The surge-like eruption of a miniature filament associated with circular flare ribbon

We present a study of a mini-filament erupting in association with a circular ribbon flare observed by NVST and SDO/AIA on 2014 March 17. The filament was located at one footpoint region of a large loops. The potential field extrapolation shows that it was embedded under a magnetic null point configuration. First, we observed a brightening of the filament at the corresponding EUV images, close to one end of the filament. With time evolution, a circular flare ribbon was observed around the filament at the onset of the eruption, which is regarded as a signature of reconnection at the null point. After the filament activation, its eruption took the form of a surge, which ejected along one end of a large-scale closed coronal loops with a curtain-like shape. We conjecture that the null point reconnection may facilitate the eruption of the filament.     

The eruption of a small filament in the quiet Sun

We analyzed multi-wavelength observations of the eruption of a small-scale filament on the quiet Sun. The filament first became thicker, then broke into two, and eventually underwent a partial eruption with possible rotating motion. The eruption was followed by a small flare with three bright kernels on either side of the eruptive section in Hα and a small coronal dimming near one end of this section in EUV and soft X-ray. On the photosphere, MDI magnetograms show the flux emergence or motions and cancellation between opposite polarities before and during the filament eruption. We find that this small-scale filament shows the similar characteristics as the previous findings in the large-scale filament eruptions on the multi-wavelength, indicating the common nature.     

An EUV Jet and Hα Filament Eruption Associated with Flux Cancelation in a Decaying Active Region

Using data from the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), and Hida Observatory (HO), we present a detailed study of an EUV jet and the associated Hα filament eruption in a major flare in the active region NOAA 10044 on 29 July 2002. In the Hα line wings, a small filament was found to erupt out from the magnetic neutral line of the active region during the flare. Two bright EUV loops were observed rising and expanding with the filament eruption, and both hot and cool EUV plasma ejections were observed to form the EUV jet. The two thermal components spatially separated from each other and lasted for about 25 minutes. In the white-light corona data, a narrow coronal mass ejection (CME) was found to respond to this EUV jet. We cannot find obvious emerging flux in the photosphere accounting for the filament eruption and the EUV jet. However, significant sunspot decay and magnetic-flux cancelation owing to collision of opposite flux before the events were noticed. Based on the hard X-ray data from RHESSI, which showed evidence of magnetic reconnection along the main magnetic neutral line, we think that all of the observed dynamical phenomena, including the EUV jet, filament eruption, flare, and CME, should have a close relation to the flux cancelation in the low atmosphere.     

3-D Magnetic Field Configuration Late in a Large Two-Ribbon Flare

We present H and coronal X-ray images of the large two-ribbon flare of 25–26 June, 1992 during its long-lasting gradual decay phase. From these observations we deduce that the 3-D magnetic field configuration late in this flare was similar to that at and before the onset of such large eruptive bipolar flares: the sheared core field running under and out of the flare arcade was S-shaped, and at least one elbow of the S looped into the low corona. From previous observations of filament-eruption flares, we infer that such core-field coronal elbows, though rarely observed, are probably a common feature of the 3-D magnetic field configuration late in large two-ribbon flares. The rare circumstance that apparently resulted in a coronal elbow of the core field being visible in H in our flare was the occurrence of a series of subflares low in the core field under the late-phase arcade of the large flare; these subflares probably produced flaring arches in the northern coronal elbow, thereby rendering this elbow visible in H. The observed late-phase 3-D field configuration presented here, together with the recent sheared-core bipolar magnetic field model of Antiochos, Dahlburg, and Klimchuk (1994) and recent Yohkoh SXT observations of the coronal magnetic field configuration at and before the onset of large eruptive bipolar flares, supports the seminal 3-D model for eruptive two-ribbon flares proposed by Hirayama (1974), with three modifications: (1) the preflare magnetic field is closed over the filament-holding core field; (2) the preflare core field has the shape of an S (or backward S) with coronal elbows; (3) a lower part of the core field does not erupt and open, but remains closed throughout flare, and can have prominent coronal elbows. In this picture, the rest of the core field, the upper part, does erupt and open along with the preflare arcade envelope field in which it rides; the flare arcade is formed by reconnection that begins in the middle of the core field at the start of the eruption and progresses from reconnecting closed core field early in the flare to reconnecting opened envelope field late in the flare.     

