Variations in the relationship between coronal mass ejections and corresponding X-ray flares during the 11-year solar activity cycle

Abstract

The relationship between coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and corresponding X-ray flares was studied for the time interval covering cycle 23 and the beginning of cycle 24 (1996–2013). It is shown that the energy difference between CMEs and associated flares is larger at the decline of the solar cycle than in its rise phase. A similar relation is observed between the CME velocity (energy) and the effective solar multipole index, which characterizes the typical size of elements of the system of large-scale solar magnetic fields. This suggests that CMEs are mostly associated with individual active regions at the minimum and rise of the 11-year cycle, while the CME energy is mostly determined by active region complexes at the maximum and in the declining phase.