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Initiation of a coronal mass ejection
Author(s) -
Zhang Jun,
Wang Jingxiu
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl000045
Subject(s) - coronal mass ejection , coronal plane , solar prominence , physics , astrophysics , geology , medicine , solar wind , anatomy , nuclear physics , plasma , magnetic field , quantum mechanics
There are by now only one or two examples to show the initiation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In this paper we present a clear instance of a CME initiation. The enhanced disturbance was seen as the slow upward motion in segments of a prominence. Four hours later, the prominence was accelerated to about 60 km s −1 . It greatly expanded, showing twisted structure, in later one hour. The CME onset was characterized as the disrupting and opening of the prominence. During the onset phase of the CME, a nearby small prominence erupted. It appeared that the global instability responsible for the CME was triggered by the initial mass ejection of the first prominence.