HR: 11:15h
AN: SH21C-04    [PDF]
TI: The Polar Crown Filament Eruption and Associated CME of 2003 February 18
AU: * Hill, S M
EM: steven.hill@noaa.gov
AF: Space Environment Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mail Code R/SEC 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305
AU: Christopher, B C
EM: christopher.balch@noaa.gov
AF: Space Environment Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mail Code R/SEC 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305
AU: Burkepile, J
EM: iguana@ucar.edu
AF: High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301
AU: Gallagher, P T
EM: Peter.T.Gallagher@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: L-3 Communications Government Services, Inc., Solar Physics Branch (Code 682), Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: DeToma, G
EM: detoma@ucar.edu
AF: High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301
AB: On 2003 February 18, a polar crown filament dramatically erupted, becoming the core of a classic three part Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The event was well observed from the disk to 30 solar radii in multiple bands, some of which were at high cadence. Phenomena observed include: high-latitude filament eruption, the formation of two bright ribbons, soft X-ray coronal dimmings, post-eruption arcade evolution, and a classical three-part CME. Specifically, the filament eruption was seen on the disk and out to ~1.3 solar radii in soft X-rays, extreme ultraviolet, H-alpha, and He I 1083 nm. The CME was visible in white light coronagraph images from 1.08 to 30 solar radii. Though post CME reconnection arcades reached only the B5 level in GOES XRS measurements, they were observed in hard X-rays (at energies less than 12 keV), soft X-rays, extreme ultraviolet, and a two-ribbon flare structure was seen in H-alpha and in He I 1083 nm. The observations were conducted using GOES SXI, SOHO EIT and LASCO, RHESSI, and the MLSO ACOS suite. We present the results of our initial timing, height vs. time, and light curve analyses of this event. The timing results address issues of the simultaneity and sequence of filament motion, coronal dimming, CME 'launch', and arcade formation. The height versus time results are presented for both the filament/CME core and the CME front to provide observational constraints for CME acceleration models. Finally, the arcade light curve results support estimation of the magnetic reconnection rate for further discrimination between model predictions.
DE: 7509 Corona
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7531 Prominence eruptions
SC: SPA - Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting