Comparison of Helioseismic Far-Side Active Region Detections with STEREO Far-Side EUV Observations of Solar Activity

Seismic maps of the Sun’s far hemisphere, computed from Doppler data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) are now being used routinely to detect strong magnetic regions on the far side of the Sun ( http://jsoc.stanford.edu/data/farside/ ). To test the reliability of this technique, the helioseismically inferred active region detections are compared with far-side observations of solar activity from the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), using brightness in extreme-ultraviolet light (EUV) as a proxy for magnetic fields. Two approaches are used to analyze nine months of STEREO and HMI data. In the first approach, we determine whether new large east-limb active regions are detected seismically on the far side before they appear Earth side and study how the detectability of these regions relates to their EUV intensity. We find that while there is a range of EUV intensities for which far-side regions may or may not be detected seismically, there appears to be an intensity level above which they are almost always detected and an intensity level below which they are never detected. In the second approach, we analyze concurrent extreme-ultraviolet and helioseismic far-side observations. We find that 100% (22) of the far-side seismic regions correspond to an extreme-ultraviolet plage; 95% of these either became a NOAA-designated magnetic region when reaching the east limb or were one before crossing to the far side. A low but significant correlation is found between the seismic signature strength and the EUV intensity of a far-side region.     

The Association of Solar Flares with Coronal Mass Ejections During the Extended Solar Minimum

We study the association of solar flares with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the deep, extended solar minimum of 2007?–?2009, using extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and white-light (coronagraph) images from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). Although all of the fast (v>900 km?s^?1), wide (θ>100^°) CMEs are associated with a flare that is at least identified in GOES soft X-ray light curves, a majority of flares with relatively high X-ray intensity for the deep solar minimum (e.g. ?1×10^?6 W?m^?2 or C1) are not associated with CMEs. Intense flares tend to occur in active regions with a strong and complex photospheric magnetic field, but the active regions that produce CME-associated flares tend to be small, including those that have no sunspots and therefore no NOAA active-region numbers. Other factors on scales similar to and larger than active regions seem to exist that contribute to the association of flares with CMEs. We find the possible low coronal signatures of CMEs, namely eruptions, dimmings, EUV waves, and Type III bursts, in 91 %, 74 %, 57 %, and 74 %, respectively, of the 35 flares that we associate with CMEs. None of these observables can fully replace direct observations of CMEs by coronagraphs.     

On the Structure and Evolution of a Polar Crown Prominence/Filament System

Polar crown prominences, that partially circle the Sun’s poles between 60° and 70° latitude, are made of chromospheric plasma. We aim to diagnose the 3D dynamics of a polar crown prominence using high-cadence EUV images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/AIA at 304, 171, and 193 Å and the Ahead spacecraft of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A)/EUVI at 195 Å. Using time series across specific structures, we compare flows across the disk in 195 Å with the prominence dynamics seen on the limb. The densest prominence material forms vertical columns that are separated by many tens of Mm and connected by dynamic bridges of plasma that are clearly visible in 304/171 Å two-colour images. We also observe intermittent but repetitious flows with velocity 15 km?s^?1 in the prominence that appear to be associated with EUV bright points on the solar disk. The boundary between the prominence and the overlying cavity appears as a sharp edge. We discuss the structure of the coronal cavity seen both above and around the prominence. SDO/HMI and GONG magnetograms are used to infer the underlying magnetic topology. The evolution and structure of the prominence with respect to the magnetic field seems to agree with the filament-linkage model.     

A New Sigmoid Catalog from Hinode and the Solar Dynamics Observatory: Statistical Properties and Evolutionary Histories

We present a new sigmoid catalog covering the duration of the Hinode mission and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) until the end of 2012. The catalog consists of 72 mostly long-lasting sigmoids. We collect and make available all X-ray and EUV data from Hinode, SDO, and the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), and we determine the sigmoid lifetimes, sizes, and aspect ratios. We also collect the line-of-sight magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) for SDO or the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) to measure flux versus time for the lifetime of each region. We determine that the development of a sigmoidal shape and eruptive activity is more strongly correlated with flux cancelation than with emergence. We find that the eruptive properties of the regions correlate well with the maximum flux, largest change, and net change in flux in the regions. These results have implications for constraining future flux-rope models of ARs and gaining insight into their evolutionary properties.     

