Motion of an eruptive prominence in the solar corona

A model for the nonradial motion of an eruptive prominence in the solar corona is proposed. Such motions, which can sometimes be inaccessible to observation, result in an apparent break in the causal link between eruptive prominences and coronal mass ejections. The global magnetic field of the Sun governs coronal plasma motions. The complex structure of this field can form prominence trajectories that differ considerably from a simple vertical rise (i.e., radial motion). A solar filament is modeled as a current-carrying ring or twisted toroidal magnetic rope in equilibrium with the coronal magnetic field. The global field is described using two spherical harmonics. A catastrophic violation of the filament equilibrium followed by its rapid acceleration—eruption—is possible in this nonlinear system. The numerical solution of the equations of motion corresponds well to the eruption pattern observed on December 14, 1997.     

Height of a solar filament before eruption

The relationship between the height of a solar filament observed above the photosphere before the eruption on October 21, 2010, and the critical height of a stable equilibrium of magnetic flux ropes in the coronal magnetic field is analyzed. Data from the SDO, SOHO, and STEREO space observatories observing at different viewing angles makes it possible to deduce these parameters with high accuracy. It is shown that the filament height slowly increased over several days, with the eruption occuring when the height reached the critical value of 80 Mm.     

Propagation of a fast magnetoacoustic shock wave in the magnetosphere of an active region

The propagation of a fast magnetoacoustic shock wave the magnetosphere of a solar active region is considered the nonlinear geometrical acoustics approximation. The magnetic field is modeled as a subphotospheric magnetic dipole embedded in the radial field of the quiet corona. The initial parameters of the wave are specified at a spherical surface in the depths of the active region. The wave propagates asymmetrically and is reflected from regions of the strong magnetic field, which results in the radiation of the wave energy predominantly upwards. Substantial gradients in the Alfvén speed facilitate appreciable growth in the wave intensity. Non-linear damping of the wave and divergence of the wave front lead to the opposite effect. Analysis of the joint action of these factors shows that a fast magnetoacoustic perturbation outgoing from an active region can correspond to a shock wave of moderate intensity. This supports the scenario in which the primary source of the coronal wave is an eruptive filament that impulsively expands in the magnetosphere of an active region.     

Non-radial coronal streamers in the course of the solar cycle

Equatorward deviations of coronal streamers at solar minima and poleward deviations at solar maxima are interpreted as the effects of changes in the general topology of the global solar magnetic field. The streamer axis is located on the neutral surface of the radial magnetic field B _r = 0, and the neutral surfaces deviate toward the field null points. The magnetic configuration with a null point (line) located at the equator is typical for the solar minima, while the null points are located on the rotational axis of the Sun at the solar maxima.     

Three types of flows in the structure of the solar wind

An experimental study of the source and formation of large-scale streams in the solar wind is presented. Radio-astronomical data from 1998 are compared with optical SOHO observations and solar coronal magnetic fields calculated from Zeeman data obtained at the Wilcox Observatory. A correlation between the geometry of the solar-wind transition region and the strength of coronal magnetic fields is revealed. For the moderate heliolatitudes studied, this correlation divides into three branches corresponding to three types of coronal magnetic-field structures: open structures with field lines escaping into interplanetary space, closed structures with loop-like field lines, and intermediate structures including both open and closed configurations. High-speed streams of solar wind originate in regions with open magnetic structures. These structures are connected with the lateral lobes of streamers at moderate heliolatitudes. Low-speed flows originate above closed magnetic structures, typical of the main bodies of streamers. The lowest-speed solar-wind flows are not associated with coronal streamer structures, and originate in coronal regions with intermediate magnetic configurations simultaneously containing open and closed field lines. In these regions, the white-light corona becomes an extended and amorphous area with high luminosity, which stratifies into a radial structure with narrow stripes at higher resolution.     

The three-dimensional structure of the solar corona

The surface where the radial component of the solar magnetic field changes sign is computed for a minimum corona. It is shown that (1) the projection of the folds of this surface onto the plane of the sky is consistent with the helmet structures observed during the eclipse of June 30, 1954; (2) there are type 1 and type 2 helmets, according to the well-known classification of coronal structures; (3) some elements of this sign-change surface of the radial field can be classified as so-called envelopes. The results obtained suggest that more complex coronal structures can be described in a similar way. An MHD model of polar plumes is considered.     

