Catastrophe versus instability for the eruption of a toroidal solar magnetic flux rope

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/46· OSTI ID:22356482

Kliem, B.; Lin, J. ^[1]; Forbes, T. G. ^[2]; Priest, E. R. ^[3]

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1. Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China)
2. Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824 (United States)
3. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)

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.

• OSTI ID: 22356482
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 789, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
EQUATIONS
EQUILIBRIUM
ERUPTION
FILAMENTS
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MASS
SPACE
SUN