Institut national de recherche scientifique français Univerité Pierre et Marie Curie Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7

The 5-part CME and Why CMEs are Simple Magnetic Flux Ropes: A Synthesis of 15 Years of Coronagraph Observations

Monday 30 January 2012, by Angelos Vourlidas (Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC)

Friday 17 February 2012 à 11h00 , Lieu : Salle de confĂ©rence du bât. 17

The magnetic structure of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is a key parameter for understanding explosive energy release from the Sun. Theory and simulations predict or require (depending on your point of view) a magnetic flux rope structure for CMEs. At the same time, coronagraph observations have offered tantalizing hints that such structure exists within CMEs. Some researchers think that all CMEs are ejected flux ropes. Is this true? How can we tell? In this talk, I posit that flux rope structure is very common in white light coronagraph images of CMEs and will show how to recognize it. I will discuss the implications for understanding CME images and how we can now create a common picture among CMEs, flux ropes, interplanetary CMEs and magnetic clouds.