REVIEW 3 major objections 6 minor 41 references
Reconnection nanojets in an erupting solar filament with unprecedented high speeds
T0 review · 3 major / 6 minor · reviewed 2026-08-16 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read Using 2-second extreme-ultraviolet images, this paper reports 27 nanojets in an erupting filament with speeds up to about 800 km/s, the fastest ever seen for small-scale solar jets.
desk verdict Novel EUI nanojet speeds are real enough to warrant review, but the paper must rule out untwisting-induced apparent motions before the 'unprecedented' claim can stand. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The load-bearing measurement is the time–distance map: a slit drawn along each jet's ejection direction in the EUI 174 Å images, with the slope of the bright front's trajectory giving the plane-of-sky speed. The interpretation rests on component reconnection, the slingshot mechanism in which two magnetic field lines with a small misalignment angle reconnect and eject plasma perpendicular to the field; the simulations cited in the paper predict exactly such collimated ejections. Supporting steps include Gaussian fits to intensity profiles for jet width, an assumed coronal electron density of $10^9\ \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ to convert volumes into kinetic energies, and an estimate of motion blur over the 1.65 s exposure. The untwisting filament threads are presented as the source of the misalignment angles.
What would settle it
A decisive test would be a coordinated observation of the same erupting filament from a second high-resolution EUV viewpoint, reconstructing the three-dimensional motion of one of the tracked fronts to check whether its true velocity is a radial ejection near 800 km/s. Failing that, a calculation of the apparent speed produced by the filament's untwisting, using the observed rotation and geometry, could show whether the time–distance slopes are compatible with pattern motion alone; if they are, the nanojet speeds would be overestimated.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
During the untwisting of a filament in an active region on 2024 September 30, the authors identify 27 jet-like features oriented roughly perpendicular to the filament's spine. Tracking bright fronts in EUI 174 Å time–distance maps gives plane-of-sky speeds from 128 to 770 km/s, with the fastest event lasting about 28 seconds, spanning about 6.6 Mm in length and 0.7 Mm in width. They classify these as component-reconnection nanojets because their morphology matches previously reported nanojets, their estimated energies ($10^{22}$–$10^{25}$ erg) fall in the nanoflare range, and the untwisting of the filament is argued to create the misalignment angles that trigger component reconnection. The central claim is that these are genuine nanojets whose speeds, up to roughly 800 km/s, are comparable to the coronal Alfvén speed and far above the 50–300 km/s span of earlier nanojet studies; the paper is explicit that, without multi-viewpoint observations, all measured speeds are lower limits.
Load-bearing premise
The claim assumes that the fast-moving bright fronts seen in the EUI images are real plasma ejections moving across the sky, not an apparent pattern caused by the filament's untwisting, projection of its three-dimensional shape, or a traveling heating wave; the paper lacks simultaneous multi-viewpoint observations to rule out those alternatives.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- Component reconnection can produce sub-Mm plasma ejections at speeds near the coronal Alfvén speed, so nanoflare-type energy release in dynamic coronal environments can be far faster than earlier surveys suggested.
- Because the measured speeds are plane-of-sky values and the fastest event is $\sim$800 km/s, the true speeds are at least as high as reported, and could be higher.
- The short lifetimes (mostly under 10 s) imply that cadences longer than about 4 s will miss many of the fastest nanojets; 2 s cadence or faster is needed to sample the population.
- The estimated kinetic energies, $10^{22}$–$10^{25}$ erg, remain in the nanoflare range even though these jets are smaller than previously studied ones, supporting the nanoflare contribution to coronal heating.
Reading between the lines
- If the 800 km/s speed is confirmed, models of nanoflare heating should consider energy release rate, not just total energy: faster ejections imply a larger fraction of stored magnetic energy is converted into motion in a few seconds.
- A direct test is to run MHD simulations of an untwisting flux rope and synthesize EUI images; if the synthetic time–distance maps reproduce similar 770 km/s slopes without real plasma ejections, the apparent-motion alternative becomes serious.