Synoptic Solar Cycle 24 in Corona,Chromosphere, and Photosphere Seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Solar Dynamics Observatory provides multiwavelength imagery from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to visible light as well as magnetic-field measurements. These data enable us to study the nature of solar activity in different regions of the Sun, from the interior to the corona. For solar-cycle studies, synoptic maps provide a useful way to represent global activity and evolution by extracting a central meridian band from sequences of full-disk images over a full solar Carrington rotation (≈?27.3 days). We present the global evolution during Solar Cycle 24 from 20 May 2010 to 31 August 2013 (CR?2097?–?CR?2140), using synoptic maps constructed from full-disk, line-of-sight magnetic-field imagery and EUV imagery (171 Å, 193 Å, 211 Å, 304 Å, and 335 Å). The synoptic maps have a resolution of 0.1 degree in longitude and steps of 0.001 in sine of latitude. We studied the axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric structures of solar activity using these synoptic maps. To visualize the axisymmetric development of Cycle 24, we generated time–latitude (also called butterfly) images of the solar cycle in all of the wavelengths, by averaging each synoptic map over all longitudes, thus compressing it to a single vertical strip, and then assembling these strips in time order. From these time–latitude images we observe that during the ascending phase of Cycle 24 there is a very good relationship between the integrated magnetic flux and the EUV intensity inside the zone of sunspot activities. We observe a North–South asymmetry of the EUV intensity in high-latitudes. The North–South asymmetry of the emerging magnetic flux developed and resulted in a consequential asymmetry in the timing of the polar magnetic-field reversals.     

Properties of High-Frequency Wave Power Halos Around Active Regions: An Analysis of Multi-height Data from HMI and AIA Onboard SDO

We study properties of waves of frequencies above the photospheric acoustic cut-off of ≈5.3 mHz, around four active regions, through spatial maps of their power estimated using data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The wavelength channels 1600 Å and 1700 Å from AIA are now known to capture clear oscillation signals due to helioseismic p-modes as well as waves propagating up through to the chromosphere. Here we study in detail, in comparison with HMI Doppler data, properties of the power maps, especially the so-called “acoustic halos” seen around active regions, as a function of wave frequencies, inclination, and strength of magnetic field (derived from the vector-field observations by HMI), and observation height. We infer possible signatures of (magneto)acoustic wave refraction from the observation-height-dependent changes, and hence due to changing magnetic strength and geometry, in the dependences of power maps on the photospheric magnetic quantities. We discuss the implications for theories of p-mode absorption and mode conversions by the magnetic field.     

Nonlinear Force-Free and Potential-Field Models of?Active-Region and Global Coronal Fields during?the?Whole Heliosphere Interval

Between 24 March 2008 and 2 April 2008, the three active regions (ARs) NOAA 10987, 10988 and 10989 were observed daily by the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) Vector Spectro-Magnetograph (VSM) while they traversed the solar disk. We use these measurements and the nonlinear force-free magnetic field code XTRAPOL to reconstruct the coronal magnetic field for each active region and compare model field lines with images from the Solar Terrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) and Hinode X-ray Telescope (XRT) telescopes. Synoptic maps made from continuous, round-the-clock Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG) magnetograms provide information on the global photospheric field and potential-field source-surface models based on these maps describe the global coronal field during the Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI) and its neighboring rotations. Features of the modeled global field, such as the coronal holes and streamer-belt locations, are discussed in comparison with extreme ultra-violet and coronagraph observations from STEREO. The global field is found to be far from a minimum, dipolar state. From the nonlinear models we compute physical quantities for the active regions such as the photospheric magnetic and electric current fluxes, the free magnetic energy and the relative helicity for each region each day where observations permit. The interconnectivity of the three regions is addressed in the context of the potential-field source-surface model. Using local and global quantities derived from the models, we briefly discuss the different observed activity levels of the regions.     

