Jets, Coronal “Puffs,” and a Slow Coronal Mass Ejection Caused by an Opposite-polarity Region within an Active Region Footpoint

During a period of three days beginning 2013 January 17, twelve recurrent reconnection events occur within a small region of opposing flux embedded within one footpoint of an active region, accompanied by flares and jets observed in EUV and fast and faint structureless “puffs” observed by coronagraphs. During the same period a slow structured CME gradually erupts, with one end anchored close to, or within, the jetting region. Four of the jet events occur in pairs—a narrow, primary jet followed within a few tens of minutes by a wider, more massive, jet. All the jets are slow, with an apparent speed of ∼100 km s‑1. The speed of the wide puffs in the coronagraph data is ∼300 km s‑1, and the timing of their appearance rules out a direct association with the EUV jetting material. The jet material propagates along large-scale closed-field loops and does not escape to the extended corona. The rapid reconfiguration of the closed loops following reconnection causes an outwardly propagating disturbance, or wave front, which manifests as puffs in coronagraph data. Furthermore, the newly expanded closed flux tube forms a pressure imbalance, which can result in a secondary jet. The reconnection events, through recurrent field reconfiguration, also leads to the gradual eruption of the structured flux tube appearing as the slow CME. Faint propagating coronal disturbances resulting from flares/jets may be common, but are usually obscured by associated ejections. Occasionally, the associated material ejections are absent, and coronal puffs may be clearly observed.