- Another test is to search the short-exposure flare images from the EUI campaign for even shorter-lived nanojets; their absence at 0.04 s exposures would suggest the 2 s events are partly motion-blurred.
- If real, these fast nanojets could power small-scale wave or shock signatures in the corona, observable as Doppler shifts or intensity disturbances in coordinated spectroscopic data.
Signed reviews
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper reports Solar Orbiter/EUI 174 Å observations of 27 small-scale jet-like events ('nanojets') in an erupting filament on 2024 September 30. Speeds are measured from time–distance maps and, for the shortest events, by manual front tracking between adjacent frames; the reported range is 128–770 km s⁻¹, with the fastest event (No. 13) described as approximately 800 km s⁻¹ in the abstract. The authors interpret the features as component-reconnection outflows perpendicular to the untwisting filament threads, estimate kinetic and thermal energies of 10²²–10²⁵ erg using assumed density and temperature, and claim these are the highest speeds ever reported for sub-Mm solar jets. The paper explicitly acknowledges that the speeds are plane-of-sky lower limits and that density and temperature are assumed rather than measured.
Significance. If the interpretation is correct, the result is significant: it would demonstrate that component magnetic reconnection can drive sub-Mm plasma ejections at speeds comparable to the coronal Alfvén speed, with direct implications for nanoflare heating and reconnection physics. The use of 2 s cadence EUI data is a genuine observational advance, and the paper is honest about projection effects, dynamic blurring, and assumed plasma parameters. The slope-based measurement for the longest event (Table 1, No. 13, Figure 2) is straightforward, and the table of all 27 events is useful. However, the central 'unprecedented speeds' claim rests on the assumption that the tracked bright fronts are bulk plasma ejections rather than apparent pattern motion from the untwisting filament; this assumption is neither quantitatively tested nor excluded. The lack of error bars on the catalog further weakens the quantitative comparison with previous work.
major comments (3)
- [Section 3, Figure 2, Table 1] The central speed claim is not uniquely established because the tracked bright fronts may be apparent pattern motion from the untwisting filament rather than bulk plasma ejections. The time–distance map in Figure 2b shows the untwisting motion, and the paper does not measure the angular velocity ω of the untwisting or test whether the observed speeds are consistent with v = ωr for threads at distance r from the filament axis. For event No. 13, v = 770 km s⁻¹ at r ≈ 5 Mm would require ω ≈ 0.15 rad s⁻¹ (a full revolution in ~40 s), which the paper does not argue to be impossible. With a single EUI viewpoint and no simultaneous spectroscopy or stereoscopy, a propagating heating/compression front or a rotating-thread pattern cannot be excluded. I request either a quantitative exclusion of this alternative (for example, by measuring ω from the time–distance data and checking the predicted scaling of speed with r, or by comparing the intensity evolution of the fronts with a pure pattern-motion prediction) or a substantial softening of the 'highest speeds ever reported' claim.
- [Table 1 and Section 3] The catalog lacks error bars, and for the 18 events with durations of 2–4 s (i.e., one or two frames at the 2 s cadence) the speeds are estimated by manual front tracking between adjacent frames, as stated in Section 3. With a pixel size of 0.105 Mm and a 2 s cadence, a one-pixel displacement error corresponds to about 50 km s⁻¹, and the systematic uncertainty from ambiguous front identification is likely larger; the 1.65 s exposure time further smears the front position. The paper should provide uncertainty estimates for each speed, or at least for the highest-speed events, and discuss how the exposure time affects the measured front positions. Without this, the statement that 22 out of 27 events exceed 300 km s⁻¹ is not quantitatively supported.
- [Section 3, Eq. (1)] The kinetic and thermal energy estimates rest on assumed values of the electron density n_e = 10⁹ cm⁻³ and temperature T = 2 MK, and the derived magnetic field B ≈ 20 G follows directly from equating the total estimated energy to B²V/8π. The authors themselves note that dynamic blurring may make the apparent length (and hence volume and energy) too large by a factor of about two, so the energy values in Table 1 should be presented as order-of-magnitude illustrations rather than as measured quantities. This does not affect the speed measurement itself, but it weakens the nanoflare-classification argument if a reader relies on the stated energies and the derived field strength.
minor comments (6)
- [Introduction] The sentence 'Detection and investigation of nanojets are are hampered' contains a duplicated 'are'.