A study of eruptive solar events with negative radio bursts

Solar events of June 15/16, 2000, June 1/2, 2002, February 6, 2002, and February 7, 2002, have been studied. These events probably belong to a poorly studied class of explosive eruptions. In such events disintegration of the magnetic structure of an eruptive filament and dispersing of its fragments as a cloud over a considerable part of the solar surface are possible. The analysis of SOHO/EIT extreme ultraviolet images obtained in the 195 Å and 304 Å channels has revealed the appearance of dimmings of various shapes and propagation of a coronal wave for June 1/2, 2002. In all the events the Nobeyama, Learmonth, and Ussuriysk observatories recorded negative radio bursts at several frequencies in the 1–10 GHz range. Most likely, these bursts were due to absorption of solar radio emission in clouds produced by fragments of filaments. Absorption of the solar background radiation can be observed as a depression of the emission in the 304 Å channel. A model has been developed, which permits one to estimate parameters of absorbing plasma such as temperature, optical thickness, area of the absorbing cloud, and its height above the chromosphere from the radio absorption observed at several frequencies. The obtained values of the temperature, 8000–9000 K, demonstrate that the absorber was the material of an erupted cool filament. The model estimate of the masses of the ejecta in the considered events were ～10¹⁵ g, which is comparable to masses of typical filaments and coronal mass ejections.     

Analysis of a solar eruptive event on November 4, 2001, using CORONAS-F/SPIRIT data

We analyze large-scale solar activity following the eruption of a very powerful, geoeffective coronal mass ejection in the 23rd solar cycle, observed at 175, 284, and 304 Å on November 4, 2001, using data from the CORONAS-F/SPIRIT telescope. In particular, we have shown that the restructuring of the magnetic field above the eruption center was accompanied by the formation of a multicomponent post-eruptive arcade, which was observed in all three bands over many hours and had an extent of the order of 0.5R_⊙. Two kinds of dimmings were observed, i.e., compact dimmings on either side of this arcade and channeled dimmings along some extended features beyond the active region. The intensity in the dimmings decreased by several tens of percent. The enhanced emission observed at the top of the post-eruptive arcade can be due to energy release in the course of magnetic reconnection high in the corona at the relaxation stage of the perturbed magnetic field to a new equilibrium state with a closed configuration. It can also be due to an enhanced emission measure because of the oblique direction of the line of sight crossing both loop tops and footpoint regions. The spatial coincidence of the main dimmings in lines corresponding to different temperatures indicates that a plasma outflow from the transition region and coronal structures with opened field lines are responsible for these dimmings. Variations in the plasma temperature associated with coronal mass ejections probably play an important role for some dimmings, which appear different in different lines.     

Large-scale phenomena on the Sun associated with the eruption of filaments outside active regions: the event of September 12, 1999

The event of September 12, 1999 is used to analyze large-scale disturbances associated with coronal mass ejections during the eruption of filaments outside active regions. The analysis is based on Hα filtergrams, EUV and soft X-ray images, and coronograph data. The filament eruption occurred in relatively weak magnetic fields, but was accompanied by larger-scale phenomena than flare events. During several hours after the eruption, a large-scale arcade developed, whose bases formed diverging flare-like ribbons. The volume of the event was bounded by an “EIT wave”, which was quasi-stationary at the solar surface and expanded above the limb. The event did not have an impulsive component; therefore the “EIT wave” above the limb was a magnetic structure, identified as the front of a coronal mass ejection by virtue of its shape, structural features, and kinematics. Three types of dimmings were observed within the areal of the event, cause by (a) the evacuation of plasma, (b) heating of plasma with its subsequent evacuation, and (c) the absorption of radiation in a system of filaments activated by the eruption. The fact that a dimming appeared due to plasma heating was revealed by its presence in soft X-rays, whereas the four EIT channels did not demonstrate this. This brings into question the correctness of certain conclusions drawn earlier based purely on EIT data. A transformation of magnetic fields brought about by the eruption also occurred in a stationary coronal hole adjacent to the areal of the event. The expansion of the coronal mass ejection was self-similar and characterized by a rapidly decreasing acceleration, which is not taken into account in the widely used polynomial approximation.     

A model of a solar flare: Comparisons with observations of high-energy processes

New data for the energy and location of the hard-emission centers of a solar flare agree with an electrodynamic model of a solar flare based on the idea of the accumulation of free magnetic energy in the field of a current sheet. Three-dimensional MHD simulations are used to show that the energy stored in the preflare magnetic field of the current sheet is sufficient for the development of a flare and a coronal mass ejection. The flare and coronal mass ejection result from the explosive decay of the current sheet. The position of the brightness-temperature maximum of the radio emission during the flare coincides with the maximum of the current in the current sheet. The exponential spectrum of relativistic protons generated during the flare is consistent with acceleration by the electric field during the current-sheet decay.     

