The launch of the Hinode satellite has allowed for seeing-free observations at high-resolution and high-cadence making it well suited to study the dynamics of quiescent prominences .
In recent years it has become clear that quiescent prominences support small-amplitude transverse oscillations , however , sample sizes are usually too small for general conclusions to be drawn .
We remedy this by providing a statistical study of transverse oscillations in vertical prominence threads .
Over a three-hour period of observations it was possible to measure the properties of 3436 waves , finding periods from 50–6000 s with typical velocity amplitudes ranging between 0.2-23 km s ^ { -1 } .
The large number of observed waves allows the determination of the frequency dependence of the wave properties and derivation of the velocity power spectrum for the transverse waves .
For frequencies less than 7 mHz , the frequency-dependence of the velocity power is consistent with the velocity power spectra generated from observations of the horizontal motions of magnetic elements in the photosphere , suggesting that the prominence transverse waves are driven by photospheric motions .
However , at higher frequencies the two distributions significantly diverge , with relatively more power found at higher frequencies in the prominence oscillations .
These results highlight that waves over a large frequency range are ubiquitous in prominences , and that a significant amount of the wave energy is found at higher frequency .