- [Section 2] The sentence 'using SkyCoord.transform to from the astropy.coordinates module' contains a stray 'to'.
- [Section 4] The word 'Previouly' should be 'Previously'.
- [Figure 4] The horizontal axis of the speed panel appears to read 'peed( m s)' and should be 'Speed (km s⁻¹)'.
- [References] The in-text citation 'Ryan et al. 2025, submitted' does not appear in the reference list; a full citation or a note on its status is needed.
- [Table 1] Several numerical entries contain spurious spaces (e.g., '9 .23 × 1022'); the table formatting should be cleaned for publication.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity: the reported speeds are measured from time-distance slopes, and no fitted parameter or self-citation chain forces the central claim.
full rationale
The paper's central claim is an observational measurement: nanojet speeds are derived from the slopes of bright fronts in time-distance maps (Section 3, Figure 2c), with values such as 770 km/s read directly from the trajectory slope. No parameter is fitted to the speed data, and no equation defines the speed in terms of the conclusion. The kinetic and thermal energy estimates use assumed density and temperature, but these assumptions do not feed back into the speed measurements; the derived magnetic field strength (Equation 1) is an output, not an input to the speed claim. Self-citations to prior work by the same group appear only as contextual comparisons of typical nanojet speeds, sizes, and detection cadences, and the interpretation of the events as component-reconnection nanojets is supported by external simulations and observations (e.g., Antolin et al. 2021; Pagano et al. 2021), not by a self-citation that imports the conclusion. The skeptic's concern that apparent motions from filament untwisting could mimic the speeds is a validity or interpretation risk, but it is not a circularity: the paper never assumes the untwisting rate to compute the speeds, nor does it define the jets in terms of the measured velocities. Under the stated criteria requiring an exhibited reduction of a derived result to its inputs, no circular step is present.
Assumptions & free parameters
free parameters (2)
- assumed electron density n_e =
1e9 cm^-3
- assumed jet temperature T =
2 MK
assumptions (4)
- domain assumption Tracked bright fronts in the EUI 174A time-distance maps are bulk plasma ejections perpendicular to reconnecting magnetic field lines, not apparent pattern motion from untwisting, projection, or a propagating heating front.
- domain assumption The EUI 174A passband emission traces coronal plasma at about log(T/K)=6, so the features are real coronal density or temperature enhancements.
- domain assumption Each jet is a cylinder of length L and radius d/2 for volume and energy estimates.
- standard math The released magnetic energy satisfies Em = Ek + Et = (B^2/8 pi) V.
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of Reconnection nanojets in an erupting solar filament with unprecedented high speeds." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/XS4DV3CC
@misc{pith2026250420663,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: Reconnection nanojets in an erupting solar filament with unprecedented high speeds},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/XS4DV3CC}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2504.20663}
}
abstract
Solar nanojets are small-scale jets generated by component magnetic reconnection, characterized by collimated plasma motion perpendicular to the reconnecting magnetic field lines. As an indicator of nanoflare events, they are believed to play a significant role in coronal heating. Using high-resolution extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) imaging observations from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard the Solar Orbiter mission, we identified 27 nanojets in an erupting filament on September 30, 2024. They are potentially associated with the untwisting of magnetic field lines of the filament. Most nanojets exhibit velocities around 450 km s$^{-1}$, with the fastest reaching approximately 800 km s$^{-1}$, significantly higher than previously reported but comparable to the typical coronal Alfv\'en speed. To our knowledge, these are the highest speeds ever reported for small-scale jets (less than ~1 Mm wide) in the solar atmosphere. Our findings suggest that these nanoflare-type phenomena can be more dynamic than previously recognized and may contribute to the energy release process of solar eruptions and the heating of coronal active regions.
