Coronal mass ejections and sunspots - Solar cycle perspective

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that the occurrence of the maxima of coronal mass ejection (CME) rate and sunspot number (SSN) were nearly two years apart. We find that the two-year lag of CME rate manifests only when the SSN index is considered and the lag is minimal (two-three months) when the sunspot area is considered. CMEs with speeds greater than the average speed follow the sunspot cycle much better than the entire population of CMEs. Analysis of the linear speeds of CMEs further indicates that during the descending phase of the solar cycle the loss of magnetic flux is through more frequent and less energetic CMEs. We emphasize that the magnetic field attaining the nonpotentiality that represents the free energy content, rather than the flux content as measured by the area of the active region, plays an important role in producing CMEs. © 2010 The American Astronomical Society.