Junchao Hong

Rapid Sunspot Rotation Associated with the X2.2 Flare on 2011 February 15

We present observations of sunspot evolution associated with the first X-class flare of the present solar cycle 24, which occurred in AR 11158 on 2011 February 15. The active region consisted of four emerging bipoles that showed complicated sunspot motion. The preceding spot of a bipole underwent the fastest movement. It not only passed through the following end of another bipole, thus causing a shearing motion, but also merged with the same-polarity spots and formed a single, larger umbra. This led to the formation of a d configuration with an S-shaped neutral line, above which an extreme ultraviolet filament channel and a sigmoid formed and erupted to produce the flare. Along with the development of a clockwise (CW) spiral penumbra-filament pattern, the merged spot started rapid CW rotation around its umbral center 20 hr before the flare. The rotation persisted throughout the flare but stopped sharply about 1 hr after the flare ended, maintaining the twisted penumbra-filament pattern. The moving spot also caused continuous flux cancellation; in particular, its outer penumbra directly collided with small opposite-polarity spots only 100 minutes before the flare. When the shearing and rotational motions are main contributors to the energy buildup and helicity injection for the flare, the cancellation and collision might act as a trigger. Our observations support the idea that the rotation can be attributed to the emergence of twisted magnetic fields, as proposed in recent theories. Finally, the cause of its sudden halt is discussed.

A MICRO CORONAL MASS EJECTION ASSOCIATED BLOWOUT EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET JET

The so-called mini coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were recently identified as small-scale eruptive events showing the same on-disk characteristics as large-scale CMEs, and Moore et al. further found that one-third of polar X-ray jets are the so-called blowout jets, in which the jet-base magnetic arch, often carrying a filament, undergoes a miniature version of the blowout eruptions that produce major CMEs. By means of the two viewpoint observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Ahead of Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO A), in this Letter, we present the first observations that a blowout jet from the eruption of an EUV mini-filament channel in the quiet Sun was indeed associated with a real micro-CME. Captured by the on-disk SDO observations, the whole life of the mini-filament channel, from the formation to eruption, was associated with convergences and cancellations of opposite-polarity magnetic flux in the photosphere, and its eruption was accompanied by a small flare-like brightening, a small corona dimming, and posteruptive loops. The near-limb counterpart of the eruption observed by STEREO A, however, showed up as a small EUV jet followed by a white-light jet. These observations not only confirm the previous results that mini-filaments have characteristics common to large-scale ones, but also give clear evidences that blowout jets can result from the eruptions of mini-filaments and are associated with mini-CME.

SYMPATHETIC FILAMENT ERUPTIONS CONNECTED BY CORONAL DIMMINGS

We present for the first time detailed observations of three successive, interdependent filament eruptions that occurred one by one within 5 hr from different locations beyond the range of a single active region. The first eruption was observed from an active region and was associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME), during which diffuse and complex coronal dimmings formed, largely extending to the two other filaments located in quiet-Sun regions. Then, both quiescent filaments consecutively underwent the second and third eruptions, while the nearby dimmings were persistent. Comparing the result of a derived coronal magnetic configuration, the magnetic connectivity between the dimmings suggested that they were caused by the joint effect of simple expansion of overlying loop systems forced by the first eruption, as well as by its erupting field interacting or reconnecting with the surrounding magnetic structures. Note that the dimming process in the first eruption indicated a weakening and partial removal of an overlying magnetic field constraint on the two other filaments, and thus one can physically connect these eruptions as sympathetic. It appears that the peculiar magnetic field configuration in our event was largely favorable to the occurrence of sympathetic filament eruptions. Because coronal dimmings are frequent and common phenomena in solar eruptions, especially in CME events, it is very likely that they represent a universal agent that can link consecutive eruptions nearby with sympathetic eruptions.

