Predicting relationships between solar jet variables
Studies of spicules and similar solar jets reveal a strong correlation between some of the kinematic variables, particularly between the initial velocity V, and the subsequent deceleration, a. It has been proposed that there is a linear relationship between these two variables and that this offers proof for a shock wave mechanism acting on the spicules, although the linear equations found are all different. It is shown here that the relationship is better described by a non-linear form: V is proportional to the square root of a. This relationship between V and a also provides a simple physical interpretation for the results. The different linear equations are found to be simply tangents to this (a,V) curve. Another method used to investigate the (a,V) connection is to determine the correlation coefficients between the kinematic variables from their scatter plots . It is also shown how these correlations also can be predicted from the mean value of the acceleration and height and their standard deviations for the sample under consideration. The implications of these results and the possibility that spicule behaviour is partly due to magnetic fields are discussed.