The structure of solar filaments. Prominences in the corona free from external magnetic field

The new approach to the modeling of quiescent solar prominences is proposed. We solve the inverse magnetohydrostatic problem, when the pressure, density and temperature of plasma in the filament are calculated from the equilibrium equations using the given magnetic structure (magnetic flux function is proposed to be known). The new exact nonlinear solutions for dense (n ≈ (2?3) × 10¹¹ cm^?3) and cold (T ≈ (5?10) × 10³ K) filaments, embedded in the plan, vertically stratified atmosphere (hot solar corona) free of magnetic field, are derived. The filaments are stretched along the horizontal axisy(the translational symmetry is assumed: ?/?y = 0) and located parallel to and above a photospheric, magnetic polarity reversal line. The magnetic field lines have a structure of magnetic flux rope with helical field lines in three-dimensional space; the strength of magnetic field falls rapidly with distance from a rope axis. No external longitudinal magnetic field is needed to equilibrate the prominence. The net electric current along the filament is equal to zero. The model of magnetic arcade with the deflection (sag) on the top, proposed by Pikelner (1971) as a basic form of normal prominence, is calculated also using the method proposed. It is shown that such magnetic arcade, having the magnetic field strength of few gauss only, can effectively maintain the equilibrium of cool dense filament at the heights about 50–60 Mm.     

The generation of magnetic field via convective motions in the photosphere,Alvén waves,and the origin of chromospheric spicules

The basis is laid out for a theory relating various phenomena in the solar atmosphere, including localized concentrations of magnetic field at the bases of coronal magnetic arches, chromospheric spicules, twisted coronal magnetic flux tubes, and flows of energy carried by Alfvén waves propagating upward into the corona. The structure of photospheric currents localized in the vicinity of supergranule boundaries and excited by convective motions is studied. These currents exist primarily in a “dynamo layer” of sharply enhanced transverse conductivity, which forms in the weakly ionized thermal photospheric plasma located in the solar gravitational field. The motions of the electrons and ions in this layer have appreciably different characters: the ions are collisionly driven by the flows of neutral atoms, while the electrons drift in the crossed electric and magnetic fields. The electric field supporting the current arises due to the polarization of the electrons and ions. This field also gives rise to Alfvén perturbations that propagate upward into the corona, together with their associated longitudinal currents. The character of this “loading” makes the system of fields and currents uniquely defined. Moreover, the momentum flux carried by these Alfvén waves should be transferred to the cool chromospheric gas, facilitating the vertical ejection of this gas in the form of spicules, as was first proposed in 1992 by Haerendel.     

Some properties of the joining of solar filaments

Some possibilities for the reconnection of magnetic-field lines of solar filaments that approach when the photospheric polarity inversion lines change their positions, are discussed. The interaction between filaments depends on their internal properties, which are determined by the filament chirality, or the sign of the helicity of the filament magnetic field. In quadrupolar magnetic configurations, filaments with the same chirality can exchange their halves. Filaments with opposite chirality rupture after the reconnection of the polarity inversion lines, since the two fragments of the different filaments cannot be connected continuously. The morphology and connectivity of the filaments are analyzed using daily Hα filtergrams obtained over the period of maximum activity of the 23rd solar cycle. Examples of alterations of the filament connectivity occuring during the evolution of photospheric fields are presented.     

Open magnetic fields on the Sun and solar wind parameters at the Earth’s orbit

It is shown that the parameters of the solar-wind magnetic field are determined by regions in coronal holes at distances of 1.1–1.4 solar radii, where the field lines are radial at low heights. Expanding further in a narrow nozzle or funnel, the field lines become radial throughout the unipolar region at 2.5 solar radii. Hence, the traditional approach of comparing the characteristics of the interplanetary field at the Earth’s orbit and at the corresponding helio-projection point on the Sun is not quite correct. It gives good results for the signs and sector structure of the field; however, the magnitude of the field is formed in a more extensive area. Taking this into account, we can correlate the field values on the Sun with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and thus explain the absence of weak fields in the vicinity of the IMF neutral line (the two-peaked nature of the distribution).     

Decay of activity complexes and the formation of coronal holes

Analysis of long-term measurements of solar magnetic fields and the flux of UV radiation from the Sun indicates a cause-effect relationship between activity complexs, their residual magnetic fields, and coronal holes. A comparison of the background magnetic fields of the Sun and the evolution of former activity complexes reveals unipolar magnetic regions that form after the decay of these complexes. The latitude and time evolution of unipolar magnetic regions in solar cycles 21–24 is studied. A North-South asymmetry in solar activity is manifest in the distribution of unipolar regions migrating toward higher latitudes. It is shown that, when residual magnetic fields of the opposite polarity reach the polar regions, this leads to a sign change of the polar magnetic field and a decrease in the area of polar coronal holes, or even their complete disappearance. These interactions can explain the triple sign change of the polar magnetic field of the Sun in cycle 21 and the short-term polarity reversals observed in 2010 and 2011.     