Sympathetic Filament Eruptions from a Bipolar Helmet Streamer in the Sun

On 2005 August 5, two solar filaments erupted successively from different confined arcades underlying a common overarching multiple-arcade bipolar helmet streamer. We present detailed observations of these two events and identify them as sympathetic filament eruptions. The first (F1) is a small active-region filament located near the outskirts of the streamer arcade. It underwent a nonradial eruption, initially moving in the interior of the streamer arcade and resulting in an over-and-out coronal mass ejection. The second filament (F2), a larger quiescent one far away from F1, was clearly disturbed during the F1 eruption. It then underwent a very slow eruption and finally disappeared completely and permanently. Because two belt-shaped diffuse dimmings formed along the footprints of the streamer arcade in the first eruption and persisted throughout the complete disappearance of F2, the eruption series are interpreted as sympathetic: the simple expansion of the common streamer arcade forced by the F1 eruption weakened magnetic flux overlying F2 and thus led to its slow eruption, with the dimming formation indicating their physical connection. Our observations suggest that multiple-arcade bipolar helmet-streamer configurations are appropriate to producing sympathetic eruptions. Combined with the recent observations of unipolar-streamer sympathetic events, it appears that a multiple-arcade unipolar or bipolar helmet streamer can serve as a common magnetic configuration for sympathetic eruptions.

Solar filament material oscillations and drainage before eruption

Both large-amplitude longitudinal (LAL) oscillations and material drainage in a solar filament are associated with the flow of material along the filament axis, often followed by an eruption. However, the relationship between these two motions and a subsequent eruption event is poorly understood. We analyze a filament eruption using EUV imaging data captured by the Atmospheric Imaging Array on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Ha images from the Global Oscillation Network Group. Hours before the eruption, the filament was activated, with one of its legs undergoing a slow rising motion. The asymmetric activation inclined the filament relative to the solar surface. After the active phase, LAL oscillations were observed in the inclined filament. The oscillation period increased slightly over time, which may suggest that the magnetic fields supporting the filament evolve to be flatter during the slow rising phase. After the oscillations, a significant amount of filament material was drained toward one filament endpoint, followed immediately by the violent eruption of the filament. The material drainage may further support the change in magnetic topology prior to the eruption. Moreover, we suggest that the filament material drainage could play a role in the transition from a slow to a fast rise of the erupting filament.

Coronal bright points associated with minifilament eruptions

Coronal bright points (CBPs) are small-scale, long-lived coronal brightenings that always correspond to photospheric network magnetic features of opposite polarity. In this paper, we subjectively adopt 30 CBPs in a coronal hole to study their eruptive behavior using data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar DynamicsObservatory. About one-quarter to one-third of the CBPs in the coronal hole go through one or more minifilament eruption(s) (MFE(s)) throughout their lifetimes. The MFEs occur in temporal association with the brightness maxima of CBPs and possibly result from the convergence and cancellation of underlying magnetic dipoles. Two examples of CBPs with MFEs are analyzed in detail, where minifilaments appear as dark features of a cool channel that divide the CBPs along the neutral lines of the dipoles beneath. The MFEs show the typical rising movements of filaments and mass ejections with brightenings at CBPs, similar to large-scale filament eruptions. Via differential emission measure analysis, it is found that CBPs are heated dramatically by their MFEs and the ejected plasmas in the MFEs have average temperatures close to the pre-eruption BP plasmas and electron densities typically near 10(9) cm(-3). These new observational results indicate that CBPs are more complex in dynamical evolution and magnetic structure than previously thought.

PARTIAL SLINGSHOT RECONNECTION BETWEEN TWO FILAMENTS

We present a rare observation of an interaction between two filaments around AR 11358 and AR 11361 on 2011 December 3 that is strongly suggestive of the occurrence of slingshot reconnection. A small elbow-shaped active-region filament (F12) underwent a failed eruption that brought it into contact with a nearby larger, thicker filament (F34). Accompanied by the appearance of complicated internal structures below the erupting F12, its two legs separated away from each other and then connected into F34. This process led the filaments to change their connectivity to form two newly linked filaments, and one of them showed a clear inverse gamma-shape. However, the alteration in the filament connectivity was imperfect since F34 is discernible after the eruption. These observations can be interpreted as a partial slingshot reconnection between two filaments that had unequal axial magnetic flux.

