Sequential Lid Removal in a Triple-Decker Chain of CME-Producing Solar Eruptions

Abstract

We investigate the onsets of three consecutive coronal mass ejection (CME) eruptions in 12 hours from a large bipolar active region (AR) observed by SDO, STEREO, RHESSI, and GOES. Evidently, the AR initially had a triple-decker configuration: three flux ropes in a vertical stack above the polarity inversion line (PIL). Upon being bumped by a confined eruption of the middle flux rope, the top flux rope erupts to make the first CME and its accompanying AR-spanning flare arcade rooted in a far-apart pair of flare ribbons. The second CME is made by eruption of the previously-arrested middle flux rope, which blows open the flare arcade of the first CME and produces a flare arcade rooted in a pair of flare ribbons closer to the PIL than those of the first CME. The third CME is made by blowout eruption of the bottom flux rope, which blows open the second flare arcade and makes its own flare arcade and pair of flare ribbons. Flux cancellation observed at the PIL likely triggers the initial confined eruption of the middle flux rope. That confined eruption evidently triggers the first CME eruption. The lid-removal mechanism instigated by the first CME eruption plausibly triggers the second CME eruption. Further lid removal by the second CME eruption plausibly triggers the final CME eruption.

arXiv comment27 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Journal

References in corpus (36)

• A Model for Solar Coronal Mass Ejections
• Torus instability
• Confined and ejective eruptions of kink-unstable flux ropes
• Physics of Solar Prominences: II - Magnetic Structure and Dynamics
• Ideal kink instability of a magnetic loop equilibrium
• Physics of Solar Prominences: I - Spectral Diagnostics and Non-LTE Modelling
• A model for magnetically coupled sympathetic eruptions
• Sympathetic Partial and Full Filament Eruptions Observed in One Solar Breakout Event
• Emergence of a Helical Flux Rope Under an Active Region Prominence
• Solar filament eruptions and their physical role in triggering Coronal Mass Ejections
• Slow Rise and Partial Eruption of a Double-Decker Filament. I Observations and Interpretation
• Prominence and Filament Eruptions Observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory: Statistical Properties, Kinematics, and Online Catalog
• Formation of a Double-decker Magnetic Flux Rope in the Sigmoidal Solar Active Region 11520
• Sympathetic Magnetic Breakout Coronal Mass Ejections from Pseudostreamers
• Rapid Changes of Photospheric Magnetic Field after Tether-Cutting Reconnection and Magnetic Implosion
• Investigating Two Successive Flux Rope Eruptions In A Solar Active Region
• Slow Rise and Partial Eruption of a Double-Decker Filament. II. Modeling by a Double Flux Rope Equilibrium
• Tracking the Evolution of A Coherent Magnetic Flux Rope Continuously from the Inner to the Outer Corona
• The Role of Erupting Sigmoid in Triggering a Flare with Parallel and Large-Scale Quasi-Circular Ribbons
• Successive flux rope eruptions from $\delta$-Sunspots region of NOAA 12673 and associated X-class eruptive flares on 2017 September 6
• Evidence for Solar Tether-cutting Magnetic Reconnection from Coronal Field Extrapolations
• Successive Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections on 2005 September 13 from Noaa Ar 10808
• Solar Magnetic Flux Ropes
• Homologous Flux Ropes Observed by SDO/AIA
• Formation and eruption of a flux rope from the sigmoid active region NOAA 11719 and associated M6.5 flare: A multi-wavelength study
• Formation of Compound Flux Rope by The Merging of Two Filament Channels, Associated Dynamics and its Stability
• Double-Decker Filament Configuration Revealed by Mass Motions
• Sympathetic Solar Filament Eruptions on 2015 March 15
• Multi-wavelength signatures of magnetic reconnection of a flare associated coronal mass ejection
• Chain Reconnections observed in Sympathetic Eruptions
• Onset of a Large Ejective Solar Eruption from a Typical Coronal-Jet-Base Field Configuration
• A Multiwavelength Study of Eruptive Events on January 23, 2012 Associated with a Major Solar Energetic Particle Event
• Pre-flare coronal jet and evolutionary phases of a solar eruptive prominence associated with M1.8 flare: SDO and RHESSI observations
• Pre-flare processes, flux rope activation, large-scale eruption and associated X-class flare from the active region NOAA 11875
• Source Regions of the Type II Radio Burst Observed During a CME-CME Interaction on 2013 May 22
• Investigating the driving mechanisms of coronal mass ejections

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Evolutionary stages and triggering process of a complex eruptive flare with circular and parallel ribbons
• Another Look at Erupting Minifilaments at the Base of Solar X-Ray Polar Coronal "Standard" and "Blowout" Jets
• An Observational Study of a "Rosetta-Stone" Solar Eruption
• Eruption of EUV Hot-Channel near Solar Limb and Associated Moving Type-IV Radio Burst
• Homologous compact major blowout-eruption solar flares and their production of broad CMEs