Observations of the Failed Eruption of a Filament
Abstract
We have observed the fine temporal and spatial structure of a filament eruption on 2002 May 27 following an M2-class flare. Our observations at Big Bear Solar Observatory were made at the wavelength of Hα 1.3 Å, with a cadence of 40 ms. The event was also observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) at X-ray energies from 3 to 50 keV and by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) in poFe XII 195 Å. The event appears to be a ``failed eruption,'' as the filament material, seen in absorption by TRACE, first accelerated then decelerated as it approached its peak height of ~8×104 km while the filament threads drained back to the Sun. The fact that the eruption did not lead to a coronal mass ejection indicates that the coronal magnetic field near ~8×104 km did not open during the flare. The height-time curve obtained from the TRACE 195 Å images during the deceleration phase shows that the deceleration of the filament exceeded the gravitational deceleration by more than a factor of 10, which suggests that the filament material was pulled back by magnetic tension. Also of importance are three sequential but cospatial features-brightenings in EUV, a loop-top hard X-ray emission, and ``rupturing'' of the Hα filament-that point to a release of energy (and probably magnetic reconnection) above the initial filament's location but well below its terminal height. Reconnection above a filament does not appear in most models, with the notable exception of quadrupolar and ``breakout'' models. These observations provide evidence that at least two conditions are required for a successful eruption: a reconnection very low in the corona (possibly above the filament) and open or opening fields above that point.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1086/378178
- Bibcode:
- 2003ApJ...595L.135J
- Keywords:
-
- Sun: Chromosphere;
- Sun: Corona;
- Sun: Magnetic Fields;
- Sun: X-Rays;
- Gamma Rays