The structure of the coronal-streamer belt

We analyze calibrated white-light coronal images from the LASCO-C2/SOHO experiment (processing level L1), focusing on quasistationary events without coronal mass ejections or their manifestations in the solar wind. The previous result that the streamer belt forms a set of rays of increased brightness is confirmed. The cross section of the streamer belt is frequently observed as two closely spaced rays differing in brightness. It is difficult to explain this in terms of ordinary bending of the belt. We suggest that the belt is normally a set of pairs of rays with enhanced brightness (or two close rows of rays). The distance between the rays in each pair is comparable to the ray size. The ray brightnesses in any pair can, in general, be different. The magnetic field has opposite directions in the rays forming a pair, so that the neutral line of the radial component of the solar magnetic field probably runs along the strip between the pairs of rays.     

Effects of coronal mass ejections on distant coronal streamers

The effects of a large coronal mass ejection (CME) on a solar coronal streamer located roughly 90° from the main direction of the CME propagation observed on January 2, 2012 by the SOHO/LASCO coronograph are analyzed. Radial coronal streamers undergo some bending when CMEs pass through the corona, even at large angular distances from the streamers. The phenomenon resembles a bending wave traveling along the streamer. Some researchers interpret these phenomena as the effects of traveling shocks generated by rapid CMEs, while others suggest they are waves excited inside the streamers by external impacts. The analysis presented here did not find convincing arguments in favor of either of these interpretations. It is concluded that the streamer behavior results from the effect of the magnetic field of a moving magnetic flux rope associated with the coronal ejection. The motion of the large-scale magnetic flux rope away from the Sun changes the surrounding magnetic field lines in the corona, and these changes resemble the half-period of a wave running along the streamer.     

Studying coronal holes through observations of an HeI infrared line and the Hα line

New results from electrophotometric scanning of the solar disk in the HeI λ 10830 Å and H_α lines are presented. The intensity at the center of the HeI λ 10830.30 Å line is 1–3% higher in the regions of coronal holes than in quiescent regions; this is accompanied by a decrease in the size and contrast of the chromospheric network compared to the network in quiescent regions. Our observations in the HeI line revealed chains of “dark points” surrounding coronal holes. The H_α±0.5 observations show increased velocities of ascent near the dark points compared to the velocities inside coronal holes and in quiescent regions. It is proposed that the intensification and acceleration of the flows of solar plasma from the dark points are due to reconnection of the magnetic fields of the bipolar chromospheric network and the predominantly unipolar magnetic field inside the coronal holes. Our observations suggest that the same reconnection process takes place near the temperature minimum, in the presence of certain conditions at the boundary between coronal holes and bipolar active regions. The reconnection process produces plasma flows from the chromosphere to the corona, which are sufficient to form prominences.     

Solar millisecond spikes manifest large-and small-scale inhomogeneities of the coronal plasma

A model for the generation of solar millisecond radio spikes via a maser cyclotron resonance is proposed. The model takes into account the large-scale inhomogeneity of the magnetic field and small-scale inhomogeneities of the coronal plasma. The efficiency of the energy transformation from a electron beam into maser radiation is estimated. Appropriate parameters of the magnetic field inhomogeneity and the plasma turbulence are found.     

Spectral Observations of the Eruption of a Filament

Results of studies of motions in a filament during its slow ascent and eruption based on spectral observations obtained at the Sayan Solar Observatory are presented. SDO/HMI data on the longitudinal magnetic field and SDO/AIA images in the EUV are also considered. Short-period (∼5 min) vertical oscillations of the filament as a whole were detected during its ascent. An acceleration of the rise of the filament was accompanied by the rupture of an orthogonal loop above the filament, which was observed in 193 A EUV images obtained with SDO/AIA over a long time preceding the event. Two hours before the partial eruption of the filament, SDO/HMI data indicate an increase in the magnetic flux by 2 × 10¹⁹ Mx at the footpoints of the loop. The emission from the loop rupture piont propagated toward the east and west along a neutral line, and brightenings were observed at the boundaries of the filament channel. Emission loops were visible in all SDO/AIA channels, testifying to strong heating of the filament plasma. During the rapid phase of the eruption, the filament moved with an acceleration ∼21 m/s². Hα images show the filament splitting into fragments parallel to its axis during the eruption. The results of these studies of the eruption of the filament are in agreement with other results in the literature, and are supplemented by new observational facts. Vertical oscillations (∼5 min) of the filament as a whole are observed before the ascent phase. During the ascent phase, an interaction of the filament with a higher-lying coronal loop is observed.