The beginning of halo coronal mass ejection

TL;DR

This study analyzes the initial motion of six high-velocity halo coronal mass ejections, revealing their velocity profiles, origins, and relationships with associated solar flares, providing insights into CME dynamics and their active regions.

Contribution

It presents detailed velocity, acceleration, and motion profiles of HCMEs, linking their behavior to properties of their source active regions and flare timing.

Findings

HCMEs start before X-ray flare onset.

Main acceleration correlates with flare rise time.

Velocity profiles depend on active region properties.

Abstract

From the GOES-12/SXI data, we studied the initial stage of motion for six rapid (over 1500 km/s) "halo" coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) and traced the motion of these HCMEs within the SOHO/LASCO C2 and C3 field-of-view. For these HCMEs the time-dependent location, velocity and acceleration of their fronts were revealed. The conclusion was drawn that two types of CME exist depending on their velocity time profile. This profile depends on the properties of the active region where the ejection emerged. CMEs with equal ejection velocity time dependence originate form in the same active region. All the HCMEs studied represent loop-like structures either from the first moment of recording or a few minutes later. All the HCMEs under consideration start their translational motion prior to the associated X-ray flare onset. The main acceleration time (time to reach the highest velocity within the LASCO/C2 field-of-view) is close to the associated flare X-ray radiation intensity rise time. The results of (Zhang and Dere, 2006) on the existence of an inverse correlation between the acceleration amplitude and duration, and also on the equality of the measured HCME main acceleration duration and the associated flare soft X-ray intensity rise time are validated. We established some regularities in the temporal variation of the angular size, trajectory, front width and the HCME longitude-to-cross size ratio.