Topological Evolution of an Unwinding Blowout Jet

Abstract We investigate the topological evolution of coronal jet containing a sigmoid-like flux rope using a nonlinear force-free field model obtained with the flux-rope insertion method and magnetofrictional relaxation. We examine the topological evolution predicted by the unstable model with respect to observations from Solar Dynamic Observatory’s Atmospheric Imaging Array. We also calculate the squeezing factor, an approximation for sharp discontinuities in the magnetic field, and the coiling rate, an approximation for the amount of twist in the field. We identify at least two topological features where magnetic reconnection is likely taking place: an internal anemone-like region, near the filament, and an external region between the closed dome of the coronal jet and the ambient field. We also find evidence of reconnection below the filament, but it is not clear if the two inner regions are the same. We find that the internal region inflates the jet dome into the external region, which in turn initiates the fast eruption, allowing the inner region to unwind and the filament to escape. Finally, we examine the thermal evolution of the jet and trace the regions of enhanced emission-measure-weighted temperature (T EM) to the location of the expected reconnection regions. We find that magnetic field lines associated with the internal reconnection region are tied to increased T EM and emission in extreme-UV observations, indicative of heating. We identify this eruption as an untwisting jet, where unwinding magnetic field lines impart energy along the magnetic field forming the observed features of the coronal jet.