An Early Diagnostics of the Geoeffectiveness of Solar Eruptions from Photospheric Magnetic Flux Observations: The Transition from SOHO to SDO

In our previous articles (Chertok et al. in Solar Phys. 282, 175, 2013; Chertok et al. in Solar Phys. 290, 627, 2015), we presented a preliminary tool for the early diagnostics of the geoeffectiveness of solar eruptions based on the estimate of the total unsigned line-of-sight photospheric magnetic flux in accompanying extreme ultraviolet (EUV) arcades and dimmings. This tool was based on the analysis of eruptions observed during 1996?–?2005 with the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Empirical relationships were obtained to estimate the probable importance of upcoming space weather disturbances caused by an eruption, which just occurred, without data on the associated coronal mass ejections. In particular, it was possible to estimate the intensity of a non-recurrent geomagnetic storm (GMS) and Forbush decrease (FD), as well as their onset and peak times. After 2010?–?2011, data on solar eruptions are obtained with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We use relatively short intervals of overlapping EIT–AIA and MDI–HMI detailed observations, and additionally, a number of large eruptions over the next five years with the 12-hour cadence EIT images to adapt the SOHO diagnostic tool to SDO data. We show that the adopted brightness thresholds select practically the same areas of arcades and dimmings from the EIT 195 Å and AIA 193 Å image, with a cross-calibration factor of 3.6?–?5.8 (5.0?–?8.2) for the AIA exposure time of 2.0 s (2.9 s). We also find that for the same photospheric areas, the MDI line-of-sight magnetic flux systematically exceeds the HMI flux by a factor of 1.4. Based on these results, the empirical diagnostic relationships obtained from SOHO data are adjusted to SDO instruments. Examples of a post-diagnostics based on SDO data are presented. As before, the tool is applicable to non-recurrent GMSs and FDs caused by nearly central eruptions from active regions, provided that the southern component of the interplanetary magnetic field near the Earth is predominantly negative, which is not predicted by this tool.     

Time–Distance Helioseismology Data-Analysis Pipeline for Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager Onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/HMI) and Its Initial Results

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/HMI) provides continuous full-disk observations of solar oscillations. We develop a data-analysis pipeline based on the time–distance helioseismology method to measure acoustic travel times using HMI Doppler-shift observations, and infer solar interior properties by inverting these measurements. The pipeline is used for routine production of near-real-time full-disk maps of subsurface wave-speed perturbations and horizontal flow velocities for depths ranging from 0 to 20?Mm, every eight hours. In addition, Carrington synoptic maps for the subsurface properties are made from these full-disk maps. The pipeline can also be used for selected target areas and time periods. We explain details of the pipeline organization and procedures, including processing of the HMI Doppler observations, measurements of the travel times, inversions, and constructions of the full-disk and synoptic maps. Some initial results from the pipeline, including full-disk flow maps, sunspot subsurface flow fields, and the interior rotation and meridional flow speeds, are presented.     

Quiet Sun Explosive Events: Jets, Splashes, and Eruptions

Explosive events appear as broad non-Gaussian wings in the line profiles of small transition-region phenomena. Images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) give a first view of the plasma dynamics at the sites of explosive events seen simultaneously in O?vi spectra of a region of quiet Sun, taken with the ultraviolet spectrometer Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Distinct event bursts were seen either at the junction of supergranular network cells or near emerging flux. Three are described in the context of their surrounding transition region (304 Å) and coronal (171 Å) activity. One showed plasma ejections from an isolated pair of sites, with a time lag of 50 seconds between events. At the site where the later explosive event was seen, the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images show a hot core surrounded by a small, expanding ring of chromospheric emission, which we interpret as a “splash.” The second explosive-event burst was related to flux cancellation, inferred from Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) magnetograms, and a coronal dimming surrounded by a ring of bright EUV emission with explosive events at positions where the spectrometer slit crossed the bright ring. The third series of events occurred at the base of a slow, small coronal mass ejection (mini-CME). All events studied here imply jet-like flows probably triggered by magnetic reconnection at supergranular junctions. Events come from sites close to the footpoints of jets seen in Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) images, and possibly from the landing site of high-velocity flows. They are not caused by rapid rotation in spicules.     

Statistical Survey of Type III Radio Bursts at Long Wavelengths Observed by the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)/Waves Instruments: Radio Flux Density Variations with Frequency

We have performed a statistical study of 152 Type III radio bursts observed by Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)/Waves between May 2007 and February 2013. We investigated the flux density between 125 kHz and 16 MHz. Both high- and low-frequency cutoffs were observed in 60 % of events, suggesting an important role of propagation. As already reported by previous authors, we observed that the highest flux density occurs at 1 MHz on both spacecraft. We developed a simplified analytical model of the flux density as a function of radial distance and compared it with the STEREO/Waves data.     

Two-Step Filament Eruption During 14 – 15 March 2015

We present here an interesting two-step filament eruption during 14?–?15 March 2015. The filament was located in NOAA AR 12297 and associated with a halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). We use observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Heliospheric Magnetic Imager (HMI) instruments onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO). We also use \(\mbox{H}\upalpha\) data from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) telescope and the Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory. The filament shows a first step eruption on 14 March 2015 and it stops its rise at a projected altitude \({\approx}\,125~\mbox{Mm}\) on the solar disk. It remains at this height for \({\approx}\,12~\mbox{hrs}\). Finally it erupts on 15 March 2015 and produces a halo CME. We also find jet activity in the active region during both days, which could help the filament de-stabilization and eruption. The decay index is calculated to understand this two-step eruption. The eruption could be due to the presence of successive instability–stability–instability zones as the filament is rising.     

Solar TErrestrial Relations Observatory-A (STEREO-A) and PRoject for On-Board Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) Quadrature Observations of Reflections of Three EUV Waves from a Coronal Hole

We investigate the interaction of three consecutive large-scale coronal waves with a polar coronal hole, simultaneously observed on-disk by the Solar TErrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)-A spacecraft and on the limb by the PRoject for On-Board Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) spacecraft on 27 January 2011. All three extreme ultraviolet (EUV) waves originate from the same active region, NOAA 11149, positioned at N30E15 in the STEREO-A field of view and on the limb in PROBA2. For the three primary EUV waves, we derive starting velocities in the range of ≈?310 km?s^?1 for the weakest up to ≈?500 km?s^?1 for the strongest event. Each large-scale wave is reflected at the border of the extended coronal hole at the southern polar region. The average velocities of the reflected waves are found to be smaller than the mean velocities of their associated direct waves. However, the kinematical study also reveals that in each case the ending velocity of the primary wave matches the initial velocity of the reflected wave. In all three events, the primary and reflected waves obey the Huygens–Fresnel principle, as the incident angle with ≈?10° to the normal is of the same magnitude as the angle of reflection. The correlation between the speed and the strength of the primary EUV waves, the homologous appearance of both the primary and the reflected waves, and in particular the EUV wave reflections themselves suggest that the observed EUV transients are indeed nonlinear large-amplitude MHD waves.     

