The Topology Of Solar Eruptions
Abstract
Understanding the physical mechanisms responsible for coronal mass ejections (CME)/eruptive flares is essential for advancing both our knowledge of major solar activity and our capability for forecasting space weather. The topology of the coronal magnetic field plays the essential role in most theories for these major solar eruptions. We discuss the role of 3D effects in the `breakout model' for CMEs. We argue that the 3D topology of the magnetic field is critical for understanding the magnetic reconnection that leads to eruption and understanding the subsequent development of the ejected plasmoid. Both theoretical and numerical results on breakout simulations will be presented. From these results, we derive predictions that can test the validity of the model with the observations expected from the upcoming STEREO and SOLAR-B missions.
This work was supported in part by NASA and ONR.- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #204
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004AAS...204.2706A