AN OVER-AND-OUT HALO CORONAL MASS EJECTION DRIVEN BY THE FULL ERUPTION OF A KINKED FILAMENT

Over-and-out coronal mass ejections (CMEs) represent a broad class of CMEs that come from flare-producing magnetic explosions of various sizes but are laterally far offset from the flare, and their productions can be depicted by the magnetic-arch-blowout scenario. In this paper, we present observations of an over-and-out halo CME from the full eruption of a small kinking filament in an emerging active region (AR). In combination with the results of a derived coronal magnetic configuration, our observations showed that the CME was associated with a coronal helmet streamer, and the filament was located in the northern outskirts of the streamer base. Formed along a neutral line where flux cancellation was forced by the emerging AR with the surrounding opposite-polarity magnetic field, the filament underwent a full, non-radial eruption along the northern leg of the streamer arcade, accompanied by a clockwise deflection of the eruption direction. As a characteristic property of kink instability, the eruption displayed a clear inverse gamma shape, indicative of a writhing motion of the filament apex. Coronal dimmings, including a remote one, formed in opposite-polarity footprint regions of the streamer arcade during the eruption, and the consequent CME was laterally offset from the AR. These observations suggest that the kink instability is likely to be the driver in the eruption. The event can be well explained by putting this driver into the magnetic-arch-blowout model, in which the eruption-direction deflection and the full-eruption nature of the kinking filament are caused by the guiding action of the streamer arcade and the external reconnection between them.

ANALYSIS OF THE SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION AND NON-RADIAL PROPAGATION OF AN ERUPTIVE FILAMENT

The rotation of eruptive filaments is not only related to the kink instability occurring in the solar corona but also may result from the interaction between the large-scale magnetic field and the eruptions themselves. This interaction could likewise make the filament deflect in the radial direction. By means of data obtained by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, we study an eruptive filament showing both rotation and non-radial motion. The consequence of the three-dimensional reconstruction of the filament axis indicates that a significant rotation was simultaneous with the severe deflection in the latitude during the eruption. In combination with the results of a derived coronal magnetic configuration, our observations suggested that the non-radial motion resulted from the interaction between the eruption and an overlying pseudostreamer. Moreover, we find that the deflection of the eruption is asymmetric, with its eastern segment being dragged more significantly than its western one. Therefore, we suggested that the action of the asymmetric deflection is possibly an alternative mechanism for the rotation of the eruptive filament.

ERUPTION OF A SOLAR FILAMENT CONSISTING OF TWO THREADS

The trigger and driving mechanism for the eruption of a filament consisting of two dark threads was studied with unprecedented high cadence and resolution of He II 304 angstrom observations made by the Atmospheric Imagining Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the observations made by the Solar Magnetic Activity Research Telescope and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) telescope on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead (STEREO-A). The filament was located at the periphery of the active region NOAA 11228 and erupted on 2011 June 6. At the onset of the eruption, a turbulent filament thread was found to be heated and to elongate in stride over a second one. After it rose slowly, most interestingly, the elongating thread was driven to contact and interact with the second one, and it then erupted with its southern leg being wrapped by a newly formed thread produced by the magnetic reconnection between fields carried by the two threads. Combining the observations from STEREO-A/EUVI and SDO/AIA 304 angstrom images, the three-dimensional shape of the axis of the filament was obtained and it was found that only the southern leg of the eruptive filament underwent rotation. We suggest that the eruption was triggered by the reconnection of the turbulent filament thread and the surrounding magnetic field, and that it was mainly driven by the kink instability of the southern leg of the eruptive filament that possessed a more twisted field introduced by the reconnection-produced thread.