AWARE: An algorithm for the automated characterization of EUV waves in the solar atmosphere

Abstract

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) waves are large-scale propagating disturbances observed in the solar corona, frequently associated with coronal mass ejections and flares. They appear as faint, extended structures propagating from a source region across the structured solar corona. Since their discovery, over two hundred papers discussing their properties, causes and physical nature have been published. However, despite this their fundamental properties and the physics of their interactions with other solar phenomena are still not understood. To further the understanding of EUV waves, we have constructed the Automated Wave Analysis and REduction (AWARE) algorithm for the measurement of EUV waves. AWARE is implemented in two stages. In the first stage, we use a new type of running difference image, the running difference persistence image, which enables the efficient isolation of propagating, brightening wavefronts as they propagate across the corona. In the second stage, AWARE detects the presence of a wavefront, and measures the distance, velocity and acceleration of that wavefront across the Sun. The fit of propagation models to the wave progress isolated in the first stage is achieved using the Random Sample and Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm. AWARE is tested against simulations of EUV wave propagation, and is applied to measure EUV waves in observational data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). We also comment on unavoidable systematic errors that bias the estimation of wavefront velocity and acceleration. In addition, the full AWARE software suite comes with a package that creates simulations of waves propagating across the disk from arbitrary starting points.

References in corpus (17)

• Non-linear force-free field modeling of a solar active region around the time of a major flare and coronal mass ejection
• Advances in Observing Various Coronal EUV Waves in the SDO Era and Their Seismological Applications (Invited Review)
• Quasi-periodic Fast-mode Wave Trains Within a Global EUV Wave and Sequential Transverse Oscillations Detected by SDO/AIA
• High cadence observations of a global coronal wave by EUVI/STEREO
• The Kinematics of a Globally Propagating Disturbance in the Solar Corona
• Numerical Simulation of an EUV Coronal Wave Based on the February 13, 2009 CME Event Observed by STEREO
• Large-scale Coronal Propagating Fronts in Solar Eruptions as Observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on Board the Solar Dynamics Observatory\,--\,An Ensemble Study
• On the Nature and Genesis of EUV Waves: A Synthesis of Observations from SOHO, STEREO, SDO, and Hinode
• SunPy - Python for Solar Physics
• Large-scale Bright Fronts in the Solar Corona: A Review of "EIT waves"
• The Radiated Energy Budget of Chromospheric Plasma in a Major Solar Flare Deduced From Multi-Wavelength Observations
• Understanding the Physical Nature of Coronal "EIT Waves"
• The Wave Properties of Coronal Bright Fronts Observed Using SDO/AIA
• Improved methods for determining the kinematics of coronal mass ejections and coronal waves
• CorPITA: An Automated Algorithm for the Identification and Analysis of Coronal "EIT Waves"
• A Statistical Analysis of the Solar Phenomena Associated with Global EUV Waves
• Recent Developments of NEMO: Detection of Solar Eruptions Characteristics

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Automated detection of coronaL MAss ejecta origiNs for space weather AppliCations (ALMANAC)
• Dependence of the intensity of the nonwave component of EUV waves on coronal magnetic field configuration
• Investigation of the Two-Dimensional Velocity Field of the Large-Scale Coronal Wave from September 6, 2011 using the SOLERwave Tool