Observing Flux Rope Formation During the Impulsive Phase of a Solar Eruption
TLDR
In this paper, an unambiguous observation of a flux rope still in the formation phase in the low corona was presented, which was seen as a bright blob of hot plasma in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 131 A passband (peak temperature {approx}11 MK) rising from the core of the source active region, rapidly moving outward and stretching the surrounding background magnetic field upward.Abstract:
Magnetic flux ropes are believed to be an important structural component of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While there exists much observational evidence of flux ropes after the eruption, e.g., as seen in remote-sensing coronagraph images or in situ solar wind data, the direct observation of flux ropes during CME impulsive phase has been rare. In this Letter, we present an unambiguous observation of a flux rope still in the formation phase in the low corona. The CME of interest occurred above the east limb on 2010 November 3 with footpoints partially blocked. The flux rope was seen as a bright blob of hot plasma in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 131 A passband (peak temperature {approx}11 MK) rising from the core of the source active region, rapidly moving outward and stretching the surrounding background magnetic field upward. The stretched magnetic field seemed to curve-in behind the core, similar to the classical magnetic reconnection scenario in eruptive flares. On the other hand, the flux rope appeared as a dark cavity in the AIA 211 A passband (2.0 MK) and 171 A passband (0.6 MK); in these relatively cool temperature bands, a bright rim clearly enclosed the dark cavity. The bright rimmore » likely represents the pileup of the surrounding coronal plasma compressed by the expanding flux rope. The composite structure seen in AIA multiple temperature bands is very similar to that in the corresponding coronagraph images, which consists of a bright leading edge and a dark cavity, commonly believed to be a flux rope.« lessread more
Citations
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Observation of an evolving magnetic flux rope before and during a solar eruption
TL;DR: The observations suggest that the instability of the magnetic flux rope triggers the eruption, thus making a major addition to the traditional magnetic-reconnection paradigm.
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Differential emission measure analysis of multiple structural components of coronal mass ejections in the inner corona
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the temperature and density properties of multiple structural components of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using differential emission measure (DEM) analysis, including the hot channel in the core region, the bright loop-like leading front (LF), and coronal dimming in the wake of the CME.
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Direct evidence for a fast coronal mass ejection driven by the prior formation and subsequent destabilization of a magnetic flux rope
TL;DR: In this paper, a detailed analysis of extreme-ultraviolet observations of the formation of a flux rope during a confined flare followed about 7 hr later by the ejection of the flux rope and an eruptive flare is presented.
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The standard flare model in three dimensions - III. Slip-running reconnection properties
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the slip-running reconnection of field lines in a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of an eruptive flare associated with a torus-unstable flux rope.
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The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation.
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