Eruption of an Active-Region Filament Driven by an Emerging Bipole

1 INTRODUCTION Filaments are cool, dense material suspended in the hot, tenuous corona. It is widely accepted that the global magnetic field surrounding the filaments plays a key role in their formation, structure and stability (Tandberg-Hanssen1995). Fil…     

Multi-wavelength observations of the onset phase of a coronal mass ejection

The structure and dynamics of the initial phases of a coronal mass ejection (CME) seen in soft X-ray, extreme ultraviolet and optical emission are described. The event occurred on the SW limb of the Sun in active region AR 8026 on 9 April 1997. Just prior to the CME there was a class C1.5 flare. Images taken with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) reveal the emergence of a candle-flame shaped extreme ultraviolet (EUV) cavity at the time of the flare. Yohkoh images, taken about 15 min later, show that this cavity is filled with hot X-ray emitting gas. It is most likely that this is the site of the flare. Almost simultaneous to the flare, an H surge or small filament eruption occurs about 50 arc sec northwards along the limb from the EUV cavity. At both the site of the core of the hot, EUV cavity and the filament ejection are X-ray jets. These jets seem to be connected by hot loops near their bases. Both jets disappear within a few minutes of one another.Clear evidence of the CME first appeared in the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and EIT images 40 min after the flare and onset of the filament ejection. It seems to come from a region between the two X-ray jets. This leads to the speculation that magnetic field reconnection near one footpoint of a loop system triggers reconnection near its other footpoint. The loop system is destabilized and ultimately gives rise to the CME. This possibility is supported by magnetic field and H images taken when the active region was at disk center which show that the active region had a double bipole structure with dark H filaments between the bipoles.     

Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Flares and a Unified Model of Flares

The solar X-ray observing satellite Yohkoh has discovered various new dynamic features in solar flares and corona, e.g., cusp-shaped flare loops, above-the-loop-top hard X-ray sources, X-ray plasmoid ejections from impulsive flares, transient brightenings (spatially resolved microflares), X-ray jets, large scale arcade formation associated with filament eruption or coronal mass ejections, and so on. It has soon become clear that many of these features are closely related to magnetic reconnection. We can now say that Yohkoh established (at least phenomenologically) the magnetic reconnection model of flares. In this paper, we review various evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares and corona, and present unified model of flares on the basis of these new Yohkoh observations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Asymmetrical Eruption of a Quiescent Filament and Associated Halo CME

We will present detailed observations of the asymmetrical eruption of a large quiescent filament on 24 November 2002, which was followed by a two-ribbon flare, three coronal dimmings, endpoint brightenings, and a very fast halo-type coronal mass ejection (CME). Before the eruption, the filament lay along the main neutral line (MNL) underneath a single-arcade helmet streamer with a simple bipolar configuration. However, photospheric magnetic fields on both sides of the filament showed an asymmetrical distribution, and the filament and MNL were not located just at the center of the streamer base but were closer to the eastern leg of the streamer arcade. Therefore, instead of erupting along the streamer’s symmetrical axis, the filament showed a nonradial and asymmetrical eruption. It lifted from the eastern flank of the streamer arcade to impact the western leg directly, leading to an asymmetrical CME that expanded westward; eventually the streamer was disrupted significantly. Accordingly, the opposite-polarity coronal dimmings at both sides of the filament forming in the eruption also showed an asymmetrical area distribution. We thus assume that the streamer arcade could guide the filament at the early eruption phase but failed to restrain it later. Consistent with previous results, these observations suggest that the global background magnetic field can impose additional action on the initial eruption of the filament and CME, as well as the dimming configuration.     

