Electric-current Neutralization, Magnetic Shear, and Eruptive Activity in Solar Active Regions
- W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 (United States)
- Predictive Science Inc., 9990 Mesa Rim Road, Suite 170, San Diego, CA 92121 (United States)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
The physical conditions that determine whether or not solar active regions (ARs) produce strong flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are not yet well understood. Here, we investigate the association between electric-current neutralization, magnetic shear along polarity inversion lines (PILs), and eruptive activity in four ARs: two emerging and two well-developed ones. We find that the CME-producing ARs are characterized by a strongly non-neutralized total current, while the total current in the ARs that did not produce CMEs is almost perfectly neutralized. The difference in the PIL shear between these two groups is much less pronounced, which suggests that the degree of current neutralization may serve as a better proxy for assessing the ability of ARs to produce CMEs.
- OSTI ID:
- 22654396
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 846, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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