The Relationship of Green-Line Transients to White-Light Coronal Mass Ejections

We report observations by the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) on the SOHO spacecraft of three coronal green-line transients that could be clearly associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) detected in Thomson-scattered white light. Two of these events, with speeds >25 km s^-1, may be classified as ‘whip-like’ transients. They are associated with the core of the white-light CMEs, identified with erupting prominence material, rather than with the leading edge of the CMEs. The third green-line transient has a markedly different appearance and is more gradual than the other two, with a projected outward speed <10 km s^-1. This event corresponds to the leading edge of a ‘streamer blowout’ type of CME. A dark void is left behind in the emission-line corona following each of the fast eruptions. Both fast emission-line transients start off as a loop structure rising up from close to the solar surface. We suggest that the driving mechanism for these events may be the emergence of new bipolar magnetic regions on the surface of the Sun, which destabilize the ambient corona and cause an eruption. The possible relationship of these events to recent X-ray observations of CMEs is briefly discussed. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004981125702     

Joint NANCAY RADIOHELIOGRAPH AND LASCO OBSERVATIONS OF CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS – II. The 9 July 1996 Event

The development of a coronal mass ejection on 9 July 1996 has been analyzed by comparing the observations of the LASCO/SOHO coronagraphs with those of the Nancay radioheliograph. The spatial and temporal evolution of the associated radioburst is complex and involves a long-duration continuum. The analysis of the time sequence of the radio continuum reveals the existence of distinct phases associated with distinct reconnection processes and magnetic restructuring of the corona. Electrons are accelerated in association with these reconnection processes. An excellent spatial association is found between the position and extension of the radio source and the CME seen by LASCO. Furthermore, it is shown that the topology and evolution of the source of the radio continuum involve successive interactions between two systems of loops. These successive interactions lead to magnetic reconnection, then to a large scale coronal restructuring. Thus electrons of coronal origin may have access to the interplanetary medium in a large range of heliographic latitudes as revealed by the Ulysses observations.     

Lasco Observations of Disconnected Magnetic Structures Out to Beyond 28 Solar Radii During Coronal Mass Ejections

Two coronal mass ejections have been well observed by the LASCO coronagraphs to move out into the interplanetary medium as disconnected plasmoids. The first, on July 28, 1996, left the Sun above the west limb around 18:00 UT. As it moved out, a bright V-shaped structure was visible in the C2 coronagraph which moved into the field-of-view of C3 and could be observed out to beyond 28 solar radii. The derived average velocity in the plane of the sky was 110 ± 5 km s^-1 out to 5 solar radii, and above 15 solar radii the velocity was 269 ± 10 km s^-1. Thus there is evidence of some acceleration around 6 solar radii. The second event occurred on November 5, 1996 and left the west limb around 04:00 UT. The event had an average velocity in the plane of the sky of ∼54 km s^-1 below 4 R⊙, and it accelerated rapidly around 5 R⊙ up to 310 ± 10 km s^-1. In both events the rising plasmoid is connected back to the Sun by a straight, bright ray, which is probably a signature of a neutral sheet. In the November event there is evidence for multiple plasmoid ejections. The acceleration of the plasmoids around a projected altitude of 5 solar radii is probably a manifestation of the source surface of the solar wind. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004994214697     

First View of the Extended Green-Line Emission Corona At Solar Activity Minimum Using the Lasco-C1 Coronagraph on Soho

The newly developed C1 coronagraph as part of the Large-Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph (LASCO) on board the SOHO spacecraft has been operating since January 29, 1996. We present observations obtained in the first three months of operation. The green-line emission corona can be made visible throughout the instrument's full field of view, i.e., from 1.1 R⊙ out to 3.2 R⊙ (measured from Sun center). Quantitative evaluations based on calibrations cannot yet be performed, but some basic signatures show up even now: (1) There are often bright and apparently closed loop systems centered at latitudes of 30° to 45° in both hemispheres. Their helmet-like extensions are bent towards the equatorial plane. Farther out, they merge into one large equatorial ‘streamer sheet’ clearly discernible out to 32 R⊙. (2) At mid latitudes a more diffuse pattern is usually visible, well separated from the high-latitude loops and with very pronounced variability. (3) All high-latitude structures remain stable on time scales of several days, and no signature of transient disruption of high-latitude streamers was observed in these early data. (4) Within the first 4 months of observation, only one single ‘fast’ feature was observed moving outward at a speed of 70 km s^-1 close to the equator. Faster events may have escaped attention because of data gaps. (5) The centers of high-latitude loops are usually found at the positions of magnetic neutral lines in photospheric magnetograms. The large-scale streamer structure follows the magnetic pattern fairly precisely. Based on our observations we conclude that the shape and stability of the heliospheric current sheet at solar activity minimum are probably due to high-latitude streamers rather than to the near-equatorial activity belt. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004948913883     

The Solar Minimum Active Region 7978, Its X2.6/1B Flare,CME, and Interplanetary Shock Propagation of 9 July 1996

The first X-class flare in four years occurred on 9 July 1996. This X2.6/1B flare reached its maximum at 09:11 UT and was located in active region 7978 (S10° W30°) which was an old-cycle sunspot polarity group. We report the SOHO LASCO/EIT/MDI and SOONSPOT observations before and after this event together with Yohkoh SXT images of the flare, radio observations of the type II shock, and GOES disk-integrated soft X-ray flux during an extended period that included energy build-up in this active region.The LASCO coronagraphs measured a significant coronal mass ejection (CME) on the solar west limb beginning on 8 July at about 09:53 UT. The GOES 8 soft X-ray flux (0.1–0.8 nm) had started to increase on the previous day from below the A-level background (10^-8 W m^-2). At the start time of the CME, it was at the mid-B level and continued to climb. This CME is similar to many events which have been seen by LASCO and which are being interpreted as disruption of existing streamers by emerging flux ropes.LASCO and EIT were not collecting data at the time of the X-flare due to a temporary software outage. A larger CME was in progress when the first LASCO images were taken after the flare. Since the first image of the 'big' CME was obtained after the flare's start time, we cannot clearly demonstrate the physical connection of the CME to the flare. However, the LASCO CME data are consistent with an association of the flare and the CME. No eruptive filaments were observed during this event.We used the flare evidence noted above to employ in real time a simplified Shock-Time-of-Arrival (STOA) algorithm to estimate the arrival of a weak shock at the WIND spacecraft. We compare this prediction with the plasma and IMF data from WIND and plasma data from the SOHO/CELIAS instrument and suggest that the flare - and possibly the interplanetary consequences of the 'big' CME - was the progenitor of the mild, high-latitude, geomagnetic storm (daily sum of Kp=16+, Ap=8) on 12 July 1996. We speculate that the shock was attenuated enroute to Earth as a result of interaction with the heliospheric current/plasma sheet.presently at High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, CO80309, U.S.A.presently at Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, 20375, U.S.A.     

Joint Nançay Radioheliograph and Lasco Observations of Coronal Mass Ejections - I. The 1 July 1996 Event

The development of a coronal mass ejection on 1 July 1996 has been analyzed by comparing the observations of the LASCO/SOHO coronagraph with those of the Nançay radioheliograph. This comparison brings new insight and very useful diagnosis for the study of CME events. It is shown that the initial instability took place in a small volume located above an active region and that the occurrence of short radio type III bursts implies a triggering process due to magnetic field interactions. The subsequent spatial and temporal evolution of the radio emission strongly suggests that the large scale structure becomes unstable within the first minute of the event.