Description
We present a 2.5D AMRVAC simulation of the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability in an isolated flux tube embedded in the stratified lower solar atmosphere. The tube, denser than its surroundings, is connected to the photosphere via the magnetic field and represents a prominence within a magnetic arcade. Our study examines the plasma β parameter's role in shaping mushroom/bubble structures, with a focus on the 500 km–1 Mm region where vertical motion dominates in a predominantly horizontal field.
For Bx-dominated cases, the system mimics hydrodynamic instabilities, leading to diverse structures. Nonlinear magneto-convective motions develop, where hot, light vortices rise while cold, denser mushrooms fall and connect to the photosphere. Under specific conditions, flux tubes remain suspended or form detached prominences. Our results suggest that wave motions along field lines, induced by counter-rotating vortices, destabilize the structures, causing them to bow and lose verticality.
Keywords: Rayleigh-Taylor instability, MHD, Sun: photosphere, chromosphere, filaments.
