Mass estimates of rapidly-moving prominence material from high-cadence EUV images

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new high-cadence, multi-wavelength imaging method to accurately estimate the mass distribution of erupting solar filaments using EUV data from SDO/AIA.

Contribution

It combines polychromatic and synoptic techniques with photo-ionisation continuum opacity to determine hydrogen distribution in erupting filaments.

Findings

Successfully applied to 2011 June 07 CME event

Provides regular, realistic mass-distribution estimates

Tracks partially ionised gas during eruptions

Abstract

We present a new method for determining the column density of erupting filament material using state-of-the-art multi-wavelength imaging data. Much of the prior work on filament/prominence structure can be divided between studies that use a polychromatic approach with targeted campaign observations, and those that use synoptic observations, frequently in only one or two wavelengths. The superior time resolution, sensitivity and near-synchronicity of data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory's Advanced Imaging Assembly allow us to combine these two techniques using photo-ionisation continuum opacity to determine the spatial distribution of hydrogen in filament material. We apply the combined techniques to SDO/AIA observations of a filament which erupted during the spectacular coronal mass ejection on 2011 June 07. The resulting 'polychromatic opacity imaging' method offers a powerful way to track partially ionised gas as it erupts through the solar atmosphere on a regular basis, without the need for co-ordinated observations, thereby readily offering regular, realistic mass-distribution estimates for models of these erupting structures.