Coronal Periodmaps

The search for signatures of wave and oscillatory processes in the solar corona in the data obtained with imaging instruments can be automated by using the periodmap method. The method reduces a three-dimensional data cube to a two-dimensional map of the analysed field of view. The map reveals the presence and distribution of the most pronounced frequencies in the power spectrum of the time signal recorded at spatial pixels. We demonstrate the applicability of this method as a pre-analysis tool with the use of TRACE EUV coronal data, which contain examples of transverse and longitudinal oscillations of coronal loops. The main advantage of using periodmaps over other possible (more sophisticated) pre-analysis tools, such as wavelet analysis, is their robustness and efficiency (both in speed and computational power). The method can be implemented in the Hinode/XRT and SDO/AIA data pre-analysis.     

Ion cyclotron instability triggered by drifting minor ion species: Cascade effect and exact results

On the basis of bi-Maxwellian velocity distribution functions it has been recently shown that the combined effect of heavy ion thermal anisotropy and drift velocity can trigger ion-cyclotron instabilities beyond the corresponding heavy ion-cyclotron frequency. (Proton-cyclotron instability induced by the thermal anisotrophy of minor ions. J. Geophys. Res. 107 (2002) 1494; Ion-cyclotron instability due to the thermal anisotrophy of drifting ion species. J. Geophys. Res. 108 (2003) 1050.) Here we show that the cascade-type mechanism proposed by Gomberoff and Valdivia (2002, 2003) can take place in the region where main heating of the fast solar wind seems to occur (i.e. within 10 solar radii). We also compare some of the results obtained by using the semi-cold approximation with the exact kinetic dispersion relation.     

太阳活动22周以来的冕洞和地磁指数

本文对２２太阳活动用以来的中低纬冕洞和地磁指数Ａｐ进行了统计。对以月、季、年及２２周以来不同时段冕洞和地磁指数（Ｐｌａｎｅｔａｒｙ的Ａ指教）的时段合成图进行了分析。     

MHD simulations of solar and interplanetary phenomena

Workers in the field of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) have been interested in the hypothesis that observed solar activities can be utilized in a deterministic way to predict the bulk flow consequences of these activities in the three-dimensional heliosphere. Exploration of this hypothesis, using the conventional/classic initial boundary value approach, will be reviewed against the background of basic, ideal (except for shocks) one-fluid approximations. This work has been divided into two parts: near-Sun simulations in two dimensions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as well as interplanetary simulations in 2D and 3D of propagating shocks. In the latter case, the flows behind the shocks should be thought of as interplanetary ICMEs, i.e., the interplanetary, evolutionary consequences of the near-Sun simulations.Initialization of these simulations has been based on observations (optical, soft X-ray, radio) from both ground-and space-based instruments. Simulation outputs have been compared within situ plasma and field observations and interplanetary scintillations (IPS). Improvements in the initialization procedures — spatial/temporal variations of solar plasma and field parameters at the coronal base — are expected from YOHKOH, SOHO, CORONAS-I, and TRACE experiments. Ground truth observations from WIND, SOHO, ACE, and INTERBALL experiments should then be compared with three-dimensional MHD outputs in tests of the fluid hypothesis noted above.     

Study of a large helical eruptive prominence associated with double CME on 21 April 2001

Here we present a preliminary analysis of a helical eruptive prominence at the east limb of the Sun on 21 April 2001. Unusually this eruption is associated with a double CME. We have tried to study the morphology of the event, energy budget of the prominence and associated CMEs. Our analysis shows that the prominence and first CME started simultaneously from the limb and prominence carries sufficient energy to feed both the CMEs. Moreover, it is also concluded that CMEs are magnetically driven and internally powered.     

Large-Amplitude Oscillation of an Erupting Filament as Seen in EUV,Hα, and Microwave Observations

We present multiwavelength observations of a large-amplitude oscillation of a polar-crown filament on 15 October 2002, which has been reported by Isobe and Tripathi (Astron. Astrophys. 449, L17, 2006). The oscillation occurred during the slow rise (≈1 km s⁻¹) of the filament. It completed three cycles before sudden acceleration and eruption. The oscillation and following eruption were clearly seen in observations recorded by the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The oscillation was seen only in a part of the filament, and it appears to be a standing oscillation rather than a propagating wave. The amplitudes of velocity and spatial displacement of the oscillation in the plane of the sky were about 5 km s⁻¹ and 15 000 km, respectively. The period of oscillation was about two hours and did not change significantly during the oscillation. The oscillation was also observed in Hα by the Flare Monitoring Telescope at the Hida Observatory. We determine the three-dimensional motion of the oscillation from the Hα wing images. The maximum line-of-sight velocity was estimated to be a few tens of kilometers per second, although the uncertainty is large owing to the lack of line-profile information. Furthermore, we also identified the spatial displacement of the oscillation in 17-GHz microwave images from Nobeyama Radio Heliograph (NoRH). The filament oscillation seems to be triggered by magnetic reconnection between a filament barb and nearby emerging magnetic flux as was evident from the MDI magnetogram observations. No flare was observed to be associated with the onset of the oscillation. We also discuss possible implications of the oscillation as a diagnostic tool for the eruption mechanisms. We suggest that in the early phase of eruption a part of the filament lost its equilibrium first, while the remaining part was still in an equilibrium and oscillated.     

