The velocity field of a coronal mass ejection: The event of September 1, 1980

Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA03p02221· OSTI ID:5557988

Low, B C; Hundhausen, A J ^[1]

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1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)

A coronal mass ejection with the appearance of two sets of overlapping loops occurred at about 0600 UT on September 1, 1980, over the northwest limb of the sun. It was one of the fastest events observed by the Solar Maximum Mission coronagraph during the 1980 epoch, with apparent radial velocity components of several features approaching 1,000 km s{sup {minus}1}. A study of the slow evolution of H{sub {alpha}} prominence filaments and coronal structures in the northwest solar sector suggests that the mass ejection resulted form the disruption of a helmet streamer in association with, possibly, two filaments to give rise to the double-loop structure. This event is well covered by 10 coronagraph images of good quality so that the complex velocity field, defined by the apparent motions of many different parts of the mass ejection, can be mapped out as a function of space and time. The results of such an analysis are presented and related to current concerns in the theoretical understanding of mass ejections In particular, it is concluded that a self-similar description of the velocity field is a gross oversimplification and that although some evidence of wave propagation can be found, the bright features in this mass ejection are plasma structures moving (presumably) with frozen-in magnetic fields, rather that waves propagating through plasma and magnetic fields.

• OSTI ID: 5557988
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 92:A3; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SOLAR CORONA
MASS TRANSFER
BALMER LINES
IMAGES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MORPHOLOGY
SATELLITES
SOLAR PROMINENCES
SOLAR WIND
TIME DEPENDENCE
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION
ATMOSPHERES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
STELLAR CORONAE
661320* - Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena- (1992-)