Observations of flux rope formation prior to coronal mass ejections

Abstract

Understanding the magnetic configuration of the source regions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is vital in order to determine the trigger and driver of these events. Observations of four CME productive active regions are presented here, which indicate that the pre-eruption magnetic configuration is that of a magnetic flux rope. The flux ropes are formed in the solar atmosphere by the process known as flux cancellation and are stable for several hours before the eruption. The observations also indicate that the magnetic structure that erupts is not the entire flux rope as initially formed, raising the question of whether the flux rope is able to undergo a partial eruption or whether it undergoes a transition in specific flux rope configuration shortly before the CME.

Proc. IAU Symp. 300 "Nature of prominences and their role in space weather", in press

References in corpus (3)

• Sigmoid-to-Flux-Rope Transition Leading to A Loop-Like Coronal Mass Ejection
• Flux Rope Formation Preceding Coronal Mass Ejection Onset
• Modeling the Dispersal of an Active Region: Quantifying Energy Input into the Corona

Cited by in corpus (9)

• The origin, early evolution and predictability of solar eruptions
• Decoding the Pre-Eruptive Magnetic Field Configurations of Coronal Mass Ejections
• Determining the Intrinsic CME Flux Rope Type Using Remote-sensing Solar Disk Observations
• On-disc Observations of Flux Rope Formation Prior to its Eruption
• Non-equilibrium Flux Rope Formation by Confined Flares Preceding a Solar Coronal Mass Ejection
• On Modeling the Kelvin--Helmholtz Instability in Solar Atmosphere
• Evolution of Plasma Composition in an Eruptive Flux Rope
• Thermodynamic evolution of a sigmoidal active region with associated flares
• Formation and Eruption of Hot Channels during an M6.5 Class Solar Flare