  High-resolution observations with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) and
the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) reveal rotating magnetic field structures
that extend from the solar surface into the chromosphere and the corona. These
so-called magnetic tornadoes are primarily detected as rings or spirals of
rotating plasma in the Ca II 854.2 nm line core (also known as chromospheric
swirls). Detailed numerical simulations show that the observed chromospheric
plasma motion is caused by the rotation of magnetic field structures, which
again are driven by photospheric vortex flows at their footpoints. Under the
right conditions, two vortex flow systems are stacked on top of each other. We
refer to the lower vortex, which extends from the low photosphere into the
convection zone, as intergranular vortex flow (IVF). Once a magnetic field
structure is co-located with an IVF, the rotation is mediated into the upper
atmospheric layers and an atmospheric vortex flow (AVF, or magnetic tornado) is
generated. In contrast to the recent work by Shelyag et al., we demonstrate
that particle trajectories in a simulated magnetic tornado indeed follow
spirals and argue that the properties of the trajectories decisively depend on
the location in the atmosphere and the strength of the magnetic field.
