HR: 14:30h
AN: SH53B-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Distinguishing Between Eruptive and Quiescent Solar Active Regions
AU: * Georgoulis, M K
EM: manolis.georgoulis@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: LaBonte, B J
EM: barry.labonte@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AB: We present a method to fully evaluate the energy-helicity formula in solar active regions by using only photospheric vector magnetograms of these active regions. At the moment, the method relies on the linear force-free approximation and provides the total magnetic energy, the magnetic energy of the vacuum (potential) magnetic field, and the non-potential (free) magnetic energy relating to the total magnetic helicity in an active region. The formulation of the technique allows an upgrade to a nonlinear force-free evaluation of the energy-helicity formula, which will be a more realistic approach especially when chromospheric vector magnetograms of solar active regions become available. Even with the linear force-free approximation, however, we find that the magnitudes of the total helicity, as well as the ratios of the free magnetic energy to the total magnetic energy are distinctly higher for eruptive active regions as compared to quiescent active regions. Eruptive active regions produce flares and might trigger CMEs, so the method presents a viable way to discriminate between these two types of active regions even in case a single vector magnetogram of these active regions is available.
DE: 7507 Chromosphere
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7524 Magnetic fields
DE: 7529 Photosphere
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly