Helicity Transfer and Energy Release in the Bastille Day Flare
Abstract
Spatial and temporal analysis of the 2000 Bastille Day event observed with SOHO and TRACE instrumentation is viewed in light of a three-dimensional topological reconnection model. The model measures the injection of helicity into the active region in a 36-hour build-up to the flare as well as the evolution of connected segmented areas of the active region to calculate flux available for the reconnection process. Utilizing the spatial evolution of the flare, the model predicts a reconnection flux of 9.45 x 1021 Mx and a helicity transfer of -9.3 x 1042 Mx2 into a twisted flux rope subsequently ejected as a coronal mass ejection (CME). The results compare well with the flux swept out by the two flare ribbons (1.44 x 1022 Mx) as viewed in TRACE 1600Å images and the helicity in magnetic cloud measurements (-15.0 x 1042 Mx2). Further analyses also reveal spatial and temporal correlation between reconnection rate and X-ray emissions, yielding evidence that reconnection governs energy release in flares.
This work was accomplished during the Solar REU program at Montana State University, which is in part supported by the National Science Foundation through contract ATM-0552958.- Publication:
-
AAS/Solar Physics Division Meeting #40
- Pub Date:
- May 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009SPD....40.2011H