P. Nenovski et al., On a mechanism of intensification of field-aligned currents at the solar chromosphere-quiescent prominence boundaries, ASTRON ASTR, 375(3), 2001, pp. 1065-1074
Field-aligned electric currents (FAC) are assumed to support various promin
ence configurations and it is usually supposed that the quiescent prominenc
e (QP) destabilisation can be initiated by some plasma instability. In this
work we study another possibility of QP destabilisation connected with FAC
changes. Such a destabilisation may occur when FAC owing along a loop-shap
ed QP structure are intensified by bouncing surface MHD modes, presumably g
enerated by motions in the photosphere under, or adjacent to, the QP. The M
HD disturbances at the prominence "feet" propagate upwards as Alfven waves
and surface modes. We study the possibility that the generated MHD modes, w
hich carry FAC, bounce in the loop-shaped QP structure, provided that they
undergo multiple reflection at the prominence feet. This is an interesting
physical situation leading to intensification of FAC and promising to be an
other source of QP destabilisation.