Are CME-Related Dimmings Always a Simple Signature of Interplanetary Magnetic Cloud Footpoints?

Coronal dimmings are often present on both sides of erupting magnetic configurations. It has been suggested that dimmings mark the location of the footpoints of ejected flux ropes and, thus, their magnetic flux can be used as a proxy for the flux involved in the ejection. If so, this quantity can be compared to the flux in the associated interplanetary magnetic cloud to find clues about the origin of the ejected flux rope. In the context of this physical interpretation, we analyze the event, flare, and coronal mass ejection (CME) that occurred in active region 10486 on 28 October 2003. The CME on this day is associated with large-scale dimmings, located on either side of the main flaring region. We combine SOHO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope data and Michelson Doppler Imager magnetic maps to identify and measure the flux in the dimming regions. We model the associated cloud and compute its magnetic flux using in situ observations from the Magnetometer Instrument and the Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor aboard the Advance Composition Explorer. We find that the magnetic fluxes of the dimmings and magnetic cloud are incompatible, in contrast to what has been found in previous studies. We conclude that, in certain cases, especially in large-scale events and eruptions that occur in regions that are not isolated from other flux concentrations, the interpretation of dimmings requires a deeper analysis of the global magnetic configuration, since at least a fraction of the dimmed regions is formed by reconnection between the erupting field and the surrounding magnetic structures.     

Coronal type II bursts and interplanetary type II bursts: Distinct shock drivers

We study solar radio type II bursts combining with Wind/WAVES type II bursts and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The aim of the present work is to investigate the effectiveness of shocks to cause type II bursts in the solar corona and the interplanetary space. We consider the following findings. The distribution of the cessation heights of type II emission is confined to a rather narrow range of height than the distribution of the heights of start frequencies. This is suggestive of the presence of a gradient for the Alfvén speed from the heliocentric height of ∼1.4 solar radii. The range of the kinetic energy of CMEs associated with coronal type II emission taken together with the suggested computation method and the Alfvén speed gradient, indicates the limit to the height up to which type II emission could be expected. This height is ∼2 solar radii from the center of the Sun. Further, the large time gap between the cessation time and heights of coronal type II emission and the commencement time and heights of most of the IP type II bursts do not account for the difference between the two heights and the average shock speed. Also, there is clear difference in the magnitude of the kinetic energies and the distinct characteristics of the CMEs associated with coronal and IP type II bursts. Hence, we suggest that in most instances the coronal type II bursts and IP type II bursts occur due to distinct shocks. We also address the question of the origin of type II bursts and discuss the possible explanation of observed results.     

Segmentation of Loops from Coronal EUV Images

We present a procedure to extract bright loop features from solar EUV images. In terms of image intensities, these features are elongated ridge-like intensity maxima. To discriminate the maxima, we need information about the spatial derivatives of the image intensity. Commonly, the derivative estimates are strongly affected by image noise. We therefore use a regularized estimation of the derivative, which is then used to interpolate a discrete vector field of ridge points; these “ridgels” are positioned on the ridge center and have the intrinsic orientation of the local ridge direction. A scheme is proposed to connect ridgels to smooth, spline-represented curves that fit the observed loops. Finally, a half-automated user interface allows one to merge or split curves or eliminate or select loop fits obtained from this procedure. In this paper we apply our tool to one of the first EUV images observed by the SECCHI instrument onboard the recently launched STEREO spacecraft. We compare the extracted loops with projected field lines computed from near-simultaneous magnetograms measured by the SOHO/MDI Doppler imager. The field lines were calculated by using a linear force-free field model. This comparison allows one to verify faint and spurious loop connections produced by our segmentation tool and it also helps to prove the quality of the magnetic-field model where well-identified loop structures comply with field-line projections. We also discuss further potential applications of our tool such as loop oscillations and stereoscopy.     

Automatic Detection and Tracking of Coronal Mass Ejections in Coronagraph Time Series

We present the current capabilities of a software tool to automatically detect coronal mass ejections (CMEs) based on time series of coronagraph images: the solar eruptive event detection system (SEEDS). The software developed consists of several modules: preprocessing, detection, tracking, and event cataloging. The detection algorithm is based on a 2D to 1D projection method, where CMEs are assumed to be bright regions moving radially outward as observed in a running-difference time series. The height, velocity, and acceleration of the CME are automatically determined. A threshold-segmentation technique is applied to the individual detections to automatically extract an approximate shape of the CME leading edge. We have applied this method to a 12-month period of continuous coronagraph images sequence taken at a 20-minute cadence by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instrument (using the C2 instrument only) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Our automated method, with a high computational efficiency, successfully detected about 75% of the CMEs listed in the CDAW CME catalog, which was created by using human visual inspection. Furthermore, the tool picked up about 100% more small-size or anomalous transient coronagraph events that were ignored by human visual inspection. The output of the software is made available online at . The parameters of scientific importance extracted by the software package are the position angle, angular width, velocity, peak, and average brightness. Other parameters could easily be added if needed. The identification of CMEs is known to be somewhat subjective. As our system is further developed, we expect to make the process significantly more objective.