The pre-onset morphology of the 5 September 1973 flare

Simultaneous visible, EUV, and X-ray observations of magnetic structures before and during the onset of the flare of 5 September 1973 are co-registered and interpreted. Ninety minutes before the flare, intense EUV knots fluctuate near the loops which subsequently flare. The pre-flare loop is observed in O IV 554, but not in X-rays, which show instead a parallel structure which is related either to a darkening filament or the subsequent flare kernels. As the full disk X-ray emission increases, first the EUV flare loop appears, then X-ray kernels form at the feet of two EUV loops, one of which overlies the activated filament. The flaring, at any given time, is confined to a single loop (or bundle of loops) whose long axis (barely) crosses the neutral line. As time progresses, the flaring moves to other (probably higher) loops sharing the off-band H footpoints but whose axes are rotated relative to the earlier loops by angles of about 30°. Previous interpretations of single-telescope observations are revised in this joint investigation.     

Extreme Ultraviolet Late-Phase Flares: Before and During the Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission

The solar extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) have revealed interesting characteristics of warm coronal emissions, such as Fe xvi 335 Å emission, which peak soon after the hot coronal X-ray emissions peak during a flare and then sometimes peak for a second time hours after the X-ray flare peak. This flare type, with two warm coronal emission peaks but only one X-ray peak, has been named the EUV late phase (Woods et al., Astrophys. J. 739, 59, 2011). These flares have the distinct properties of i) having a complex magnetic-field structure with two initial sets of coronal loops, with one upper set overlaying a lower set, ii) having an eruptive flare initiated in the lower set and disturbing both loop sets, iii) having the hot coronal emissions emitted only from the lower set in conjunction with the X-ray peak, and iv) having the first peak of the warm coronal emissions associated with the lower set and its second peak emitted from the upper set many minutes to hours after the first peak and without a second X-ray enhancement. The disturbance of the coronal loops by the eruption is at about the same time, but the relaxation and cooling down of the heated coronal loops during the post-flare reconnections have different time scales with the longer, upper loops being significantly delayed from the lower loops. The difference in these cooling time scales is related to the difference between the two peak times of the warm coronal emission and is also apparent in the decay profile of the X-ray emissions having two distinct decays, with the first decay slope being steeper (faster) and the delayed decay slope being smaller (slower) during the time of the warm-coronal-emission second peak. The frequency and relationship of the EUV late-phase decay times between the Fe xvi 335 Å two flare peaks and X-ray decay slopes are examined using three years of SDO/EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) data, and the X-ray dual-decay character is then exploited to estimate the frequency of EUV late-phase flares during the past four solar cycles. This study indicates that the frequency of EUV late-phase flares peaks before and after each solar-cycle minimum.     

Formation of Transient Coronal Holes during the Eruption of a Quiescent Filament and its Overlying Sigmoid

By using Hα, He I 10830, EUV and soft X-ray (SXR) data, we examined a filament eruption that occurred on a quiet-sun region near the center of the solar disk on 2006 January 12, which disturbed a sigmoid overlying the filament channel observed by the GOES-12 SXR Imager (SXI), and led to the eruption of the sigmoid. The event was associated with a partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraphs (LASCO) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and resulted in the formation of two flare-like ribbons, post-eruption coronal loops, and two transient coronal holes (TCHs), but there were no significantly recorded GOES or Hα flares corresponding to the eruption. The two TCHs were dominated by opposite magnetic polarities and were located on the two ends of the eruptive sigmoid. They showed similar locations and shapes in He Ⅰ 10830, EUV and SXR observations. During the early eruption phase, brightenings first appeared on the locations of the two subsequent TCHs, which could be clearly identified on He Ⅰ 10830, EUV and SXR images. This eruption could be explained by the magnetic flux rope model, and the two TCHs were likely to be the feet of the flux rope.     

