Photospheric signatures of CME onset

Aslam, O P M; MacTaggart, D; Williams, T; Fletcher, L; Romano, P

Abstract

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are solar eruptions that involve large-scale changes to the magnetic topology of an active region. There exists a range of models for CME onset which are based on twisted or sheared magnetic field above a polarity inversion line (PIL). We present observational evidence that topological changes at PILs, in the photosphere, form a key part of CME onset, as implied by many models. In particular, we study the onset of 30 CMEs and investigate topological changes in the photosphere by calculating the magnetic winding flux, using the artop code. By matching the times and locations of winding signatures with CME observations produced by the almanac code, we confirm that these signatures are indeed associated with CMEs. Therefore, as well as presenting evidence that changes in magnetic topology at the photosphere are a common signature of CME onset, our approach also allows for the finding of the source location of a CME within an active region.

Citation

Aslam, O. P. M., MacTaggart, D., Williams, T., Fletcher, L., & Romano, P. (2024). Photospheric signatures of CME onset. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 534(1), 444-454. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2110

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 9, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 10, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-10
• Deposit Date: Nov 7, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 7, 2024
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2966
• Publisher: Royal Astronomical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 534
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 444-454
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2110
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3085251