Observations of the failed eruption of a filament |
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Edward Schmahl Submitted: 2003-04-29 07:41
We have observed the fine temporal and spatial structure of a filament eruption on 2002 May 27 following an M2-class flare. Our observations at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) were made at the wavelength of Hα 1.3 A, with a cadence of 40 ms. The event was also observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) at X-ray energies from 3 to 50 keV and by the Transition
Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) in Fe XII 195 A. The event appears to be a ``failed eruption'', as the filament material, seen in absorption by TRACE, first accelerated, then decelerated as it approached its peak height of ~ 8 X 104 km while the filament threads drained back to the Sun.
The fact that the eruption did not lead to a coronal mass ejection indicates that the coronal magnetic field near ~ 8 X 104 km did not open during the flare.
The height-time curve obtained from the TRACE 195 A
images during the deceleration phase shows that the deceleration of the filament exceeded the gravitational deceleration by more than a factor of 10, which suggests that the filament material was pulled back by magnetic tension.
Also of importance are three sequential, but co-spatial, features-brightenings in EUV, a looptop hard X-ray emission, and `rupturing' of the Hα filament-which point to a release of energy (and probably magnetic reconnection) above the initial filament's location
but well below its terminal height. Reconnection above a filament does not appear in most models, with the
notable exception of quadrupolar and `breakout' models.
These observations provide evidence that at least two
conditions are required for a successful eruption: a reconnection very low in the corona (possibly above the filament), and open or opening fields above that point.
Authors: Ji,H. Wang,H., Schmahl, E.,Moon,Y.-J., and Jiang,Y.
Projects: RHESSI
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Publication Status: Accepted by Ap.J.(Letters) April 28, 2003
Last Modified: 2003-04-29 07:41
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