Active-Region Filaments and X-ray Sigmoids

We use Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope data and H full-disk observations to study the evolution of chromospheric filaments and coronal sigmoids in 6 active regions in association with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In two cases, CMEs are directly observed by the SOHO/LASCO C2 coronagraph. In four cases, other observations (magnetic clouds, geomagnetic storms, sigmoid-arcade evolution) are used as CME indicators. Prior to eruption, each active region shows a bright coronal sigmoidal loop and underlying H filament. The sigmoid activates, erupts and gets replaced by a cusp, or an arcade. In contrast, the H filament shows no significant changes in association with sigmoid eruption and CME. We explain these observations in a framework of the classical two-ribbon flare model.     

EUV emission,filament activation and magnetic fields in a slow-rise flare

The evolution of coronal and chromospheric structures is examined together with magnetograms for the 1B flare of January 19, 1972. Soft X-ray and EUV studies are based on the OSO-7 data. The H filtergrams and magnetograms came from the Sacramento Peak Observatory. Theoretical force-free magnetic field configurations are compared with structures seen in the soft X-ray, EUV and H images. Until the flare, two prominent spots were connected by a continuous dark filament and their overlying coronal structure underwent an expansion at the sunspot separation rate of 0.1 km s^–1. On January 19, the flare occurred as new magnetic fields emerged at 10¹⁹ Mx h^–1 beneath the filament, which untwisted and erupted as the flare began. The pre-flare coronal emissions remained unchanged during the flare except for the temporary addition of a localized enhancement that started 5 min after flare onset. EUV lines normally emitted in the upper transition region displayed a sudden enhancement coinciding in time and location with a bright H point, which is believed to be near the flare trigger or onset point. The EUV flash and the initial H brightening, both of which occurred near the center of the activated filament, were followed by a second EUV enhancement at the end of the filament. The complete disruption of the filament was accompanied by a third EUV enhancement and a rapid rise in the soft X-ray emission spatially coincident with the disappearing filament. From the change of magnetic field inferred from H filtergrams and from force-free field calculations, the energy available for the flare is estimated at approximately 10³¹ erg. Apparently, changes in the overlying coronal magnetic field were not required to provide the flare energy. Rather, it is suggested that the flare actually started in the twisted filament where it was compressed by emerging fields. Clearly, the flare started below the corona, and it appears that it derived its energy from the magnetic fields in or near the filament.NCAR is sponsored by NSF.     

Stereoscopic Analysis of the 19 May 2007 Erupting Filament

A filament eruption, accompanied by a B9.5 flare, coronal dimming, and an EUV wave, was observed by the Solar TERrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) on 19 May 2007, beginning at about 13:00 UT. Here, we use observations from the SECCHI/EUVI telescopes and other solar observations to analyze the behavior and geometry of the filament before and during the eruption. At this time, STEREO A and B were separated by about 8.5°, sufficient to determine the three-dimensional structure of the filament using stereoscopy. The filament could be followed in SECCHI/EUVI 304 Å stereoscopic data from about 12 hours before to about 2 hours after the eruption, allowing us to determine the 3D trajectory of the erupting filament. From the 3D reconstructions of the filament and the chromospheric ribbons in the early stage of the eruption, simultaneous heating of both the rising filamentary material and the chromosphere directly below is observed, consistent with an eruption resulting from magnetic reconnection below the filament. Comparisons of the filament during eruption in 304 Å and Hα? show that when it becomes emissive in He II, it tends to disappear in Hα?, indicating that the disappearance probably results from heating or motion, not loss, of filamentary material.     

Observations of CME-related phenomena in a wide spectral range

We study pre-eruptive, eruptive, and post-eruptive phenomena related to a CME that occurred on November 23, 2000 by means of joint analyses of data from various spectral ranges. Almost all known CME-associated phenomena were observed during this event, i.e., a filament eruption, solar flare, dimmings, and a post-eruptive arcade formation. Following a chain of events observed in various spectral ranges, we find that the event occurred in an activity complex consisting of active regions 9231 and 9238, and that it was triggered by a magnetic flux emergence, which caused a flare in AR 9231. In turn, the flare triggered activation and eruption of the filament followed by the CME and the flare in AR 9238 in which the post-eruptive arcade was observed. We discuss some characteristics of the flare and CME and also estimate the magnetic field strength in the coronal arcade to be about 200 G from spatially resolved polarization measurements in microwaves with radio telescopes. In this particular case, the only significant emission mechanism is optically thin free-free emission, and the possible contribution of nonthermal emissions cannot change our estimate of the magnetic field strength in the corona. However, generally one should make sure that the nonthermal contribution cannot be important in similar cases; otherwise, the magnetic field can be well overestimated. Here, we specifically address the identification technique of the radio emission mechanism.     

Multiwavelength Observations of a Failed Flux Rope in the Eruption and Associated M-Class Flare from NOAA AR 11045

We present the multiwavelength observations of a flux rope that was trying to erupt from NOAA AR 11045 and the associated M-class solar flare on 12 February 2010 using space-based and ground-based observations from TRACE, STEREO, SOHO/MDI, Hinode/XRT, and BBSO. While the flux rope was rising from the active region, an M1.1/2F class flare was triggered near one of its footpoints. We suggest that the flare triggering was due to the reconnection of a rising flux rope with the surrounding low-lying magnetic loops. The flux rope reached a projected height of ≈0.15R _⊙ with a speed of ≈90 km s⁻¹ while the soft X-ray flux enhanced gradually during its rise. The flux rope was suppressed by an overlying field, and the filled plasma moved towards the negative polarity field to the west of its activation site. We found the first observational evidence of the initial suppression of a flux rope due to a remnant filament visible both at chromospheric and coronal temperatures that evolved a couple of days earlier at the same location in the active region. SOHO/MDI magnetograms show the emergence of a bipole ≈12 h prior to the flare initiation. The emerged negative polarity moved towards the flux rope activation site, and flare triggering near the photospheric polarity inversion line (PIL) took place. The motion of the negative polarity region towards the PIL helped in the build-up of magnetic energy at the flare and flux rope activation site. This study provides unique observational evidence of a rising flux rope that failed to erupt due to a remnant filament and overlying magnetic field, as well as associated triggering of an M-class flare.     

Solar proton flare 4B/X17.2 on October 28, 2003. Photometric results

The powerful flare 4B/X17.2 of October 28, 2003 in the NOAA 10486 active region is studied by using H_α filtergrams. This active region had a complicated βγδ magnetic configuration and a sigmoidal pattern of the polarity inversion line, it had the largest AR area in the cycle 23. Local filaments, loops, and systems of loops were also observed in the AR. The light curves obtained for all flare knots clearly reveal two stages in their evolution. The first stage is the pre-flare one, when the accumulation of the nonpotential magnetic energy (the energy of electric currents) comes to an end and the situation becomes favorable for the realization of the second period. The intensity of flare knots (except one knot) changed slightly and slowly, and some structure features (twists and connections) became more active. By the end of the first stage a new magnetic flux emerged and a system of interrelated filaments and loops (IFL) was formed at the center of the AR as well as at its periphery. New flare knots appeared about the main S-like filament. The second flare stage began at about 11:02 UT with a dramatic increase of the intensity and area of all flare knots and the formation of new knots. In a space of 8 min the major part of the AR around the main filament was covered with flare emission which fluctuated at its maximum period. The intensity of all knots was observed to drop slowly after the maximum, at the decay phase. As the IFL system extended over the entire AR, the magnetic field energy accumulated in it was released in the form of powerful electromagnetic and corpuscular emission by way of magnetic reconnection.     

