HR: 1330h
AN: SH22A-0182    [PDF]
TI: Tether-Cutting Energetics of a Solar Quiet Region Prominence Eruption
AU: * Sterling, A C
EM: alphonse.sterling@msfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/MSFC/NSSTC/UAT/ISAS, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 229-8510 Japan
AU: Moore, R L
EM: ron.moore@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/MSFC/NSSTC, NASA/MSFC SD50/Space Science Dept., Huntsville, AL 35812 United States
AB: 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~{\sc xv} EUV 284~\AA\ data from the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on {\sl SOHO} and soft X-ray data from the soft X-ray telescope (SXT) on {\sl Yohkoh}. After rising at $\approx 1$~km~s$^{-1}$ for about six hours, the prominence accelerates to a velocity of $\approx 10$~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 $\sim 10^{28}$---$10^{29}$~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.
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7531 Prominence eruptions
DE: 7549 Ultraviolet emissions
DE: 7554 X rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos
SC: SPA - Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting