Coronal Background Research Articles

Finding Spots in a CME-Related Shock Where Physical Conditions Can Emerge Favoring Type II Radio Burst Generation on 2010 June 13

The 13 June 2010 event was chosen as an example to find spots on a CME-related shock where type II radio bursts were generated. We used the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) data to find the shock and calculate the emission measure distribution over the solar limb in order to obtain various plasma characteristics ahead of and behind the shock front. A region was found in the shock where the electron density jump $X$ on the shock front, the Alfven Mach number $M_{a}$ and the shock velocity $V_{sh}$ reach a maximum simultaneously. Moreover, the calculated value of $X$ in this region was found to be closest to the value of $X^{rb}$ based on type II radio burst data, $(X^{rb})=N_{2}/N_{1}=(f_{u}/f_{l})^{2}$ , where $N_{2}$ and $N_{1}$ are the electron densities at the upstream and downstream shock regions, $f_{u}$ and $f_{l}$ are the radio emission frequencies at the upper and lower band of the dynamic spectrum, in the second harmonic region. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that it is this shock region that is the source of type II radio bursts (type II RB). This region moves at an angle of $+20^{\circ }$ from the center of the circle approximating the shock, relative to the direction through the shock middle. The type II radio burst source velocity is shown to be close to the CME-related shock velocity. This can be regarded as indirect evidence of the shocks being the source of type II radio bursts. A dependence, $N_{1}(R_{sh})$ , has been obtained in the $+20^{\circ }$ direction, where $R_{sh}$ is the shock front location. This dependence is shown to differ noticeably from the coronal background electron densities obtained by Newkirk (Astrophys. J. 133, 983, 1961) and Saito et al. (Ann. Tokyo Astron. Obs. 12, 53, 1970) density models.

Analysis of signal to noise ratio in coronagraph observations of coronal mass ejections

We establish a baseline signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) requirement for the European Space Agency (ESA)-funded Solar Coronagraph for OPErations (SCOPE) instrument in its field of view of 2.5–30 solar radii based on existing observations by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Using automatic detection of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), we anaylse the impacts when SNR deviates significantly from our previously established baseline. For our analysis, SNR values are estimated from observations made by the C3 coronagraph on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft for a number of different CMEs. Additionally, we generate a series of artificial coronagraph images, each consisting of a modelled coronal background and a CME, the latter simulated using the graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) model together with the SCRaytrace code available in the Interactive Data Language (IDL) SolarSoft library. Images are created with CME SNR levels between 0.5 and 10 at the outer edge of the field of view (FOV), generated by adding Poisson noise, and velocities between 700 km s−1 and 2800 km s−1. The images are analysed for the detectability of the CME above the noise with the automatic CME detection tool CACTus. We find in the analysed C3 images that CMEs near the outer edge of the field of view are typically 2% of the total brightness and have an SNR between 1 and 4 at their leading edge. An SNR of 4 is defined as the baseline SNR for SCOPE. The automated detection of CMEs in our simulated images by CACTus succeeded well down to SNR = 1 and for CME velocities up to 1400 km s−1. At lower SNR and higher velocity of ≥ 2100 km s−1 the detection started to break down. For SCOPE, the results from the two approaches confirm that the initial design goal of SNR = 4 would, if achieved, deliver a comparable performance to established data used in operations today, with a more compact instrument design, and a margin in SNR before existing automatic detection produces significant false positives.

