CME Kinematics and Dynamics

Abstract

The goal of this study is to investigate the driving mechanisms of CMEs and to infer the magnetic field properties at the onset of the instability. We use EIT 195 Å images and LASCO white-light coronagraph data of a CME event that occurred on 17 December 2006. It was a long-duration event, and was associated with an occulted C2.1 class flare. To determine the driving mechanism, we quantitatively and qualitatively compared the observationally obtained kinematic evolution with that predicted by three CME models: the breakout model (BO, see Antiochos et al. 1999; Lynch et al. 2008; DeVore and Antiochos 2008), the catastrophe model (CM, see Priest and Forbes 2000), and the toroidal instability model (TI, see Chen 1989; Kliem and Török 2006). Our results indicate that this CME is best represented by the CM model. We infer that, at the onset of the instability, the Alfvén speed is approximately 120 km s -1 and the height of the flux rope is roughly 100-200Mm. These parameter values are related to the magnetic environment and the loop geometry and can be used to infer the magnetic condition at the onset of the eruption.We intend to submit the full analysis to A&A.