Validation and Interpretation of a Three-dimensional Configuration of a Magnetic Cloud Flux Rope

One strong magnetic cloud (MC) with a magnetic field magnitude reaching ∼40 nT at 1 au during 2012 June 16–17 is examined in association with a preexisting magnetic flux rope (MFR) identified on the Sun. The MC is characterized by a quasi-three-dimensional (3D) flux rope model based on in situ measurements from the Wind spacecraft. The contents of the magnetic flux and other parameters are quantified. In addition, a correlative study with the corresponding measurements of the same structure crossed by the Venus Express (VEX) spacecraft at a heliocentric distance of 0.7 au and with an angular separation of ∼6° in longitude is performed to validate the MC modeling results. The spatial variation between the Wind and VEX magnetic field measurements is attributed to the 3D configuration of the structure appearing as a knotted bundle of flux. A comparison of the magnetic flux contents between the MC and the preexisting MFR on the Sun indicates that the 3D reconnection process accompanying an M1.9 flare may correspond to the magnetic reconnection between the field lines of the preexisting MFR rooted in the opposite polarity footpoints. Such a process reduces the amount of the axial magnetic flux in the erupted flux rope, by approximately 50%, in this case.

[1]  Yuming Wang,et al.  Origin of Extremely Intense Southward Component of Magnetic Field (B s ) in ICMEs , 2021, Frontiers in Physics.

[2]  R. Lepping,et al.  Magnetic Field Intensity Modification to Force Free Model of Magnetic Clouds: Website of Wind Examples From Launch to July of 2015 , 2021, Frontiers in Physics.

[3]  X. Bian,et al.  Formation of Magnetic Flux Rope During Solar Eruption. I. Evolution of Toroidal Flux and Reconnection Flux , 2021, Frontiers in Physics.

[4]  E. Lu,et al.  Configuration of a Magnetic Cloud From Solar Orbiter and Wind Spacecraft In-situ Measurements , 2021, Frontiers in Physics.

[5]  Q. Hu.  Optimal Fitting of the Freidberg Solution to In Situ Spacecraft Measurements of Magnetic Clouds , 2021, Solar Physics.

[6]  Q. Hu,et al.  A fundamental mechanism of solar eruption initiation , 2021, Nature Astronomy.

[7]  X. Cheng,et al.  Evolution of the Toroidal Flux of CME Flux Ropes during Eruption , 2020, Innovation.

[8]  M. Lockwood,et al.  Using the “Ghost Front” to Predict the Arrival Time and Speed of CMEs at Venus and Earth , 2020, The Astrophysical Journal.

[9]  Rui Liu.  Magnetic flux ropes in the solar corona: structure and evolution toward eruption , 2020, Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

[10]  J. Qiu,et al.  How Does Magnetic Reconnection Drive the Early-stage Evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections? , 2020, The Astrophysical Journal.

[11]  X. Cheng,et al.  Quantifying the Toroidal Flux of Preexisting Flux Ropes of Coronal Mass Ejections , 2019, The Astrophysical Journal.

[12]  J. Thalmann,et al.  Observations of a Footpoint Drift of an Erupting Flux Rope , 2019, The Astrophysical Journal.

[13]  Xiaojun Xu,et al.  Observations of the Venus Dramatic Response to an Extremely Strong Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection , 2019, The Astrophysical Journal.

[14]  G. Aulanier,et al.  Drifting of the line-tied footpoints of CME flux-ropes , 2018, Astronomy & Astrophysics.

[15]  J. Qiu,et al.  Evolution of a Magnetic Flux Rope toward Eruption , 2018, The Astrophysical Journal.

[16]  L. Driel-Gesztelyi,et al.  An Observationally Constrained Model of a Flux Rope that Formed in the Solar Corona , 2018, 1802.07965.

[17]  F. Alauzet,et al.  Magnetic cage and rope as the key for solar eruptions , 2018, Nature.

[18]  Q. Hu,et al.  Buildup of a highly twisted magnetic flux rope during a solar eruption , 2017, Nature Communications.

[19]  Q. Hu.  The Grad-Shafranov reconstruction in twenty years: 1996–2016 , 2017, Science China Earth Sciences.

[20]  Xudong Sun,et al.  A Database of Flare Ribbon Properties from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. I. Reconnection Flux , 2017, 1704.05097.

[21]  L. Driel-Gesztelyi,et al.  On-Disc Observations of Flux Rope Formation Prior to Its Eruption , 2017, Solar Physics.

[22]  N. Gopalswamy,et al.  Estimation of Reconnection Flux Using Post-eruption Arcades and Its Relevance to Magnetic Clouds at 1 AU , 2017, 1701.01943.

[23]  E. Priest,et al.  Flux-Rope Twist in Eruptive Flares and CMEs: Due to Zipper and Main-Phase Reconnection , 2016, Solar physics.

[24]  J. Eastwood,et al.  PREDICTION OF GEOMAGNETIC STORM STRENGTH FROM INNER HELIOSPHERIC IN SITU OBSERVATIONS , 2015, 1610.06713.

[25]  Yuming Wang,et al.  Statistical Study of the Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections from 1995 to 2015 , 2015, 1504.07849.

[26]  A. Vourlidas.  The flux rope nature of coronal mass ejections , 2014 .

[27]  A. Galvin,et al.  Optimized Grad – Shafranov Reconstruction of a Magnetic Cloud Using STEREO-Wind Observations , 2009 .

[28]  M. Temmer,et al.  Two-spacecraft reconstruction of a magnetic cloud and comparison to its solar source , 2007 .

[29]  D. Longcope,et al.  A Quantitative, Topological Model of Reconnection and Flux Rope Formation in a Two-Ribbon Flare , 2007 .

[30]  J. Qiu,et al.  On the Magnetic Flux Budget in Low-Corona Magnetic Reconnection and Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections , 2007 .

[31]  Jean-Pierre Lebreton,et al.  Magnetic field investigation of the Venus plasma environment: Expected new results from Venus Express , 2006 .

[32]  T. Zurbuchen,et al.  In-Situ Solar Wind and Magnetic Field Signatures of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections , 2006 .

[33]  Haimin Wang,et al.  Magnetic Reconnection and Mass Acceleration in Flare-Coronal Mass Ejection Events , 2004 .

[34]  F. A. Seiler,et al.  Numerical Recipes in C: The Art of Scientific Computing , 1989 .

[35]  Petrus C. H. Martens,et al.  Formation and eruption of solar prominences , 1989 .