Tether-Cutting Energetics of a Solar Quiet Region Prominence Eruption

Details Tether-Cutting Energetics of a Solar Quiet Region Prominence Eruption Tether-Cutting Energetics of a Solar Quiet Region Prominence Eruption

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufmsh22a0182s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #SH22A-0182

Physics

7513 Coronal Mass Ejections, 7519 Flares, 7531 Prominence Eruptions, 7549 Ultraviolet Emissions, 7554 X Rays, Gamma Rays, And Neutrinos

Scientific paper

We study the morphology and energetics of a slowly-evolving quiet region solar prominence eruption occurring on 1999 February 8---9 in the solar north polar crown region, using Fe~xv EUV 284~Å data from the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on SOHO and soft X-ray data from the soft X-ray telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. After rising at ≈ 1~km~s-1 for about six hours, the prominence accelerates to a velocity of ≈ 10~km~s-1, leaving behind EUV and soft X-ray loop arcades of a weak flare in its source region. Intensity dimmings occur in the eruption region cospatially in EUV and soft X-rays, indicating that the dimmings result from a depletion of material. Over the first two hours of the prominence's rapid rise, flare-like brightenings occur beneath the rising prominence which may correspond to ``tether cutting'' magnetic reconnection. These brightenings have heating requirements of up to ˜ 1028---1029~ergs, and this is comparable to the mechanical energy required for the rising prominence over the same time period. If the ratio of mechanical energy to heating energy remains constant through the early phase of the eruption, then we infer that coronal signatures for the tether cutting may not be apparent at or shortly after the start of the faster-rise phase of the prominence in this or similar low-energy eruptions, since the plasma-heating energy levels would not exceed that of the background corona. Our findings have strong implications for the correct use of observations in testing theoretical ideas for the onset of solar eruptions.

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