SUNSPOT ROTATION, SIGMOIDAL FILAMENT, FLARE, AND CORONAL MASS EJECTION: THE EVENT ON 2000 FEBRUARY 10

Abstract

We find that a sunspot with positive polarity had an obvious counterclockwise rotation and resulted in the formation and eruption of an inverse S-shaped filament in NOAA Active Region 08858 from 2000 February 9 to 10. The sunspot had two umbrae which rotated around each other by 195° within about 24 hr. The average rotation rate was nearly 8° hr−1. The fastest rotation in the photosphere took place during 14:00 UT to 22:01 UT on February 9, with a rotation rate of nearly 16° hr−1. The fastest rotation in the chromosphere and the corona took place during 15:28 UT to 19:00 UT on February 9, with a rotation rate of nearly 20° hr−1. Interestingly, the rapid increase of the positive magnetic flux occurred only during the fastest rotation of the rotating sunspot, the bright loop-shaped structure, and the filament. During the sunspot rotation, the inverse S-shaped filament gradually formed in the EUV filament channel. The filament experienced two eruptions. In the first eruption, the filament rose quickly and then the filament loops carrying the cool and the hot material were seen to spiral counterclockwise into the sunspot. About 10 minutes later, the filament became active and finally erupted. The filament eruption was accompanied with a C-class flare and a halo coronal mass ejection. These results provide evidence that sunspot rotation plays an important role in the formation and eruption of the sigmoidal active-region filament.