Low-latitude Coronal Holes Research Articles

Spatial Relationship between CMEs and Prominence Eruptions during SC 24 and SC 25

During their propagation, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and prominences sometimes display a nonradial motion. During the years after the solar minimum, the CME central position angle tended to be offset closer to the equator compared to that of the associated prominence eruptions (PE). No such effect was observed during solar maximum. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the latitudinal offsets of CMEs with respect to their source regions. We study 256 events from SC 24 and SC 25, listed in the Coordinate Data Analysis Workshop Data Center. We analyzed the CMES radial offset from the associated PEs by comparing their latitudes in the plane of the sky. This work is an extension of the previous work by Gopalswamy et al., but with an independent data set. We have confirmed the systematic equatorward offset of CME from the solar source region for the rising phase of Solar Cycle 25. Our analysis of the relation between CME linear speed and PE-CME latitudinal offset indicated that the velocities of the deflected CMEs are mainly in the range of 200 and 800 km s−1. In this study, we compared the nonradial offsets for the rising and decay phases of SC 24 and our analysis has shown that during the decay phase more events deflected toward the pole can be observed. The observed variation is attributed to the presence of a substantial number of low-latitude coronal holes during the decay phase and to the influence from nearby active regions.

Interplanetary Signatures during the 1972 Early August Solar Storms

In 1972, early August, a series of interplanetary shocks were observed in the heliosphere from 0.8 to 2.2 au. These shocks were attributed to a series of brilliant flares and plasma clouds since at that time coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their interplanetary counterparts (ICMEs) were unknown to the scientific community. This paper aims to reinterpret the interplanetary data in light of the current understanding about interplanetary transients and to track the evolution of the ICMEs, taking advantage of the alignment of Pioneers 9 and 10 spacecraft. For this purpose, we reanalyze in situ data from these two Pioneers and also from Heos, Prognoz 1 and 2, and Explorer 41 spacecraft searching for ICMEs and high-speed streams. Then we assemble the interplanetary transients and solar activity and analyze the propagation of the ejections through the heliosphere. The evolution of four ICMEs and a high-speed stream from a low-latitude coronal hole is followed using the multipoint in situ observations. The first three ICMEs show clear signatures of ICME–ICME interaction in the interplanetary medium, suggesting the first observations of an ICME which developed into an ICME-in-the-sheath. For a non-perturbed ICME event, we obtain the evolution parameter, ζ, related to the local expansion of ICMEs, getting similar values for Pioneer 9 (ζ = 0.80) and Pioneer 10 (ζ = 0.78). These results support previous findings of ζ being independent of the heliocentric distance and the magnetic field strength decreasing as r −2ζ .

The short-term stability and tilting motion of a well-observed low-latitude solar coronal hole

Context. Our understanding of the solar magnetic coronal structure is tightly linked to the shape of open field regions, specifically coronal holes. A dynamically evolving coronal hole coincides with the local restructuring of open to closed magnetic field, which leads to changes in the interplanetary solar wind structure. Aims. By investigating the dynamic evolution of a fast-tilting coronal hole, we strive to uncover clues about what processes may drive its morphological changes, which are clearly visible in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) filtergrams. Methods. Using combined 193 Å and 195 Å EUV observations by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Extreme UltraViolet Imager on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, in conjunction with line-of-sight magnetograms taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, also on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we tracked and analyzed a coronal hole over 12 days to derive changes in morphology, area, and magnetic field. We complemented this analysis by potential field source surface modeling to compute the open field structure of the coronal hole. Results. We find that the coronal hole exhibits an apparent tilting motion over time that cannot solely be explained by solar differential rotation. It tilts at a mean rate of ∼3.2° day−1 that accelerates up to ∼5.4° day−1. At the beginning of May the area of the coronal hole decreased by more than a factor of three over four days (from ∼13 × 109 km2 to ∼4 × 109 km2), but its open flux remained constant (∼2 × 1020 Mx). Furthermore, the observed evolution is not reproduced by modeling that assumes the coronal magnetic field to be potential. Conclusions. In this study we present a solar coronal hole that tilts at a rate that has yet to be reported in literature. The rate exceeds the effect of the coronal hole being advected by either photospheric or coronal differential rotation. Based on the analysis we find it likely that this is due to morphological changes in the coronal hole boundary caused by ongoing interchange reconnection and the interaction with a newly emerging ephemeral region in its vicinity.

