Using the Centroid Method to Track CME Propagation and Expansion in 3-D space Based on STEREO/SECCHI Observations

Details Using the Centroid Method to Track CME Propagation and Expansion in 3-D space Based on STEREO/SECCHI Observations Using the Centroid Method to Track CME Propagation and Expansion in 3-D space Based on STEREO/SECCHI Observations

May 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agusmsh21a..05z&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2008, abstract #SH21A-05

Physics

2101 Coronal Mass Ejections (7513), 7509 Corona, 7513 Coronal Mass Ejections (2101), 7524 Magnetic Fields, 7531 Prominence Eruptions

Scientific paper

Based on the twin STEREO/SECCHI A (Ahead) and B (Behind) coronagraph observations, we use a centroid method to infer the location and kinematic evolution of CMEs in 3-D space. The general trigonometry principle relies on finding the exact common point in 3-D space within the CME feature as seen from both A and B. However, since a CME is an optical thin structure with large scale extension in all three dimensions, an observed point in the pixel maps shows the brightness integrated over a long path along the line of sight, which does not correspond to any 3-D point. Further, the CME leading edge points, which may encompass the shortest path of integration, also can not serve as a common point, because they correspond to different part of CME front as seen from two different angles. Here, we introduce the so called centroid method by assuming that a CME is an expanding sphere in 3-D and thus appears as a circular structure in 2-D projected observations, and consequently the centers of the circles in both A and B correspond to a common point in 3-D, i.e., the center of the symmetric sphere. By tracking the centroid, we obtain the 3-D locations of CMEs in the time-lapse images, and thus the velocity and acceleration. Further, the radius of the sphere gives rise to the size and the expansion speed of CMEs. We present some initial interesting results obtained from this method using both COR1 and COR2 observations. In particular, what is the relative importance of expansion and rising motion during the initiation phase of a CME? The limitation of this method will also be discussed.

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