Solar Sources of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections During the Solar Cycle 23/24 Minimum

We examine solar sources for 20 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) observed in 2009 in the near-Earth solar wind. We performed a detailed analysis of coronagraph and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Our study shows that the coronagraph observations from viewpoints away from the Sun–Earth line are paramount to locate the solar sources of Earth-bound ICMEs during solar minimum. SOHO/LASCO detected only six CMEs in our sample, and only one of these CMEs was wider than 120^°. This demonstrates that observing a full or partial halo CME is not necessary to observe the ICME arrival. Although the two STEREO spacecraft had the best possible configuration for observing Earth-bound CMEs in 2009, we failed to find the associated CME for four ICMEs, and identifying the correct CME was not straightforward even for some clear ICMEs. Ten out of 16 (63 %) of the associated CMEs in our study were “stealth” CMEs, i.e. no obvious EUV on-disk activity was associated with them. Most of our stealth CMEs also lacked on-limb EUV signatures. We found that stealth CMEs generally lack the leading bright front in coronagraph images. This is in accordance with previous studies that argued that stealth CMEs form more slowly and at higher coronal altitudes than non-stealth CMEs. We suggest that at solar minimum the slow-rising CMEs do not draw enough coronal plasma around them. These CMEs are hence difficult to discern in the coronagraphic data, even when viewed close to the plane of the sky. The weak ICMEs in our study were related to both intrinsically narrow CMEs and the non-central encounters of larger CMEs. We also demonstrate that narrow CMEs (angular widths ≤?20^°) can arrive at Earth and that an unstructured CME may result in a flux rope-type ICME.     

Hemispheric Distribution of Subsurface Kinetic Helicity and Its Variation with Magnetic Activity

We study the hemispheric distribution of the kinetic helicity of subsurface flows in the near-surface layers of the solar convection zone and its variation with magnetic activity. We determine subsurface flows with a ring-diagram analysis applied to Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) Dopplergrams and Dynamics Program data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We determine the average kinetic helicity density as a function of Carrington rotation and latitude. The average kinetic helicity density at all depths and the kinetic helicity, integrated over 2?–?7 Mm, follow the same hemispheric rule as the current/magnetic helicity proxies with predominantly positive values in the southern and negative ones in the northern hemisphere. This holds true for all levels of magnetic activity from quiet to active regions. However, this is a statistical result; only about 55 % of all locations follow the hemispheric rule. But these locations have larger helicity values than those that do not follow the rule. The average values of helicity density increase with depth for all levels of activity, which might reflect an increase of the characteristic size of convective motions with greater depth. The average helicity of subsets of high magnetic activity is about five times larger than that of subsets of low activity. The solar-cycle variation of helicity is thus mainly due to the presence or absence of active regions. During the rising phase of cycle 24, locations of high magnetic activity at low latitudes show a weaker hemispheric behavior compared to the rising phase of cycle 23.     

Active-Region Monitoring and Flare Forecasting – I. Data Processing and First Results

This paper discusses a near real-time approach to solar active-region monitoring and flare prediction using the Big Bear Solar Observatory Active Region Monitor (ARM). Every hour, ARM reads, calibrates, and analyses a variety of data including: full-disk Hα images from the Global Hα Network; EUV, continuum, and magnetogram data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO); and full-disk magnetograms from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG). For the first time, magnetic gradient maps derived from GONG longitudinal magnetograms are now available on-line and are found to be a useful diagnostic of flare activity. ARM also includes a variety of active-region properties from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center, such as up-to-date active-region positions, GOES 5-min X-ray data, and flare-to-region identifications. Furthermore, we have developed a Flare Prediction System which estimates the probability for each region to produce C-, M-, or X-class flares based on nearly eight years of NOAA data from cycle 22. This, in addition to BBSO's daily solar activity reports, has proven a useful resource for activity forecasting. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1020950221179     

A Multi-wavelength Analysis of Active Regions and Sunspots by Comparison of Automatic Detection Algorithms

