Heating and Kinematics of an Eruptive Prominence Associated with a Fast Coronal Mass Ejection
Abstract
The fast (1800 km/s) coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2005 July 27 had a bright bubble-shaped prominence core observed by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) in microwaves (17 and 34 GHz), TRACE at 171 A, and the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on board SOHO. NoRH has the largest field of view among the non- white light instruments, so the prominence could be tracked until it reached a height of about 0.75 solar radii from the limb. The prominence remained optically thick at both 17 and GHz, even though it was significantly heated. Comparison with TRACE observations suggest that the prominence was heated in individual fibers within the prominence, making it multi-thermal plasma. The prominence maintained its overall shape as it entered into the field of view of SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs with a speed of about 1400 km/s, so the height-time history could be studied over a distance of more than 20 solar radii from the Sun. NoRH data indicated that the initial acceleration was extremely high (about1.4 km/s/s). During the slow-rise phase of the prominence, EUV loops overlying the prominence also moved out, which when combines with CME leading-edge measurements from LASCO/C2 yielded an acceleration of about 300 m/s/s. This was comparable to the average acceleration of the prominence over the same height range. When we consider the just the LASCO field of view, both the prominence core and the CME leading edge showed deceleration, but to vastly different extents (-32 m/s/s for the CME leading edge compared to -3 m/s/s for the prominence core). Our preliminary conclusion is that the prominence was insulated from interacting with the non-CME ambient medium, which might explain the weaker slowing down of the prominence.
- Publication:
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AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUSMSH31C..07G
- Keywords:
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- 7513 Coronal mass ejections (2101);
- 7519 Flares;
- 7531 Prominence eruptions;
- 7534 Radio emissions