Direct observations of a complex coronal web driving highly structured slow solar wind

The solar wind consists of continuous streams of charged particles that escape into the heliosphere from the Sun, and is split into fast and slow components, with the fast wind emerging from the interiors of coronal holes. Near the ecliptic plane, the fast wind from low-latitude coronal holes is interspersed with a highly structured slow solar wind, the source regions and drivers of which are poorly understood. Here we report extreme-ultraviolet observations that reveal a spatially complex web of magnetized plasma structures that persistently interact and reconnect in the middle corona. Coronagraphic white-light images show concurrent emergence of slow wind streams over these coronal web structures. With advanced global magnetohydrodynamics coronal models, we demonstrate that the observed coronal web is a direct imprint of the magnetic separatrix web (S-web). By revealing a highly dynamic portion of the S-web, our observations open a window into important middle-coronal processes that appear to play a key role in driving the structured slow solar wind.

Analysis of Study Results of the Polar Coronal Hole on the Sun According to Observations in the Microwave Wavelength Range

An overview is presented of the main results of the study of the polar coronal hole over the North pole of the Sun based on observations of the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006, using the RATAN-600 radio telescope in a wide cm-range of wavelengths (1.03, 1.38, 2.7, 6.2, 13.0, 30.7 cm) along with observational and theoretical data about the properties of Solar coronal holes published by various authors. The results obtained are discussed: the distribution of brightness temperatures of polar coronal holes over the North pole of the Sun at distances of 1.005–2.0 in units of the Sun optical disk radius from the center of the solar disk; the increase in microwave radiation of polar coronal holes recorded at short wavelengths; the identity of the temperature properties of the polar coronal holes and low-latitude coronal holes on the Sun during the period of minimum solar activity. Comparison of the obtained brightness temperatures of the polar coronal hole with the brightness temperatures of large low-latitude coronal holes at similar wavelengths observed earlier (1973–1976, 1984–1987 yr) were done. This comparison has indicated an identity of the temperature properties of coronal holes regardless of their location on the Sun and the organization of coronal holes during the period of minimum solar activity.

Effects of Pseudostreamer Boundary Dynamics on Heliospheric Field and Wind

Abstract Interchange reconnection has been proposed as a mechanism for the generation of the slow solar wind, and a key contributor to determining its characteristic qualities. In this paper we study the implications of interchange reconnection for the structure of the plasma and field in the heliosphere. We use the Adaptively Refined Magnetohydrodynamic Solver to simulate the coronal magnetic evolution in a coronal topology containing both a pseudostreamer and helmet streamer. We begin with a geometry containing a low-latitude coronal hole that is separated from the main polar coronal hole by a pseudostreamer. We drive the system by imposing rotating flows at the solar surface within and around the low-latitude coronal hole, which leads to a corrugation (at low altitudes) of the separatrix surfaces that separate open from closed magnetic flux. Interchange reconnection is induced both at the null points and separators of the pseudostreamer, and at the global helmet streamer. We demonstrate that a preferential occurrence of interchange reconnection in the “lanes” between our driving cells leads to a filamentary pattern of newly opened flux in the heliosphere. These flux bundles connect to but extend far from the separatrix-web (S-Web) arcs at the source surface. We propose that the pattern of granular and supergranular flows on the photosphere should leave an observable imprint in the heliosphere.