Since the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) began recording ≈?1 TB of data per day, there has been an increased need to automatically extract features and events for further analysis. Here we compare the overall detection performance, correlations between extracted properties, and usability for feature tracking of four solar feature-detection algorithms: the Solar Monitor Active Region Tracker (SMART) detects active regions in line-of-sight magnetograms; the Automated Solar Activity Prediction code (ASAP) detects sunspots and pores in white-light continuum images; the Sunspot Tracking And Recognition Algorithm (STARA) detects sunspots in white-light continuum images; the Spatial Possibilistic Clustering Algorithm (SPoCA) automatically segments solar EUV images into active regions (AR), coronal holes (CH), and quiet Sun (QS). One month of data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) and SOHO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) instruments during 12 May?–?23 June 2003 is analysed. The overall detection performance of each algorithm is benchmarked against National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Solar Influences Data Analysis Center (SIDC) catalogues using various feature properties such as total sunspot area, which shows good agreement, and the number of features detected, which shows poor agreement. Principal Component Analysis indicates a clear distinction between photospheric properties, which are highly correlated to the first component and account for 52.86% of variability in the data set, and coronal properties, which are moderately correlated to both the first and second principal components. Finally, case studies of NOAA 10377 and 10365 are conducted to determine algorithm stability for tracking the evolution of individual features. We find that magnetic flux and total sunspot area are the best indicators of active-region emergence. Additionally, for NOAA 10365, it is shown that the onset of flaring occurs during both periods of magnetic-flux emergence and complexity development.     

Line-of-Sight Observables Algorithms for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager</Emphasis> (HMI) Instrument Tested with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer</Emphasis> (IBIS) Observations

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory produces line-of-sight (LOS) observables (Doppler velocity, magnetic-field strength, Fe i line width, line depth, and continuum intensity) as well as vector magnetic-field maps at the solar surface. The accuracy of LOS observables is dependent on the algorithm used to translate a sequence of HMI filtergrams into the corresponding observables. Using one hour of high-cadence imaging spectropolarimetric observations of a sunspot in the Fe i line at 6173 Å through the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer installed at the Dunn Solar Telescope, and the Milne–Eddington inversion of the corresponding Stokes vectors, we test the accuracy of the observables algorithm currently implemented in the HMI data-analysis pipeline: the MDI-like algorithm. In an attempt to improve the accuracy of HMI observables, we also compare this algorithm to others that may be implemented in the future: a least-squares fit with a Gaussian profile, a least-squares fit with a Voigt profile, and the use of second Fourier coefficients in the MDI-like algorithm.     

Comparison of STEREO/EUVI Loops with Potential Magnetic Field Models

The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) provides the first opportunity to triangulate the three-dimensional coordinates of active region loops simultaneously from two different vantage points in space. Three-dimensional coordinates of the coronal magnetic field have been calculated with theoretical magnetic field models for decades, but it is only with the recent availability of STEREO data that a rigorous, quantitative comparison between observed loop geometries and theoretical magnetic field models can be performed. Such a comparison provides a valuable opportunity to assess the validity of theoretical magnetic field models. Here we measure the misalignment angles between model magnetic fields and observed coronal loops in three active regions, as observed with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) on STEREO on 30 April, 9 May, and 19 May 2007. We perform stereoscopic triangulation of some 100?–?200 EUVI loops in each active region and compute extrapolated magnetic field lines using magnetogram information from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We examine two different magnetic extrapolation methods: (1) a potential field and (2) a radially stretched potential field that conserves the magnetic divergence. We find considerable disagreement between each theoretical model and the observed loop geometries, with an average misalignment angle on the order of 20°?–?40°. We conclude that there is a need for either more suitable (coronal rather than photospheric) magnetic field measurements or more realistic field extrapolation models.     

Simulated (STEREO) Views of the Solar Wind Disturbances Following the Coronal Mass Ejections of 1 August 2010

Images observed by the twin spacecraft Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) A and B appear as complex structures for two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on 1 August 2010. Therefore, a series of sky maps of Thomson-scattered white light by interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) on 1 August 2010 are simulated using the Hakamada–Akasofu–Fry (HAF) three-dimensional solar-wind model. A comparison between the simulated images and observations of STEREO-A and -B clarifies the structure and evolution of ICMEs (including shocks) in the observed images. The results demonstrate that the simulated images from the HAF model are very useful in the interpretation of the observed images when the ICMEs overlap within the fields of view of the instruments onboard STEREO-A and -B.