LAUSR

Solar Physics![Figure][1] Small jets, or spicules, in the solar atmosphere PHOTO: SST/ROYAL SWEDISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES/LMSAL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Spicules are small jets lasting a few minutes that form in the solar atmosphere and propel hot plasma upward from the visible surface. The underlying physics of spicules is not well understood. Martinez-Sykora et al. developed radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations that can spontaneously produce numerous spicules with properties that match observations. Interactions between large-scale magnetic fields and the plasma, such as ambipolar diffusion, drive the formation process and subsequent evolution. Understanding how spicules form will help assess how much they heat the solar corona and how they relate to other solar phenomena. Science , this issue p. [1269][2] [1]: pending:yes [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aah5412