias R. Udnæs
AU - Joachim Woch
AU - Achim Gandorfer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.35677
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.35677
AB - Using an 11-day dataset from Solar Orbiter, combining EUV imaging, Hα observations, vector magnetograms and nonlinear force-free field extrapolations, we track the evolution from the emergence of a new active region to the reconfiguration of coronal connectivity. We find that the restructuring proceeds through a sequence of localized reconnection events that propagate along the filament channel, producing successive brightenings and bidirectional flows. This process leads to the gradual erosion of the original filament and the simultaneous formation of a new, highly sheared filament connecting the two regions. Magnetic modeling reveals a transition from a sheared arcade supporting the initial filament to a twisted flux rope underlying the newly formed structure. Our results demonstrate that flux emergence can reorganize filament channels through a spatially and temporally ordered sequence of reconnection events, rather than a single impulsive episode. This sequential reconnection front provides a natural mechanism for filament formation in evolving active regions and highlights the importance of continuously changing magnetic connectivity in the corona.
ER -