A Uniform Series of Low-Latitude Coronal Holes in 1973\u20132018

Coronal holes (CHs) are regions in the solar corona characterized by plasma density lower than in the surrounding quiet Sun. Therefore they appear dark in images of the solar atmosphere made, e.g., in extreme ultraviolet (EUV). Identifying CHs on solar images is difficult since CH boundaries are not sharp, but typically obscured by magnetic structures of surrounding active regions. Moreover, the areas, shapes, and intensities of CHs appear differently in different wavelengths. Coronal holes have been identified both visually by experienced observers and, more recently, by automated detection methods using different techniques. In this article, we apply a recent, robust CH identification algorithm to a new set of homogenized EUV synoptic maps based on four EUV lines measured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SOHO/EIT) in 1996–2018 and the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) in 2010–2018 and create corresponding CH synoptic maps. We also use CHs of the hand-drawn McIntosh archive (McA) from 1973–2009 to extend the CH database to earlier times. We discuss the success of the four EUV lines to find CHs at high or low latitudes, and confirm that the combined EIT 195 Å/AIA 193 Å series applies best for both polar and low-latitude CH detection. While the polar CH detection suffers from the vantage-point limitation, the low-latitude CH areas extracted from this line correlate with the McA CH data very well. Using the simultaneous measurements between EIT and McA and EIT and AIA, we scale the different data series to the same level and form the longest uniform series of low-latitude CHs in 1973–2018. We find that, while the solar cycle maxima of low-latitude CHs in the descending phase of Solar Cycles 21–23 attain roughly similar values, the corresponding maximum during Solar Cycle 24 is reduced by a factor of two. This suggests that magnetic flux emergence is crucial for the formation of low-latitude CHs.

On the Relationship between the Magnetic Field of a Low-Latitude Coronal Hole and Its Area

On the Relationship between the Magnetic Field of a Low-Latitude Coronal Hole and Its Area

Sunspot Activity and Coronal Holes during the Declining Phase of Cycle 24

The dynamics of coronal holes (CHs) during the declining phase of solar cycle 24 is studied based on observational data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the 19.3 nm channel, of the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO). Some features of changes in the areas of polar and mid- and low-latitude CHs in the period April 1, 2014–December 31, 2019, are revealed by a comparison of the variations in the daily total CH area with the index of the sunspot number. The division of all CHs observed in the considered period into polar and nonpolar shows that polar-CH areas dominate and increase while nonpolar-CH areas constantly decrease toward the cycle minimum. Polar-CH areas account for ~80% of the total area of all CHs considered over the studied period. The total polar-CH area increases toward cycle minimum, which is consistent with the general concept of polar CHs as the main source of the Sun’s dipole magnetic field. However, the second subset, which contains selected isolated CHs, shows an interesting behavior in the declining phase of solar activity that was not previously observed. Their areas slowly decrease from the maximum to minimum of the solar cycle. This trend is qualitatively consistent with a decrease in sunspot activity toward the minimum, which suggests a physical relationship between the two phenomena.

The Evolution of Coronal Holes over Three Solar Cycles Using the McIntosh Archive

Using the McIntosh Archive of solar features, we analyze the evolution of coronal holes over more than three solar cycles. We demonstrate that coronal-hole positions and lifetimes change significantly on time scales from months to years, and that the pattern of these changes is clearly linked to the solar-activity cycle. We demonstrate that the lifetimes of low-latitude coronal holes are usually less than one rotation but may extend to almost three years. When plotted over time, the positions of low-latitude coronal holes that remain visible for over one rotation track the sunspot butterfly diagram in terms of their positions on the Sun over a solar cycle. Finally, we confirm that coronal holes do not in general rigidly rotate.