LASCO White-Light Observations of Eruptive Current Sheets Trailing CMEs

Many models of eruptive flares or coronal mass ejections (CMEs) involve formation of a current sheet connecting the ejecting CME flux rope with a magnetic loop arcade. However, there is very limited observational information on the properties and evolution of these structures, hindering progress in understanding eruptive activity from the Sun. In white-light images, narrow coaxial rays trailing the outward-moving CME have been interpreted as current sheets. Here, we undertake the most comprehensive statistical study of CME-rays to date. We use SOHO/LASCO data, which have a higher cadence, larger field of view, and better sensitivity than any previous coronagraph. We compare our results to a previous study of Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) CMEs, in 1984 – 1989, having candidate magnetic disconnection features at the CME base, about half of which were followed by coaxial bright rays. We examine all LASCO CMEs during two periods of minimum and maximum activity in Solar Cycle 23, resulting in many more events, \(\sim130\) CME-rays, than during SMM. Important results include: The occurrence rate of the rays is \(\sim11~\%\) of all CMEs during solar minimum, but decreases to \(\sim7~\%\) at solar maximum; this is most likely related to the more complex coronal background. The rays appear on average 3 – 4 hours after the CME core, and are typically visible for three-fourths of a day. The mean observed current sheet length over the ray lifetime is \(\sim12~R_{\odot}\), with the longest current sheet of \(18.5~R_{\odot}\). The mean CS growth rates are \(188~\mbox{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) at minimum and \(324~\mbox{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) at maximum. Outward-moving blobs within several rays, which are indicative of reconnection outflows, have average velocities of \(\sim350~\mbox{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) with small positive accelerations. A pre-existing streamer is blown out in most of the CME-ray events, but half of these are observed to reform within \(\sim1\) day. The long lifetime and long lengths of the CME-rays challenge our current understanding of the evolution of the magnetic field in the aftermath of CMEs.

GLOBAL SAUSAGE OSCILLATION OF SOLAR FLARE LOOPS DETECTED BY THE INTERFACE REGION IMAGING SPECTROGRAPH

ABSTRACT An observation from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph reveals coherent oscillations in the loops of an M1.6 flare on 2015 March 12. Both the intensity and Doppler shift of Fe xxi 1354.08 Å show clear oscillations with a period of ∼25 s. Remarkably similar oscillations were also detected in the soft X-ray flux recorded by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). With an estimated phase speed of ∼2420 km s−1 and a derived electron density of at least 5.4 × 1010 cm−3, the observed short-period oscillation is most likely the global fast sausage mode of a hot flare loop. We find a phase shift of ∼π/2 (1/4 period) between the Doppler shift oscillation and the intensity/GOES oscillations, which is consistent with a recent forward modeling study of the sausage mode. The observed oscillation requires a density contrast between the flare loop and coronal background of a factor ≥42. The estimated phase speed of the global mode provides a lower limit of the Alfvén speed outside the flare loop. We also find an increase of the oscillation period, which might be caused by the separation of the loop footpoints with time.

SIMULATIONS OF THE KELVIN–HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY DRIVEN BY CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS IN THE TURBULENT CORONA

ABSTRACT Recent high-resolution Atmospheric Imaging Assembly/Solar Dynamics Observatory images show evidence of the development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability, as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) expand in the ambient corona. A large-scale magnetic field mostly tangential to the interface is inferred, both on the CME and on the background sides. However, the magnetic field component along the shear flow is not strong enough to quench the instability. There is also observational evidence that the ambient corona is in a turbulent regime, and therefore the criteria for the development of the instability are a priori expected to differ from the laminar case. To study the evolution of the KH instability with a turbulent background, we perform three-dimensional simulations of the incompressible magnetohydrodynamic equations. The instability is driven by a velocity profile tangential to the CME–corona interface, which we simulate through a hyperbolic tangent profile. The turbulent background is generated by the application of a stationary stirring force. We compute the instability growth rate for different values of the turbulence intensity, and find that the role of turbulence is to attenuate the growth. The fact that KH instability is observed sets an upper limit on the correlation length of the coronal background turbulence.

Do All Candle-Flame-Shaped Flares Have the Same Temperature Distribution?

Abstract We performed a differential emission measure (DEM) analysis of candle-flame-shaped flares observed with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamic Observatory. The DEM profile of flaring plasmas generally exhibits a double peak distribution in temperature, with a cold component around $\log T\approx6.2$ log T ≈ 6.2 and a hot component around $\log T\approx7.0$ log T ≈ 7.0 . Attributing the cold component mainly to the coronal background, we propose a mean temperature weighted by the hot DEM component as a better representation of flaring plasma than the conventionally defined mean temperature, which is weighted by the whole DEM profile. Based on this corrected mean temperature, the majority of the flares studied, including a confined flare with a double candle-flame shape sharing the same cusp-shaped structure, resemble the famous Tsuneta flare in temperature distribution, i.e., the cusp-shaped structure has systematically higher temperatures than the rounded flare arcade underneath. However, the M7.7 flare on 19 July 2012 poses a very intriguing violation of this paradigm: the temperature decreases with altitude from the tip of the cusp toward the top of the arcade; the hottest region is slightly above the X-ray loop-top source that is co-spatial with the emission-measure-enhanced region at the top of the arcade. This signifies that a different heating mechanism from the slow-mode shocks attached to the reconnection site operates in the cusp region during the flare decay phase.

