Recurrent coronal jets and QPPs: periodic reconnection and localized heating across quiet Sun to active regions

Abstract

Abstract We analyse quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in recurrent coronal jets driven by periodic magnetic reconnection associated with successive flux emergence in fan-spine magnetic topologies. Using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we investigate three long-lived recurring jets spanning quiet Sun to moderate-field-strength regions, each exhibiting recurrent eruptions linked to episodic reconnection. Wavelet analysis of multi-thermal AIA extreme UV (EUV) jet-base light curves detects QPPs with periods of 6–13 minutes, exceeding typical p-mode oscillation periods. Distance–time analysis reveals quasi-periodic propagating ridges, interpreted as recurrent field-aligned plasma ejections and morphological similarity to slow magnetoacoustic waves, which cannot be entirely excluded. However, the dominant photospheric unsigned flux periodicities of 10–32 minutes at the jet source regions favour the reconnection-driven interpretation. Differential emission measure (DEM) analysis confirms multi-thermal plasma with the hottest emission concentrated near the jet base, and the QPP periods fall well below both radiative and conductive cooling time scales, implying persistent localized heating within the fan-spine configuration. These results demonstrate that periodic reconnection in fan-spine topologies drives recurrent jet eruptions and contributes to localized coronal heating across quiet Sun, moderate-field-strength regions and active regions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Transferable mechanisms in the oscillatory processes of solar and stellar flares’.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2026 · DOI ↗