Differential Emission Measure Plasma Diagnostics of a Long-Lived Coronal Hole

We use Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) data to reconstruct the plasma properties from differential emission measure (DEM) analysis for a previously studied long-lived, low-latitude coronal hole (CH) over its lifetime of ten solar rotations. We initially obtain a non-isothermal DEM distribution with a dominant component centered around 0.9 MK and a secondary smaller component at 1.5 – 2.0 MK. We find that deconvolving the data with the instrument point spread function (PSF) to account for long-range scattered light reduces the secondary hot component. Using the 2012 Venus transit and a 2013 lunar eclipse to test the efficiency of this deconvolution, significant amounts of residual stray light are found for the occulted areas. Accounting for this stray light in the error budget of the different AIA filters further reduces the secondary hot emission, yielding CH DEM distributions that are close to isothermal with the main contribution centered around 0.9 MK. Based on these DEMs, we analyze the evolution of the emission measure (EM), density, and averaged temperature during the CH’s lifetime. We find that once the CH is clearly observed in EUV images, the bulk of the CH plasma reveals a quite constant state, i.e. temperature and density reveal no major changes, whereas the total CH area and the photospheric magnetic fine structure inside the CH show a distinct evolutionary pattern. These findings suggest that CH plasma properties are mostly “set” at the CH formation or/and that all CHs have similar plasma properties.

Highly structured slow solar wind emerging from an equatorial coronal hole.

During the solar minimum, when the Sun is at its least active, the solar wind1,2 is observed at high latitudes as a predominantly fast (more than 500kilometres per second), highly Alfvénic rarefied stream of plasma originating from deep within coronal holes. Closer to the ecliptic plane, the solar wind is interspersed with a more variable slow wind3 of less than 500 kilometres per second. The precise origins of the slow wind streams are less certain4; theories and observations suggest that they may originate at the tips of helmet streamers5,6, from interchange reconnection near coronal hole boundaries7,8, or within coronal holes with highly diverging magnetic fields9,10. The heating mechanism required to drive the solar wind is also unresolved, although candidate mechanisms include Alfvén-wave turbulence11,12, heating by reconnection in nanoflares13, ion cyclotron wave heating14 and acceleration by thermal gradients1. At a distance of one astronomical unit, the wind is mixed and evolved, and therefore much of the diagnostic structure of these sources and processes has been lost. Here we present observations from the Parker Solar Probe15 at 36 to 54 solar radii that show evidence of slow Alfvénic solar wind emerging from a small equatorial coronal hole. The measured magnetic field exhibits patches of large, intermittent reversals that are associated with jets of plasma and enhanced Poynting flux and that are interspersed in a smoother and less turbulent flow with a near-radial magnetic field. Furthermore, plasma-wave measurements suggest the existence of electron and ion velocity-space micro-instabilities10,16 that are associated with plasma heating and thermalization processes. Our measurements suggest that there is an impulsive mechanism associated with solar-wind energization and that micro-instabilities play a part in heating, and we provide evidence that low-latitude coronal holes are a key source of the slow solar wind.

Comparison of the Scaling Properties of EUV Intensity Fluctuations in Coronal Hole and Quiet-Sun Regions

Abstract Using detrended fluctuation analysis and rescaled range analysis, we investigate the scaling properties of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) intensity fluctuations of low-latitude coronal holes (CHs) and neighboring quiet-Sun (QS) regions in signals obtained with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument. Contemporaneous line-of-sight SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager magnetic fields provide a context for the physical environment. We find that the intensity fluctuations in the time series of EUV images present at each spatial point a scaling symmetry over the range ∼20 minute to ∼1 hr. Thus we are able to calculate a generalized Hurst exponent and produce image maps, not of physical quantities like intensity or temperature, but of a single dynamical parameter that sums up the statistical nature of the intensity fluctuations at each pixel. In QS regions and in CHs with magnetic bipoles, the scaling exponent (1.0 < α ≤ 1.5) corresponds to anticorrelated turbulent-like processes. In CHs, and in QS regions primarily associated with (open) magnetic field of dominant polarity, the generalized exponent (0.5 < α < 1) corresponds to positively correlated (persistent) processes. We identify a tendency for α ∼ 1 near CH boundaries and in other regions in which open and closed magnetic fields are in proximity. This is a signature of an underlying 1/f type process that is characteristic for self-organized criticality and shot-noise models.

