• Title/Summary/Keyword: Coronal Mass Ejections

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KINEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS IN LASCO C3 FIELD OF VIEW

  • Jeon, Seong-Gyeong;Moon, Yong-Jae;Cho, Il-Hyun;Lee, Harim;Yi, Kangwoo
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.55 no.3
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    • pp.67-74
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    • 2022
  • In this study, we perform a statistical investigation of the kinematic classification of 4,264 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from 1996 to 2015 observed by SOHO/LASCO C3. Using the constant acceleration model, we classify these CMEs into three groups: deceleration, constant velocity, and acceleration motion. For this, we devise three different classification methods using fractional speed variation, height contribution, and visual inspection. The main results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, the fractions of three groups depend on the method used. Second, about half of the events belong to the groups of acceleration and deceleration. Third, the fractions of three motion groups as a function of CME speed are consistent with one another. Fourth, the fraction of acceleration motion decreases as CME speed increases, while the fractions of other motions increase with speed. In addition, the acceleration motions are dominant in low speed CMEs whereas the constant velocity motions are dominant in high speed CMEs.

A STATISTICAL STUDY OF STREAMER-ASSOCIATED CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS

  • Moon, Y.J.;Kim, Jin-Sug;Kim, Y.H.;Cho, K.S.;Bong, Su-Chan;Park, Y.D.
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.39 no.4
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    • pp.139-145
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    • 2006
  • We have made a comprehensive statistical study on the coronal mass ejections(CMEs) associated with helmet streamers. A total number of 3810 CMEs observed by SOHO/LASCO coronagraph from 1996 to 2000 have been visually inspected. By comparing their LASCO images and running difference images, we picked out streamer-associated CMEs, which are classified into two sub-groups: Class-A events whose morphological shape seen in the LASCO running difference image is quite similar to that of the pre-existing streamer, and Class-B events whose ejections occurred in a part of the streamer. The former type of CME may be caused by the destabilization of the helmet streamer and the latter type of CME may be related to the eruption of a filament underlying the helmet streamer or narrow CMEs such as streamer puffs. We have examined the distributions of CME speed and acceleration for both classes as well as the correlation between their speed and acceleration. The major results from these investigations are as follows. First, about a quarter of all CMEs are streamer-associated CMEs. Second, their mean speed is 413 km $s^{-1}$ for Class-A events and 371 km $s^{-1}$ for Class-B events. And the fraction of the streamer-associated CMEs decreases with speed. Third, the speed-acceleration diagrams show that there are no correlations between two quantities for both classes and the accelerations are nearly symmetric with respect to zero acceleration line. Fourth, their mean angular width are about $60^{\circ}$, which is similar to that of normal CMEs. Fifth, the fraction of streamer-associated CMEs during the solar minimum is a little larger than that during the solar maximum. Our results show that the kinematic characteristics of streamer-associated CMEs, especially Class-A events, are quite similar to those of quiescent filament-associated CMEs.

ESTIMATE OF CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH USING PLASMOID ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT

  • Jang, Min-Hwan;Choe, G.S.;Lee, K.S.;Moon, Y.J.;Kim, Kap-Sung
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.42 no.6
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    • pp.175-184
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    • 2009
  • A method of estimating the lower bound of coronal magnetic field strength in the neighborhood of an ejecting plasmoid is presented. Based on the assumption that the plasma ejecta is within a magnetic island, an analytical expression for the force acting on the ejecta is derived. The method is applied to a limb coronal mass ejection event, and a lower bound of the magnetic field strength just below the CME core is estimated. The method is expected to provide useful information on the strength of reconnecting magnetic field if applied to X-ray plasma ejecta.

Full ice-cream cone model for halo coronal mass ejections

  • Na, Hyeonock;Moon, Yong-Jae
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.65.3-66
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    • 2015
  • The determination of three dimensional parameters (e.g., radial speed, angular width, source location) of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is very important for space weather forecast. To estimate these parameters, several cone models based on a flat cone or a shallow ice-cream cone with spherical front have been suggested. In this study, we investigate which cone model is proper for halo CME morphology using 33 CMEs which are identified as halo CMEs by one spacecraft (SOHO or STEREO-A or B) and as limb CMEs by the other ones. From geometrical parameters of these CMEs such as their front curvature, we find that near full ice-cream cone CMEs (28 events) are dominant over shallow ice-cream cone CMEs (5 events). So we develop a new full ice-cream cone model by assuming that a full ice-cream cone consists of many flat cones with different heights and angular widths. This model is carried out by the following steps: (1) construct a cone for given height and angular width, (2) project the cone onto the sky plane, (3) select points comprising the outer boundary, (4) minimize the difference between the estimated projection points with the observed ones. We apply this model to several halo CMEs and compare the results with those from other methods such as a Graduated Cylindrical Shell model and a geometrical triangulation method.

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RADIAL AND AZIMUTHAL OSCILLATIONS OF HALO CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS

  • Lee, Harim;Moon, Y.J.;Nakariakov, V.M.
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.66.1-66.1
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    • 2015
  • We present the first observational detection of radial and azimuthal oscillations in full halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs). We analyze nine HCMEs well-observed by LASCO from Feb 2011 to Jun 2011. Using the LASCO C3 running difference images, we estimated the instantaneous apparent speeds of the HCMEs in different radial directions from the solar disk center. We find that the development of all these HCMEs is accompanied with quasi-periodic variations of the instantaneous radial velocity with the periods ranging from 24 to 48 mins. The amplitudes of the instant speed variations reach about a half of the projected speeds. The amplitudes are found to anti-correlate with the periods and correlate with the HCME speed, indicating the nonlinear nature of the process. The oscillations have a clear azimuthal structure in the heliocentric polar coordinate system. The oscillations in seven events are found to be associated with distinct azimuthal wave modes with the azimuthal wave number m=1 for six events and m=2 for one event. The polarization of the oscillations in these seven HCMEs is broadly consistent with those of their position angles with the mean difference of $42.5^{\circ}$. The oscillations may be connected with natural oscillations of the plasmoids around a dynamical equilibrium, or self-oscillatory processes, e.g. the periodic shedding of Alfvenic vortices. Our results indicate the need for advanced theory of oscillatory processes in CMEs.

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Comparison to Cone Models for Halo Coronal Mass Ejections

  • Na, Hyeon-Ock;Moon, Yong-Jae
    • Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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    • 2011.04a
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    • pp.28.3-28.3
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    • 2011
  • Halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) are mainly responsible for the most severe geomagnetic storms. To minimize the projection effect of the HCMEs observed by coronagraphs, several cone models have been suggested. These models allow us to determine the geometrical and kinematic parameters of HCMEs : radial speed, source location, angular width, and the angle between the central axis of the cone and the plane of the sky. In this study, we compare these parameters form two representative cone models (the ice-cream cone model and the asymmetric cone model) using well-observed HCMEs from 2001 to 2002. And we obtain the root mean square error (rms error) between observed projection speeds and calculated projection speeds for both cone models. It is found that the average rms speed error (89 km/s) of the asymmetric cone model is a little smaller than that (107 km/s) of the ice-cream cone models, implying that the radial speeds from both models are reasonably estimated. We also find that the radial speeds obtained from two models are similar to each other with the correlation coefficient of about 0.8.

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