Oscillation of a Small Hα Surge in a Solar Polar Coronal Hole

Abstract

H α surges (i.e., cool/dense collimated plasma ejections) may act as a guide for a propagation of magnetohydrodynamic waves. We report a high-resolution observation of a surge observed with 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope (GST) on 2009 August 26, from 18:20 UT to 18:45 UT. Characteristics of plasma motions in the surge are determined with the normalizing radial gradient filter and the Fourier motion filter. The shape of the surge is found to change from a “C” shape to an inverse “C” shape after a formation of a cusp, a signature of reconnection. There are apparent upflows seen above the cusp top and downflows below it. The upflows show rising and rotational motions in the right-hand direction, with the rotational speed decreasing with height. Near the cusp top, we find a transverse oscillation of the surge, with the period of ∼2 minutes. There is no change of the oscillation phase below the cusp top, but above the top a phase change is identified, giving a vertical phase speed about 86 km s −1 . As the height increases, the initial amplitude of the oscillation increases, and the oscillation damping time decreases from 5.13 to 1.18 minutes. We conclude that the oscillation is a propagating kink wave that is possibly excited by the repetitive spontaneous magnetic reconnection.