Formation of the CME Leading Edge Observed in the 2003 February 18 Event

This work investigates a typical coronal mass ejection (CME) observed on 2003 February 18, by various space and ground instruments, in white light, Ha, EUV and X-ray. The Ha and EUV images indicate that the CME started with the eruption of a long filament located near the solar northwest limb. The white light coronal images show that the CME initiated with the rarefaction of a region above the solar limb and followed by the formation of a bright arcade at the boundary of the rarefying region at height 0.46 R(?) above the solar surface. The rarefying process synchronized with the slow rising phase of the eruptive filament, and the CME leading edge was observed to form as the latter started to accelerate. The lower part of the filament brightened in Ha as the filament rose to a certain height and parts of the filament was visible in the GOES X-ray images during the rise. These brightenings imply that the filament may be heated by the magnetic reconnection below the filament in the early stage of the eruption. We suggest that a possible mechanism which leads to the formation of the CME leading edge and cavity is the magnetic reconnection which takes place below the filament after the filament has reached a certain height.     

Transequatorial Filament Eruption and Its Link to a Coronal Mass Ejection

We revisit the Bastille Day flare/CME Event of 2000 July 14, and demonstrate that this flare/CME event is not related to only one single active region (AR). Activation and eruption of a huge transequatorial filament are seen to precede the simultaneous filament eruption and flare in the source active region, NOAA AR 9077, and the full halo-CME in the high corona. Evidence of reconfiguration of large-scale magnetic structures related to the event is illustrated by SOHO EIT and Yohkoh SXT observations, as well as, the reconstructed 3D magnetic lines of force based on the force-free assumption. We suggest that the AR filament in AR9077 was connected to the transequatorial filament. The large-scale magnetic composition related to the transequatorial filament and its sheared magnetic arcade appears to be an essential part of the CME parent magnetic structure. Estimations show that the filament-arcade system has enough magnetic helicity to account for the helicity carried by the related CMEs. In addition, rather global magnetic connectivity, covering almost all the visible range in longitude and a huge span in latitude on the Sun, is implied by the Nancay Radioheliograph (NRH) observations. The analysis of the Bastille Day event suggests that although the triggering of a global CME might take place in an AR, a much larger scale magnetic composition seems to be the source of the ejected magnetic flux, helicity and plasma. The Bastille Day event is the first described example in the literature, in which a transequatorial filament activity appears to play a key role in a global CME. Many tens of halo-CME are found to be associated with transequatorial filaments and their magnetic environment.     

The eruption of a prominence and coronal mass ejection which drive reconnection

Two possible limiting scenarios are proposed for the production of a coronal mass ejection. In the first the magnetic field around a prominence evolves until it loses equilibrium and erupts, which drives reconnection below the prominence and an eruption of the overlying magnetic arcade. In the second a large-scale magnetic arcade evolves until it loses equilibrium and erupts, thereby causing a prominence to erupt. In general it is likely to be the non-equilibrium of the coupled system which creates the eruption. Furthermore, large quiescent prominences are expected to be centred within the magnetic bubble of a coronal mass ejection whereas when active-region prominences erupt they are likely to be located initially to one side of the bubble.A model is set up for the eruption of a magnetically coupled prominence and coronal mass ejection. This represents a development of the Anzer and Pneuman (1982) model by overcoming two limitations of it, namely that: it is not globally stable initially and so one wonders how it can be set up in a stable way before the eruption; it has reconnection driving the CME whereas recent observations suggest that the reverse may be happening. In our model we assume that magnetic reconnection below the prominence is driven by the eruption and the driver is magnetic non-equilibrium in the coupled prominence-mass ejection system. The prominence is modelled as a twisted flux tube and the mass ejection as an overlying void and magnetic bubble. Two different models of the prominence are considered. In one a globally stable equilibrium becomes unstable when a threshold magnetic flux below the prominence is exceeded and, in the other, equilibrium ceases to exist. In both cases, the prominence and mass-ejection accelerate upwards before reaching constant velocities in a manner that is consistent with observations. It is found that the greater the reconnection that is driven by the eruption, the higher is the final speed.