PROBING THE SOLAR WIND ACCELERATION REGION WITH THE SUN-GRAZING COMET C/2002 S2

Comet C/2002 S2, a member of the Kreutz family of Sungrazing comets, was discovered in white light images of the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph on 2002 September 18 and observed in \hi\, \lya\, emission by the SOHO/UVCS instrument at four different heights as it approached the Sun. The \hi\, \lya\, line profiles detected by UVCS are analyzed to determine the spectral parameters: line intensity, width and Doppler shift with respect to the coronal background. Two dimensional comet images of these parameters are reconstructed at the different heights. A novel aspect of the observations of this sungrazing comet data is that, whereas the emission from the most of the tail is blue--shifted, that along one edge of the tail is red--shifted. We attribute these shifts to a combination of solar wind speed and interaction with the magnetic field. In order to use the comet to probe the density, temperature and speed of the corona and solar wind through which it passes, as well as to determine the outgassing rate of the comet, we develop a Monte Carlo simulation of the \hi\, \lya\, emission of a comet moving through a coronal plasma. From the outgassing rate, we estimate a nucleus diameter of about 9 meters. This rate steadily increases as the comet approaches the Sun while the optical brightness decreases by more than a factor of ten and suddenly recovers. This indicates that the optical brightness is determined by the lifetimes of the grains, sodium atoms and molecules produced by the comet.

GLOBAL CORONAL SEISMOLOGY IN THE EXTENDED SOLAR CORONA THROUGH FAST MAGNETOSONIC WAVES OBSERVED BYSTEREOSECCHI COR1

We present global coronal seismology for the first time, which allows us to determine inhomogeneous magnetic field strength in the extended corona. From the measurements of the propagation speed of a fast magnetosonic wave associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME) and the coronal background density distribution derived from the polarized radiances observed by the STEREO SECCHI COR1, we determined the magnetic field strengths along the trajectories of the wave at different heliocentric distances. We found that the results have an uncertainty less than 40%, and are consistent with values determined with a potential field model and reported in previous works. The characteristics of the coronal medium we found are that (1) the density, magnetic field strength, and plasma β are lower in the coronal hole region than in streamers; (2) the magnetic field strength decreases slowly with height but the electron density decreases rapidly so that the local fast magnetosonic speed increases while plasma β falls off with height; and (3) the variations of the local fast magnetosonic speed and plasma β are dominated by variations in the electron density rather than the magnetic field strength. These results imply that Moreton and EIT waves are downward-reflected fast magnetosonic waves from the upper solar corona, rather than freely propagating fast magnetosonic waves in a certain atmospheric layer. In addition, the azimuthal components of CMEs and the driven waves may play an important role in various manifestations of shocks, such as type II radio bursts and solar energetic particle events.

Fundamental Emission of Type III Bursts Produced in Non-Maxwellian Coronal Plasmas with Kappa-Distributed Background Particles

Detailed simulations based on quasi-linear theory are presented for fundamental ( $f_{\rm p}$ ) emission of type III bursts produced in non-Maxwellian, suprathermal, background coronal plasma by injection of energetic electrons during flares with a power-law or Maxwellian velocity distribution, where $f_{\rm p}$ is the electron plasma frequency. The background plasma is assumed to have a kappa (κ) distribution, as inferred from solar wind data and proposed by theories for the corona and solar wind. The predicted type III beam speeds, Langmuir wave levels, and the drift rate and flux of $f_{\rm p}$ emission are strongly sensitive to the presence of suprathermal background electrons in the corona. The simulations show the following results. i) Fast beams with speeds $v_{\rm b}>0.5c$ are produced for coronal background electrons with small κ (κ≲5) by injected electrons with power-law spectra. ii) Moderately fast beams with $v_{\rm b} \approx0.3\,\mbox{--}\,0.5c$ are generated in coronal plasma with κ≲8 by injections of power-law or Maxwellian electrons. iii) Slow beams with $v_{\rm b}<0.3c$ are produced for coronal background electrons with large κ (κ>8), including the asymptotic limit κ→∞ where the electrons are Maxwellian, for both power-law and Maxwellian injections. The observation of fast type III beams (with $v_{\rm b}>0.5c$ ) thus suggests that these beams are produced in coronal regions where the background electron distribution has small κ by injected electrons with power-law spectra, at least when such beams are observed. The simulations, from the viewpoint of type III bursts, thus support: i) the presence, at least sometimes, of suprathermal background electrons in the corona and the associated mechanisms for coronal heating and solar wind acceleration; ii) power-law spectra for injected energetic electrons, consistent with observations of such electrons in situ and of X-ray emission.

