Secondary Waves, and/or the "Reflection" From and "Transmission" Through a Coronal Hole of an EUV Wave Associated With the 2011 February 15 X2.2 Flare Observed With SDO/AIA and STEREO/EUVI

TL;DR

This study provides the first full-surface observation of an EUV wave interacting with a coronal hole, revealing reflection, transmission, and secondary waves consistent with fast-mode MHD wave theory, thanks to combined SDO/AIA and STEREO/EUVI data.

Contribution

It demonstrates the first full-surface kinematic analysis of an EUV wave interacting with a coronal hole, including reflection and transmission observations.

Findings

Part of the wave is transmitted through the coronal hole.

Reflected wave decelerates to less than half the primary wave speed.

Wave behavior aligns with fast-mode MHD wave interpretation.

Abstract

For the first time, the kinematic evolution of a coronal wave over the entire solar surface is studied. Full Sun maps can be made by combining images from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory satellites, Ahead and Behind, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, thanks to the wide angular separation between them. We study the propagation of a coronal wave, also known as "EIT" wave, and its interaction with a coronal hole resulting in secondary waves and/or reflection and transmission. We explore the possibility of the wave obeying the law of reflection of waves. In a detailed example we find that a loop arcade at the coronal hole boundary cascades and oscillates as a result of the EUV wave passage and triggers a wave directed eastwards that appears to have reflected. We find that the speed of this wave decelerates to an asymptotic value, which is less than half of the primary EUV wave speed. Thanks to the full Sun coverage we are able to determine that part of the primary wave is transmitted through the coronal hole. This is the first observation of its kind. The kinematic measurements of the reflected and transmitted wave tracks are consistent with a fast-mode MHD wave interpretation. Eventually, all wave tracks decelerate and disappear at a distance. A possible scenario of the whole process is that the wave is initially driven by the expanding coronal mass ejection and subsequently decouples from the driver and then propagates at the local fast-mode speed.