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3D Reconstruction of a Rotating Erupting ProminenceA bright prominence associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME) was seen erupting from the Sun on 9 April 2008. This prominence was tracked by both the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) EUVI and COR1 telescopes, and was seen to rotate about the line of sight as it erupted; therefore, the event has been nicknamed the "Cartwheel CME." The threads of the prominence in the core of the CME quite clearly indicate the structure of a weakly to moderately twisted flux rope throughout the field of view, up to heliocentric heights of 4 solar radii. Although the STEREO separation was 48 deg, it was possible to match some sharp features in the later part of the eruption as seen in the 304 Angstrom line in EUVI and in the H alpha-sensitive bandpass of COR1 by both STEREO Ahead and Behind. These features could then be traced out in three dimensional space, and reprojected into a view in which the eruption is directed towards the observer. The reconstructed view shows that the alignment of the prominence to the vertical axis rotates as it rises up to a leading-edge height of approximately equals 2.5 solar radii, and then remains approximately constant. The alignment at 2.5 solar radii differs by about 115 deg. from the original filament orientation inferred from H alpha and EUV data, and the height profile of the rotation, obtained here for the first time, shows that two thirds of the total rotation is reached within approximately equals 0.5 solar radii above the photosphere. These features are well reproduced by numerical simulations of an unstable moderately twisted flux rope embedded in external flux with a relatively strong shear field component.
Document ID
20110013561
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Thompson, W. T.
(ADNET Systems, Inc. MD, United States)
Kliem, B.
(Potsdam Univ. Potsdam, Germany)
Torok, T.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
June 10, 2011
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.4630.2011
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EB68C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX08AG44G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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