The Low-Frequency Solar Corona in Circular Polarization

We present spectropolarimetric imaging observations of the solar corona at low frequencies (80 - 240 MHz) using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). These images are the first of their kind, and we introduce an algorithm to mitigate an instrumental artefact by which the total intensity signal contaminates the polarimetric images due to calibration errors. We then survey the range of circular polarization (Stokes V) features detected in over 100 observing runs near solar maximum during quiescent periods. First, we detect around 700 compact polarized sources across our dataset with polarization fractions ranging from less than 0.5% to nearly 100%. These sources exhibit a positive correlation between polarization fraction and total intensity, and we interpret them as a continuum of plasma emission noise storm (Type I burst) continua sources associated with active regions. Second, we report a characteristic "bullseye" structure observed for many low-latitude coronal holes in which a central polarized component is surrounded by a ring of the opposite sense. The central component does not match the sign expected from thermal bremsstrahlung emission, and we speculate that propagation effects or an alternative emission mechanism may be responsible. Third, we show that the large-scale polarimetric structure at our lowest frequencies is reasonably well-correlated with the line-of-sight (LOS) magnetic field component inferred from a global potential field source surface (PFSS) model. The boundaries between opposite circular polarization signs are generally aligned with polarity inversion lines in the model at a height roughly corresponding to that of the radio limb. This is not true at our highest frequencies, however, where the LOS magnetic field direction and polarization sign are often not straightforwardly correlated.

Relationship between the low-latitude coronal hole area, solar wind velocity, and geomagnetic activity during solar cycles 23 and 24

In order to statistically investigate the relationship between the low-latitude coronal holes (CHs), the solar wind speed, and the geomagnetic activity in solar cycles 23 (1996–2008) and 24 (2009–2016), we conducted a superposed epoch analysis of the variations in CH area, solar winds, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and geomagnetic indices (AL, AU, and SYM-H) for the period from 1996 to 2016. We further divided the temporal variations of the IMF into four types and then investigated the variations in solar winds, the IMF, and the geomagnetic indices before and after the corotating interaction region (CIR) reached Earth’s magnetosphere in each case. As a result, we observed a north–south asymmetry in the CH area, which shows that the CH area was much larger in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere during solar cycles 23 and 24. In addition, the CH area for solar cycle 24 tended to appear in a wider latitude region compared with that for solar cycle 23. The maximum values of the CH area and the solar wind speed in solar cycle 24 tended to be smaller than those in solar cycle 23. The relationship between these maximum values showed a positive correlation for both solar cycles. The distribution was larger for solar cycle 23 than for solar cycle 24. The variations in solar wind speed and the geomagnetic indices (AE and SYM-H) associated with CIRs in solar cycle 24 tended to be smaller than those in solar cycle 23. We conclude that the geomagnetic activity for solar cycle 24 associated with CIRs was slightly lower compared with that for solar cycle 23. This decrease in geomagnetic activity was due to a decrease in the dawn-to-dusk solar wind electric field intensity, which is obtained as the product of the solar wind speed and the north–south component of the solar wind magnetic field.

The Merging of Two Stream Interaction Regions within 1 au: The Possible Role of Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract As the Sun rotates, a fast stream can overtake a preceding slow stream, leading to the formation of a stream interaction region (SIR). Two neighboring SIRs may eventually coalesce to produce a merged interaction region (MIR) en route to the outer heliosphere. However, instances of significant interaction and merging of two neighboring SIRs within 1 au are thought to be extremely rare. In this Letter, we present a case report of two interacting and merging SIRs observed near 1 au, which was associated with two adjacent low-latitude coronal holes. The two SIRs were filled with outward propagating Alfvénic fluctuations associated with magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. A reconnection exhaust associated with a current sheet was identified. We suggest that magnetic reconnection represented a potentially important mechanism for the merging of two neighboring SIRs. This observation may shed light on the understanding of the structure and formation of a MIR within 1 au.

