Effects of magnetic topology on CME kinematic properties
Abstract
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) exhibit two types of kinematic property: fast CMEs with high initial speeds and slow CMEs with low initial speeds but gradual accelerations. To account for this dual character. Low and Zhang (LZ 2002) proposed that fast and slow CMEs result from initial states with magnetic configurations characterized by normal and inverse quiescent prominences, respectively. To test their theory and further explore the effects of topology on the kinematic properties of CMEs we employed a self-consistent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model [Guo, Wu, et al.] to simulate the evolution of CMEs respectively in the normal and inverse prominence environments. The numerical results show that CMEs originating from a normal prominence environment do have higher initial speeds than those from an inverse one. In addition, our simulations demonstrate the distinct roles played by magnetic reconnection in these two topologically different magnetic environments to produce the two different CME height-time profiles as suggested by LZ 2002.
- Publication:
-
Solar Variability as an Input to the Earth's Environment
- Pub Date:
- September 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003ESASP.535..459L
- Keywords:
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- Coronal Mass Ejection;
- Kinematics