Observations indicating absence of braiding in loop strands of L2. (a) HRI_EUV image of L2; inset displays a uniform, single-peaked cross-sectional intensity profile (solid green curve) extracted along the dashed green line across L2. (b–d) A group of dim strands are observed running parallel to the adjacent bright strands on either side, with no evidence of entwined structures; note that the substructure of L2 is clearly resolved as a double-peaked profile in the cross-sectional intensity plots. (e–f) Apparent transition of group of dim strands in L2 becoming bright, yielding a uniform, single-peaked cross-sectional profile similar to that observed previously (a).