How can a Negative Magnetic Helicity Active Region Generate a Positive Helicity Magnetic Cloud ?

TL;DR

This study investigates how a solar active region with overall negative magnetic helicity can produce a magnetic cloud with positive helicity, revealing localized positive helicity fluxes that explain the observed discrepancy.

Contribution

It introduces the first use of accurate helicity density maps to identify localized positive helicity injections within a predominantly negative helicity active region.

Findings

Localized positive helicity fluxes were identified in AR 10501.

The positive helicity in the magnetic cloud originated from a specific region of the AR.

The overall AR helicity sign can differ from localized fluxes leading to CMEs.

Abstract

The geoeffective magnetic cloud (MC) of 20 November 2003, has been associated to the 18 November 2003, solar active events in previous studies. In some of these, it was estimated that the magnetic helicity carried by the MC had a positive sign, as well as its solar source, active region (AR) NOAA 10501. In this paper we show that the large-scale magnetic field of AR 10501 had a negative helicity sign. Since coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are one of the means by which the Sun ejects magnetic helicity excess into the interplanetary space, the signs of magnetic helicity in the AR and MC should agree. Therefore, this finding contradicts what is expected from magnetic helicity conservation. However, using for the first time correct helicity density maps to determine the spatial distribution of magnetic helicity injection, we show the existence of a localized flux of positive helicity in the southern part of AR 10501. We conclude that positive helicity was ejected from this portion of the AR leading to the observed positive helicity MC.