Figures
Figures from the paper (1 more)
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
Anfinogentov, S. A., & Nakariakov, V. M. 2019, ApJL, 884, L40, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab4792
-
[2]
Fleishman, G. D. 2019, ApJL, 880, L29, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab3042
-
[3]
2021, Nature Astronomy, 5, 54, doi: 10.1038/s41550-020-1199-8
Antolin, P., Pagano, P., Testa, P., Petralia, A., & Reale, F. 2021, Nature Astronomy, 5, 54, doi: 10.1038/s41550-020-1199-8
-
[4]
Berghmans, D., Auch` ere, F., Long, D. M., et al. 2021, A&A, 656, L4, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140380
-
[5]
2020, ApJ, 899, 19, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab9cad
Chen, H., Zhang, J., De Pontieu, B., et al. 2020, ApJ, 899, 19, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab9cad
-
[6]
2017, ApJL, 841, L13, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa71a2
Chen, H., Zhang, J., Ma, S., Yan, X., & Xue, J. 2017, ApJL, 841, L13, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa71a2
-
[7]
2022, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 8, 238, doi: 10.3389/fspas.2021.786856
Chen, J., Erd´ elyi, R., Liu, J., et al. 2022, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 8, 238, doi: 10.3389/fspas.2021.786856
-
[8]
2021, A&A, 656, L7, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140638
Chen, Y., Przybylski, D., Peter, H., et al. 2021, A&A, 656, L7, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140638
Show all 41 references
-
[9]
P., Peter, H., Parenti, S., et al
Chitta, L. P., Peter, H., Parenti, S., et al. 2022, A&A, 667, A166, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244170
2022 doi
-
[10]
P., Zhukov, A
Chitta, L. P., Zhukov, A. N., Berghmans, D., et al. 2023, Science, 381, 867, doi: 10.1126/science.ade5801
2023 doi
-
[11]
P., Pontin, D
Chitta, L. P., Pontin, D. I., Priest, E. R., et al. 2025, arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2503.12235, doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2503.12235
2025 doi
-
[12]
W., Golub, L., Lundquist, L., et al
Cirtain, J. W., Golub, L., Lundquist, L., et al. 2007, Science, 318, 1580, doi: 10.1126/science.1147050
2007 doi
-
[13]
W., Golub, L., Winebarger, A
Cirtain, J. W., Golub, L., Winebarger, A. R., et al. 2013, Nature, 493, 501, doi: 10.1038/nature11772
2013 doi
-
[14]
2025, arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2502.01796, doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2502.01796 De Pontieu, B., Title, A
Cozzo, G., Pagano, P., Reale, F., et al. 2025, arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2502.01796, doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2502.01796 De Pontieu, B., Title, A. M., Lemen, J. R., et al. 2014, SoPh, 289, 2733, doi: 10.1007/s11207-014-0485-y
-
[15]
2021, ApJL, 918, L20, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac1f30
Hou, Z., Tian, H., Berghmans, D., et al. 2021, ApJL, 918, L20, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac1f30
2021 doi
-
[16]
S., et al
Hou, Z., Tian, H., Madjarska, M. S., et al. 2024, A&A, 687, A190, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449765
2024 doi
- [17]
-
[18]
2023, SolO/EUI Data Release 6.0 2023-01, https://doi.org/10.24414/z818-4163
Kraaikamp, E., Gissot, S., Stegen, K., et al. 2023, SolO/EUI Data Release 6.0 2023-01, https://doi.org/10.24414/z818-4163
2023 doi
-
[19]
R., Title, A
Lemen, J. R., Title, A. M., Akin, D. J., et al. 2012, SoPh, 275, 17, doi: 10.1007/s11207-011-9776-8
2012 doi
-
[20]
2018, Scientific Reports, 8, 8136, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26581-4
Li, X., Zhang, J., Yang, S., Hou, Y., & Erd´ elyi, R. 2018, Scientific Reports, 8, 8136, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26581-4
