Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are transient expulsions of large amounts of coronal plasma and magnetic flux into the Heliosphere. They represent a key energy release process in the solar corona, and a major driver of space weather. A largely unresolved and fiercely debated\u00a0 problem of the CME physics concerns the nature of their pre-eruptive magnetic configurations. Namely, which magnetic configurations are most prone to destabilization and subsequent CME formation and how do they form? There exist\u00a0 two largely orthogonal models\/theories asserting that the pre-eruptive magnetic configuration has the form of either a magnetic flux rope (MFR) or that of a sheared magnetic arcade (SMA). Moreover, a diversity of physical mechanisms (e.g., shearing, flux emergence, flux cancellation, etc.) have been proposed to explain the formation of pre-eruptive configurations. Elucidating on the pre-eruptive configurations and how they form has important implications for the physical understanding of CMEs,
\nthe origin and evolution of CME-prolific active regions,and for space-weather prediction purposes.<\/p>\n
The current wealth of observational data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory mission (i.e., AIA observations of both pre-eruptive and eruptive\u00a0 structures in hot channels and HMI vector magnetograms), coupled with the latest capabilities in MHD modeling, make it timely to undertake a comprehensive, systematic study of pre-eruptive magnetic configurations.Our team contains expertise in all facets of the problem. We\u00a0 propose to approach the problem as follows.<\/p>\n
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Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are transient expulsions of large amounts of coronal plasma and magnetic flux into the Heliosphere. They represent a key energy release process in the solar corona, and a major driver of space weather. A largely unresolved … Continue reading