TYPE III RADIO BURSTS IN CORONAL PLASMAS WITH KAPPA PARTICLE DISTRIBUTIONS

We present the first simulations of type III bursts produced in the corona with suprathermal non-Maxwellian background particles, as inferred from solar wind data and proposed by theories for the corona and solar wind. The coronal background particles are assumed to follow kappa ({kappa}) distributions. The predicted f{sub p} emission of type III bursts is sensitive via the {kappa} index to the presence of suprathermal background particles, where f{sub p} is the local plasma frequency. The simulations show that (1) the speeds v{sub b} of type III beams are much larger (e.g., v{sub b} Almost-Equal-To 0.58c for {kappa} = 5) and so type III bursts drift much faster for low {kappa} ({<=}5) background plasmas than for Maxwellian backgrounds (producing v{sub b} < 0.3c), and (2) f{sub p} emission generated in a {kappa}-distributed background corona has a larger total bandwidth than in a Maxwellian background, for similar onset frequencies. Type III beams are thus more persistent, i.e., extending over larger distances, in {kappa}-distributed corona. Consequently, observations of fast-drifting coronal type III bursts and associated fast electron beams suggest that the ambient electrons in the corona are {kappa}-distributed, at least when such bursts are observed. These results support, from the new viewpointmore » of nonthermal radio emission, the occasional presence of suprathermal background electrons in the corona and the associated mechanisms (e.g., 'velocity filtration') for coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. The new results also help resolve longstanding issues regarding the speeds and persistence of type III beams, and the production of remotely observable levels of f{sub p} emission despite severe losses during propagation.« less

Prominence Cavity Regions Observed Using SWAP 174 Å Filtergrams and Simultaneous Eclipse Flash Spectra

SWAP images from PROBA2 taken at 174 Å in the Fe ix/x lines are compared with simultaneous slitless flash spectra obtained during the solar total eclipse of 11 July 2010. Myriad faint low-excitation emission lines together with the He i and He ii Paschen α chromospheric lines are recorded on eclipse spectra where regions of limb prominences are obtained with space-borne imagers. We analyzed a deep flash spectrum obtained by summing 80 individual spectra to evaluate the intensity modulations of the continuum. Intensity deficits are observed and measured at the prominences boundaries in both eclipse and SWAP images. The prominence cavities interpreted as a relative depression of plasma density, produced inside the corona surrounding the prominences, and some intense heating occurring in these regions, are discussed. Photometric measurements are shown at different scales and different, spectrally narrow, intervals for both the prominences and the coronal background.

Frequency Fine Structures of Type III Bursts Due to Localized Medium-Scale Density Structures Along Paths of Type III Beams

Predictions from large-scale kinetic simulations are presented for the effects on coronal type III bursts of localized, medium-scale, enhanced density structures superposed on the coronal background along the paths of type III beams. The simulations show that these density structures can produce pronounced frequency fine structures in type III spectra. Flux intensifications and reductions of fp and 2fp emission relative to those for the unperturbed background corona occur at frequencies corresponding to the density structures, where fp is the local electron plasma frequency. Frequency fine structures that are intense, slowly drifting, and narrowband, and thus resemble the characteristics of stria bursts, are predicted for the 2fp emission. The 2fp results are consistent with the qualitative proposal of Takakura and Yousef (Solar Phys.40, 421, 1975) for the interpretation of stria/type IIIb bursts. However, the predicted fp emission is much weaker than the 2fp emission and generally below observable levels, and the predicted frequency fine structures do not always show stria characteristics. The predictions are thus inconsistent with the qualitative suggestion of Takakura and Yousef and the interpretations of many observers that stria bursts occur more often in fp than in 2fp emission. The significant discrepancies for fp emission between our numerical calculations and the qualitative proposition of Takakura and Yousef (1975) are mainly caused by: i) differences in the detailed emission processes, ii) neglect of scattering of fp emission off small-scale density fluctuations by Takakura and Yousef (1975), and iii) other simplifications made in both works. Possible improvements to the simulations are discussed, including improvements to the emission processes and the coronal and beam conditions (e.g., beam speed), in order to produce realistic stria/type IIIb bursts in fp emission.