2018 doi
-
[21]
2016, ApJ, 833, 150, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/833/2/150 M¨ uller, D., St
Liu, J., Wang, Y., Erd´ elyi, R., et al. 2016, ApJ, 833, 150, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/833/2/150 M¨ uller, D., St. Cyr, O. C., Zouganelis, I., et al. 2020, A&A, 642, A1, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202038467
2016 doi
-
[22]
2024, A&A, 688, A127, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348074
Musset, S., Jol, P., Sankar, R., et al. 2024, A&A, 688, A127, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348074
2024 doi
-
[23]
A., & Lin, J
Ni, L., Zhang, Q.-M., Murphy, N. A., & Lin, J. 2017, ApJ, 841, 27, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa6ffe
2017 doi
-
[24]
2021, A&A, 656, A141, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202141030
Pagano, P., Antolin, P., & Petralia, A. 2021, A&A, 656, A141, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202141030
2021 doi
-
[25]
K., Hansteen, V
Panesar, N. K., Hansteen, V. H., Tiwari, S. K., et al. 2023, ApJ, 943, 24, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aca1c1
2023 doi
-
[26]
K., Tiwari, S
Panesar, N. K., Tiwari, S. K., Berghmans, D., et al. 2021, ApJL, 921, L20, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac3007
2021 doi
-
[27]
K., Sterling, A
Panesar, N. K., Sterling, A. C., Moore, R. L., et al. 2019, ApJL, 887, L8, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab594a
2019 doi
-
[28]
Parker, E. N. 1988, ApJ, 330, 474, doi: 10.1086/166485
1988 doi
-
[29]
2022, ApJ, 938, 122, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac92e5
Patel, R., & Pant, V. 2022, ApJ, 938, 122, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac92e5
2022 doi
-
[30]
D., Thompson, B
Pesnell, W. D., Thompson, B. J., & Chamberlin, P. C. 2012, SoPh, 275, 3, doi: 10.1007/s11207-011-9841-3
2012 doi
-
[31]
I., & Hornig, G
Pontin, D. I., & Hornig, G. 2020, Living Reviews in Solar Physics, 17, 5, doi: 10.1007/s41116-020-00026-5
2020 doi
-
[32]
2014, Magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun, doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139020732
Priest, E. 2014, Magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun, doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139020732
2014 doi
-
[33]
A., Winebarger, A
Rachmeler, L. A., Winebarger, A. R., Savage, S. L., et al. 2019, SoPh, 294, 174, doi: 10.1007/s11207-019-1551-2
2019 doi
-
[34]
2020, A&A, 642, A8, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201936663
Rochus, P., Auch` ere, F., Berghmans, D., et al. 2020, A&A, 642, A8, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201936663
2020 doi
-
[35]
C., & Moore, R
Sterling, A. C., & Moore, R. L. 2020, ApJL, 896, L18, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab96be
2020 doi
-
[36]
Sukarmadji, A. R. C., & Antolin, P. 2024, ApJL, 961, L17, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad1402
2024 doi
-
[37]
Sukarmadji, A. R. C., Antolin, P., & McLaughlin, J. A. 2022, ApJ, 934, 190, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac7870
2022 doi
-
[38]
E., Cranmer, S
Tian, H., DeLuca, E. E., Cranmer, S. R., et al. 2014, Science, 346, 1255711, doi: 10.1126/science.1255711
2014 doi
-
[39]
K., Hansteen, V
Tiwari, S. K., Hansteen, V. H., De Pontieu, B., Panesar, N. K., & Berghmans, D. 2022, ApJ, 929, 103, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac5d46
2022 doi
-
[40]
K., Panesar, N
Tiwari, S. K., Panesar, N. K., Moore, R. L., et al. 2019, ApJ, 887, 56, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab54c1
2019 doi
-
[41]
M., & Ji, H
Zhang, Q. M., & Ji, H. S. 2014, A&A, 567, A11, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201423698
2014 doi
Reviewed August 16, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.