Driving Currents for Flux Rope Coronal Mass Ejections

Abstract

We present a method for measuring electrical currents enclosed by flux rope structures that are ejected within solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Such currents are responsible for providing the Lorentz self-force that propels CMEs. Our estimates for the driving current are based on measurements of the propelling force obtained using data from the LASCO coronagraphs aboard the SOHO satellite. We find that upper limits on the currents enclosed by CMEs are typically around $10^{10}$ Amperes. We estimate that the magnetic flux enclosed by the CMEs in the LASCO field of view is a few $\times 10^{21}$ Mx.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (4)

• Torus instability
• Energetics of solar coronal mass ejections
• A Technique for Measuring Electrical Currents in the Solar Corona
• Determining the Magnetic Field Orientation of Coronal Mass Ejections from Faraday Rotation

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Observation-based modelling of magnetised Coronal Mass Ejections with EUHFORIA
• Solar-Terrestrial Simulation in the STEREO Era: The January 24-25, 2007 Eruptions
• Self-similar expansion of solar coronal mass ejections: implications for Lorentz self-force driving
• Toroidal modified Miller-Turner CME model in EUHFORIA: II. Validation and comparison with flux rope and spheromak
• On modeling ICME cross-sections as static MHD columns