Hanle effect from a dipolar magnetic structure: the case of the solar corona and the case of a star

Context. The context is the magnetic field measurement in external solar or stellar layers by interpreting line polarization measurements and the Hanle effect.Aims. The aim is to model the Hanle effect depolarization by integrating upon a star on the one hand, and by integrating along a line-of-sight through the solar corona on the other hand.Methods. The formalism of the atomic density matrix is recalled. Particular attention was devoted to the four axis rotations necessary to transform the magnetic field reference frame into that of the line-of-sight.Results. In the stellar case, the discrepancy between the results by Lopez Ariste et al. (2011, A&A, 527, A120) and the symmetry considerations by Ignace etal. (2011, A&A, 530, A82) is resolved. In the solar case, the computations of the hydrogen Lyα polarization by Derouich et al. (2010, A&A, 511, A7) are revisited, owing to symmetry considerations. Conclusions. In the stellar case, we confirm that the effect integrated on a star leads to a non-vanishing magnetic depolarization due to the high non-linearity of the Hanle effect. In the solar case, we find that the Hanle sensitivity of hydrogen Lyβ and Lyγ could be better adapted to the measurement of the coronal background magnetic field. They form a pair of lines of different and complementary sensitivity, which makes it possible to determine the full vector. Lyα would be instead adapted to the coronal loop magnetic field measurement, because this field is stronger and suited to the Lyα Hanle sensitivity.

SYMMETRIC CORONAL JETS: A RECONNECTION-CONTROLLED STUDY

Current models and observations imply that reconnection is a key mechanism for destabilization and initiation of coronal jets. We evolve a system described by the theoretical symmetric jet formation model using two different numerical codes with the goal of studying the role of reconnection in this system. One of the codes is the Eulerian adaptive mesh code ARMS, which simulates magnetic reconnection through numerical diffusion. The quasi-Lagrangian FLUX code, on the other hand, is ideal and able to evolve the system without reconnection. The ideal nature of FLUX allows us to provide a control case of evolution without reconnection. We find that during the initial symmetric and ideal phase of evolution, both codes produce very similar morphologies and energy growth. The symmetry is then broken by a kink-like motion of the axis of rotation, after which the two systems diverge. In ARMS, current sheets formed and reconnection rapidly released the stored magnetic energy. In FLUX, the closed field remained approximately constant in height while expanding in width and did not release any magnetic energy. We find that the symmetry threshold is an ideal property of the system, but the lack of energy release implies that the observed kink is not an instability. Because of the confined nature of the FLUX system, we conclude that reconnection is indeed necessary for jet formation in symmetric jet models in a uniform coronal background field.

Tracking of Coronal White-Light Events by Texture

The extraction of the kinematic properties of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from white-light coronagraph images involves a significant degree of user interaction: defining the edge of the event, separating the core from the front or from nearby unrelated structures, etc. To contribute towards a less subjective and more quantitative definition, and therefore better kinematic characterization of such events, we have developed a novel image-processing technique based on the concept of “texture of the event”. The texture is defined by the so-called gray-level co-occurrence matrix, and the technique consists of a supervised segmentation algorithm to isolate a particular region of interest based upon its similarity with a pre-specified model. Once the event is visually defined early in its evolution, it is possible to automatically track the event by applying the segmentation algorithm to the corresponding time series of coronagraph images. In this paper we describe the technique, present some examples, and show how the coronal background, the core of the event, and even the associated shock (if one exists) can be identified for different kind of CMEs detected by the LASCO and SECCHI coronagraphs.

1-8 Å Coronal Background X-Ray Emission and the Associated Indicators of Photospheric Magnetic Activity

Consistent correlations between X-ray background flux (XBF) and sunspot area over three solar cycles suggest a strong relationship between the flux emergence at the locations of strong field regions, sunspots, and the coronal heating processes that ultimately result in coronal X-ray emission. We find that the pattern of variation of sunspot numbers shows noticeable deviations from the pattern depicted by the sunspot areas when compared to XBF. A weight factor, such as Wi, assigned to individual spot groups in R = k(Wigi + n) may provide better estimation of the true strength of solar cycles.

