The Properties of Solar Energetic Particle Event-Associated Coronal Mass Ejections Reported in Different CME Catalogs

Abstract

We compare estimates of the speed and width of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in several catalogs for the CMEs associated with ~200 solar energetic particle (SEP) events in 2006-2013 that included 25 MeV protons. The catalogs used are: CDAW, CACTUS, SEEDS and CORIMP, all derived from observations by the LASCO coronagraphs on the SOHO spacecraft, the CACTUS catalog derived from the COR2 coronagraphs on the STEREO-A and -B spacecraft, and the DONKI catalog, which uses observations from SOHO and the STEREO spacecraft. We illustrate how, for this set of events, CME parameters can differ considerably in each catalog. The well-known correlation between CME speed and proton event intensity is shown to be similar for most catalogs, but this is largely because it is determined by a few large particle events associated with fast CMEs, and small events associated with slow CMEs. Intermediate particle events "shuffle" in position when speeds from different catalogs are used. Quadrature spacecraft CME speeds do not improve the correlation. CME widths also vary widely between catalogs, and are influenced by plane of the sky projection and how the width is inferred from the coronagraph images. The high degree of association (~50%) between the 25 MeV proton events and "full halo" (360 deg.-width) CMEs as defined in the CDAW catalog is removed when other catalogs are considered. Using CME parameters from the quadrature spacecraft, the SEP intensity is correlated with CME width, which is also correlated with CME speed.