Three-phase Evolution of a Coronal Hole. I. 360° Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations

Abstract We investigate the evolution of a well-observed, long-lived, low-latitude coronal hole (CH) over 10 solar rotations in the year 2012. By combining extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imagery from the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatories (STEREO-A/B) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we are able to track and study the entire evolution of the CH having a continuous 360° coverage of the Sun. The remote sensing data are investigated together with in situ solar wind plasma and magnetic field measurements from STEREO-A/B, the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and WIND. From this, we obtain how different evolutionary states of the CH as observed in the solar atmosphere (changes in EUV intensity and area) affect the properties of the associated high-speed stream measured at 1 au. Most distinctly pronounced for the CH area, three development phases are derived: (a) growing, (b) maximum, and (c) decaying phase. During these phases the CH area (a) increases over a duration of around three months from about 1 · 1010 km2 to 6 · 1010 km2, (b) keeps a rather constant area for about one month of >9 · 1010 km2, and (c) finally decreases in the following three months below 1 · 1010 km2 until the CH cannot be identified anymore. The three phases manifest themselves also in the EUV intensity and in in situ measured solar wind proton bulk velocity. Interestingly, the three phases are related to a different range in solar wind speed variations, and we find for the growing phase a range of 460–600 km s−1, for the maximum phase 600–720 km s−1, and for the decaying phase a more irregular behavior connected to slow and fast solar wind speeds of 350–550 km s−1.

Manifestation of the Identity of Brightness Temperatures of the Polar Coronal Hole and Low-Latitude Coronal Holes in the Centimeter Wave Range

This paper is devoted to an analysis of brightness temperatures of the polar and low-latitude coronal holes on the Sun in the cm-wave range during periods of minimum solar activity. Data from observations of the polar coronal hole received by the RATAN-600 radio telescope during the solar eclipse of March 29, 2006, and low-latitude observations of coronal holes and quiet Sun received earlier with the RATAN-600 and BPR radio telescopes in the period of minimum solar activity have been used in the paper. The obtained good agreement between the brightness temperatures of cm-wave emission of the polar coronal hole above the North Pole of the Sun and of the low-latitude coronal holes against the background of the quiet Sun reveals the identity of the temperature properties of large coronal holes, irrespective of the mode of their arrangement and location on the Sun during the periods of minimum solar activity.

Characteristics of Low-latitude Coronal Holes near the Maximum of Solar Cycle 24

Abstract We investigate the statistics of 288 low-latitude coronal holes extracted from SDO/AIA-193 filtergrams over the time range of 2011 January 01–2013 December 31. We analyze the distribution of characteristic coronal hole properties, such as the areas, mean AIA-193 intensities, and mean magnetic field densities, the local distribution of the SDO/AIA-193 intensity and the magnetic field within the coronal holes, and the distribution of magnetic flux tubes in coronal holes. We find that the mean magnetic field density of all coronal holes under study is 3.0 ± 1.6 G, and the percentaged unbalanced magnetic flux is 49 ± 16%. The mean magnetic field density, the mean unsigned magnetic field density, and the percentaged unbalanced magnetic flux of coronal holes depend strongly pairwise on each other, with correlation coefficients cc > 0.92. Furthermore, we find that the unbalanced magnetic flux of the coronal holes is predominantly concentrated in magnetic flux tubes: 38% (81%) of the unbalanced magnetic flux of coronal holes arises from only 1% (10%) of the coronal hole area, clustered in magnetic flux tubes with field strengths >50 G (10 G). The average magnetic field density and the unbalanced magnetic flux derived from the magnetic flux tubes correlate with the mean magnetic field density and the unbalanced magnetic flux of the overall coronal hole (cc > 0.93). These findings give evidence that the overall magnetic characteristics of coronal holes are governed by the characteristics of the magnetic flux tubes.

Coronal Holes and Open Magnetic Flux over Cycles 23 and 24

As the observational signature of the footprints of solar magnetic field lines open into the heliosphere, coronal holes provide a critical measure of the structure and evolution of these lines. Using a combination of Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SOHO/EIT), Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA), and Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (STEREO/EUVI A/B) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations spanning 1996 – 2015 (nearly two solar cycles), coronal holes are automatically detected and characterized. Coronal hole area distributions show distinct behavior in latitude, defining the domain of polar and low-latitude coronal holes. The northern and southern polar regions show a clear asymmetry, with a lag between hemispheres in the appearance and disappearance of polar coronal holes.