Are Constant Loop Widths an Artifact of the Background and the Spatial Resolution?

We study the effect of the coronal background in the determination of the diameter of EUV loops, and we analyze the suitability of the procedure followed in a previous paper (L\'opez Fuentes, Klimchuk & D\'emoulin 2006) for characterizing their expansion properties. For the analysis we create different synthetic loops and we place them on real backgrounds from data obtained with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (\textit{TRACE}). We apply to these loops the same procedure followed in our previous works, and we compare the results with real loop observations. We demonstrate that the procedure allows us to distinguish constant width loops from loops that expand appreciably with height, as predicted by simple force-free field models. This holds even for loops near the resolution limit. The procedure can easily determine when loops are below resolution limit and therefore not reliably measured. We find that small-scale variations in the measured loop width are likely due to imperfections in the background subtraction. The greatest errors occur in especially narrow loops and in places where the background is especially bright relative to the loop. We stress, however, that these effects do not impact the ability to measure large-scale variations. The result that observed loops do not expand systematically with height is robust.

Magnetic Field Strength in the Solar Corona from Type II Band Splitting

The phenomenon of band splitting in type II bursts can be a unique diagnostic for the magnetic field in the corona, which is, however, inevitably sensitive to the ambient density. We apply this diagnostic to the CME-flare event on 2004 August 18, for which we are able to locate the propagation of the type II burst and determine the ambient coronal electron density by other means. We measure the width of the band splitting on a dynamic spectrum of the bursts observed with the Green Bank Solar Radio Burst Spectrometer (GBSRBS), and convert it to the Alfven Mach number under the Rankine-Hugoniot relation. We then determine the Alfven speed and magnetic field strength using the coronal background density and shock speed measured with the MLSO/MK4 coronameter. In this way we find that the shock compression ratio is in the range of 1.5-1.6, the Alfvenic Mach number is 1.4-1.5, the Alfven speed is 550-400 km s-1, and finally the magnetic field strength decreases from 1.3 to 0.4 G while the shock passes from 1.6 to 2.1 R☉. The magnetic field strength derived from the type II spectrum is finally compared with the potential field source surface (PFSS) model for further evaluation of this diagnostic.

On the Size of Structures in the Solar Corona

Fine-scale structure in the corona appears not to be well resolved by current imaging instruments. Assuming this to be true offers a simple geometric explanation for several current puzzles in coronal physics, including: the apparent uniform cross-section of bright threadlike structures in the corona; the low EUV contrast (long apparent scale height) between the top and bottom of active region loops; and the inconsistency between loop densities derived by spectral and photometric means. Treating coronal loops as a mixture of diffuse background and very dense, unresolved filamentary structures address these problems with a combination of high plasma density within the structures, which greatly increases the emissivity of the structures, and geometric effects that attenuate the apparent brightness of the feature at low altitudes. It also suggests a possible explanation for both the surprisingly high contrast of EUV coronal loops against the coronal background, and the uniform ``typical'' height of the bright portion of the corona (about 0.3 solar radii) in full-disk EUV images. Some ramifications of this picture are discussed, including an estimate (10-100 km) of the fundamental scale of strong heating events in the corona.

The Influence of Coronal Background Structure with Nested and Closed Magnetic Fields on the Triggering of CME

The influence of coronal streamer background with nested and closed magnetic fields on the of the triggering of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is investigated in the meridian plane. In the coronal streamers’ background magnetic structure there are three small-scale closed magnetic fields, of which the middle one has a direction opposite to that of the global dipolar field of coronal streamers. The trigger model of CMEs emerges from beneath this small-scale closed magnetic field and possesses a concentric circular structure with radius of a = 0.1 R s ( R s being the solar radius). The direction of the magnetic field in the front half of the CME trigger model is opposite to that of the small-scale closed field and is the same as that of the streamers’ global dipolar field. As revealed by numerical simulation, when the ratio of the plasma pressure at the center of the CME trigger model to the boundary pressure is m ≤ 2, then the emerging model can trigger CMEs. When m < 2, then it cannot. The error in this critical value of 2 is less than 1%.