@article{LouisPuschmannKliemetal.2014, author = {Louis, Rohan E. and Puschmann, Klaus G. and Kliem, Bernhard and Balthasar, Horst and Denker, Carsten}, title = {Sunspot splitting triggering an eruptive flare}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {562}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201321106}, pages = {15}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Aims. We investigate how the splitting of the leading sunspot and associated flux emergence and cancellation in active region NOAA 11515 caused an eruptive M5.6 flare on 2012 July 2. Methods. Continuum intensity, line-of-sight magnetogram, and dopplergram data of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager were employed to analyse the photospheric evolution. Filtergrams in H alpha and He I 10830 angstrom of the Chromospheric Telescope at the Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, track the evolution of the flare. The corresponding coronal conditions were derived from 171 angstrom and 304 angstrom images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. Local correlation tracking was utilized to determine shear flows. Results. Emerging flux formed a neutral line ahead of the leading sunspot and new satellite spots. The sunspot splitting caused a long-lasting flow towards this neutral line, where a filament formed. Further flux emergence, partly of mixed polarity, as well as episodes of flux cancellation occurred repeatedly at the neutral line. Following a nearby C-class precursor flare with signs of interaction with the filament, the filament erupted nearly simultaneously with the onset of the M5.6 flare and evolved into a coronal mass ejection. The sunspot stretched without forming a light bridge, splitting unusually fast (within about a day, complete approximate to 6 h after the eruption) in two nearly equal parts. The front part separated strongly from the active region to approach the neighbouring active region where all its coronal magnetic connections were rooted. It also rotated rapidly (by 4.9 degrees h(-1)) and caused significant shear flows at its edge. Conclusions. The eruption resulted from a complex sequence of processes in the (sub-)photosphere and corona. The persistent flows towards the neutral line likely caused the formation of a flux rope that held the filament. These flows, their associated flux cancellation, the emerging flux, and the precursor flare all contributed to the destabilization of the flux rope. We interpret the sunspot splitting as the separation of two flux bundles differently rooted in the convection zone and only temporarily joined in the spot. This explains the rotation as the continued rise of the separating flux, and it implies that at least this part of the sunspot was still connected to its roots deep in the convection zone.}, language = {en} } @article{ToeroekLeakeTitovetal.2014, author = {Toeroek, T. and Leake, J. E. and Titov, Viacheslav S. and Archontis, V. and Mikic, Z. and Linton, M. G. and Dalmasse, K. and Aulanier, Guillaume and Kliem, Bernhard}, title = {Distribution of electric currents in solar active regions}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, volume = {782}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {2041-8205}, doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/782/1/L10}, pages = {6}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @article{ToeroekKliemBergeretal.2014, author = {Toeroek, T. and Kliem, Bernhard and Berger, M. A. and Linton, M. G. and Demoulin, Pascal and van Driel-Gesztelyi, L.}, title = {The evolution of writhe in kink-unstable flux ropes and erupting filaments}, series = {Plasma physics and controlled fusion}, volume = {56}, journal = {Plasma physics and controlled fusion}, number = {6}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0741-3335}, doi = {10.1088/0741-3335/56/6/064012}, pages = {7}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The helical kink instability of a twisted magnetic flux tube has been suggested as a trigger mechanism for solar filament eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In order to investigate if estimations of the pre-emptive twist can be obtained from observations of writhe in such events, we quantitatively analyze the conversion of twist into writhe in the course of the instability, using numerical simulations. We consider the line tied, cylindrically symmetric Gold-Hoyle flux rope model and measure the writhe using the formulae by Berger and Prior which express the quantity as a single integral in space. We find that the amount of twist converted into writhe does not simply scale with the initial flux rope twist, but depends mainly on the growth rates of the instability eigenmodes of higher longitudinal order than the basic mode. The saturation levels of the writhe, as well as the shapes of the kinked flux ropes, are very similar for considerable ranges of initial flux rope twists, which essentially precludes estimations of pre-eruptive twist from measurements of writhe. However, our simulations suggest an upper twist limit of similar to 6 pi for the majority of filaments prior to their eruption.}, language = {en} } @article{vanDrielGesztelyiBakerToeroeketal.2014, author = {van Driel-Gesztelyi, L. and Baker, Daniel N. and Toeroek, T. and Pariat, E. and Green, L. M. and Williams, D. R. and Carlyle, J. and Valori, G. and Demoulin, Pascal and Kliem, Bernhard and Long, D. M. and Matthews, S. A. and Malherbe, J. -M.}, title = {Coronal magnetic reconnection driven by CME expansion-the 2011 June 7 event}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {788}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/85}, pages = {12}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupt and expand in a magnetically structured solar corona. Various indirect observational pieces of evidence have shown that the magnetic field of CMEs reconnects with surrounding magnetic fields, forming, e.g., dimming regions distant from the CME source regions. Analyzing Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observations of the eruption from AR 11226 on 2011 June 7, we present the first direct evidence of coronal magnetic reconnection between the fields of two adjacent active regions during a CME. The observations are presented jointly with a data-constrained numerical simulation, demonstrating the formation/intensification of current sheets along a hyperbolic flux tube at the interface between the CME and the neighboring AR 11227. Reconnection resulted in the formation of new magnetic connections between the erupting magnetic structure from AR 11226 and the neighboring active region AR 11227 about 200 Mm from the eruption site. The onset of reconnection first becomes apparent in the SDO/AIA images when filament plasma, originally contained within the erupting flux rope, is redirected toward remote areas in AR 11227, tracing the change of large-scale magnetic connectivity. The location of the coronal reconnection region becomes bright and directly observable at SDO/AIA wavelengths, owing to the presence of down-flowing cool, dense (1010 cm(-3)) filament plasma in its vicinity. The high-density plasma around the reconnection region is heated to coronal temperatures, presumably by slow-mode shocks and Coulomb collisions. These results provide the first direct observational evidence that CMEs reconnect with surrounding magnetic structures, leading to a large-scale reconfiguration of the coronal magnetic field.