Propagation of solar flare-associated interplanetary shock waves in the heliospheric meridional plane
Abstract
An analysis is conducted for 149 flare-associated shock wave events based on interplanetary scintillation observational data. All of the flare-associated shock waves tend to propagate toward the low latitude region near the solar equator for flares that are located in both the solar Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Also, the fastest propagation directions tend toward the heliospheric current sheet near 1 AU. This tendency is caused by the dynamic action of near-sun magnetic forces on the ejected coronal plasma that traverses the helmet-like magnetic topologies near the sun outward to the classical topology that is essentially parallel to the heliospheric current sheet.
- Publication:
-
Solar Physics
- Pub Date:
- April 1991
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF00152294
- Bibcode:
- 1991SoPh..132..373W
- Keywords:
-
- Heliosphere;
- Interplanetary Medium;
- Shock Wave Propagation;
- Solar Flares;
- Current Sheets;
- Solar Magnetic Field;
- Statistical Analysis;
- Solar Physics