}, language = {en} } @article{KliemLinForbesetal.2014, author = {Kliem, Bernhard and Lin, J. and Forbes, T. G. and Priest, E. R. and Toeroek, T.}, title = {Catastrophe versus instability for the eruption of a toroadal solar magnetic flux}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {789}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/46}, pages = {13}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The onset of a solar eruption is formulated here as either a magnetic catastrophe or as an instability. Both start with the same equation of force balance governing the underlying equilibria. Using a toroidal flux rope in an external bipolar or quadrupolar field as a model for the current-carrying flux, we demonstrate the occurrence of a fold catastrophe by loss of equilibrium for several representative evolutionary sequences in the stable domain of parameter space. We verify that this catastrophe and the torus instability occur at the same point; they are thus equivalent descriptions for the onset condition of solar eruptions.}, language = {en} } @article{GaoWangLinetal.2014, author = {Gao, Guan-Nan and Wang, Min and Lin, Jun and Wu, Ning and Tan, Cheng-Ming and Kliem, Bernhard and Su, Yang}, title = {Radio observations of the fine structure inside a post-CME current sheet}, series = {Research in astronomy and astrophysics : a publication of the Chinese Astronomical Society and National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences}, volume = {14}, journal = {Research in astronomy and astrophysics : a publication of the Chinese Astronomical Society and National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences}, number = {7}, publisher = {Chinese Astronomical Society and National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences}, address = {Beijing}, issn = {1674-4527}, doi = {10.1088/1674-4527/14/7/006}, pages = {843 -- 854}, year = {2014}, abstract = {A solar radio burst was observed in a coronal mass ejection/flare event by the Solar Broadband Radio Spectrometer at the Huairou Solar Observing Station on 2004 December 1. The data exhibited various patterns of plasma motions, suggestive of the interaction between sunward moving plasmoids and the flare loop system during the impulsive phase of the event. In addition to the radio data, the associated white-light, H alpha, extreme ultraviolet light, and soft and hard X-rays were also studied.}, language = {en} } @article{ChengDingZhangetal.2014, author = {Cheng, X. and Ding, M. D. and Zhang, J. and Sun, X. D. and Guo, Y. and Wang, Yi-Ming and Kliem, Bernhard and Deng, Y. Y.}, title = {Formation of a double-decker magnetic flux rope in the sigmoidal solar active region 11520}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {789}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/789/2/93}, pages = {12}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In this paper, we address the formation of a magnetic flux rope (MFR) that erupted on 2012 July 12 and caused a strong geomagnetic storm event on July 15. Through analyzing the long-term evolution of the associated active region observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, it is found that the twisted field of an MFR, indicated by a continuous S-shaped sigmoid, is built up from two groups of sheared arcades near the main polarity inversion line a half day before the eruption. The temperature within the twisted field and sheared arcades is higher than that of the ambient volume, suggesting that magnetic reconnection most likely works there. The driver behind the reconnection is attributed to shearing and converging motions at magnetic footpoints with velocities in the range of 0.1-0.6 km s(-1). The rotation of the preceding sunspot also contributes to the MFR buildup. Extrapolated three-dimensional non-linear force-free field structures further reveal the locations of the reconnection to be in a bald-patch region and in a hyperbolic flux tube. About 2 hr before the eruption, indications of a second MFR in the form of an S-shaped hot channel are seen. It lies above the original MFR that continuously exists and includes a filament. The whole structure thus makes up a stable double-decker MFR system for hours prior to the eruption. Eventually, after entering the domain of instability, the high-lying MFR impulsively erupts to generate a fast coronal mass ejection and X-class flare; while the low-lying MFR remains behind and continuously maintains the sigmoidicity of the active region.}, language = {en} } @article{KliemToeroekTitovetal.2014, author = {Kliem, Bernhard and Toeroek, Tibor and Titov, Viacheslav S. and Lionello, Roberto and Linker, Jon A. and Liu, Rui and Liu, Chang and Wang, Haimin}, title = {Slow rise and partial eruption of a double-decker filament. II. A double flux rope model}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {792}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/792/2/107}, pages = {10}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Force-free equilibria containing two vertically arranged magnetic flux ropes of like chirality and current direction are considered as a model for split filaments/prominences and filament-sigmoid systems. Such equilibria are constructed analytically through an extension of the methods developed in Titov \& Demoulin and numerically through an evolutionary sequence including shear flows, flux emergence, and flux cancellation in the photospheric boundary. It is demonstrated that the analytical equilibria are stable if an external toroidal (shear) field component exceeding a threshold value is included. If this component decreases sufficiently, then both flux ropes turn unstable for conditions typical of solar active regions, with the lower rope typically becoming unstable first. Either both flux ropes erupt upward, or only the upper rope erupts while the lower rope reconnects with the ambient flux low in the corona and is destroyed. However, for shear field strengths staying somewhat above the threshold value, the configuration also admits evolutions which lead to partial eruptions with only the upper flux rope becoming unstable and the lower one remaining in place. This can be triggered by a transfer of flux and current from the lower to the upper rope, as suggested by the observations of a split filament in Paper I. It can also result from tether-cutting reconnection with the ambient flux at the X-type structure between the flux ropes, which similarly influences their stability properties in opposite ways. This is demonstrated for the numerically constructed equilibrium.}, language = {en} }