Polarimetric Properties of Flux-Ropes and Sheared Arcades in Coronal Prominence Cavities

TL;DR

This study uses forward modeling of polarization signals in coronal emission lines to differentiate magnetic configurations like flux ropes and arcades, enhancing understanding of solar filament structures and their eruptions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that polarization measurements can distinguish between different coronal magnetic models, aiding in identifying magnetic morphologies of filaments.

Findings

Polarization signals can differentiate flux ropes from sheared arcades.

Distinct polarization characteristics are identified for each magnetic configuration.

Model consistency with observations can reveal filament magnetic structures.

Abstract

The coronal magnetic field is the primary driver of solar dynamic events. Linear and circular polarization signals of certain infrared coronal emission lines contain information about the magnetic field, and to access this information, either a forward or an inversion method must be used. We study three coronal magnetic configurations that are applicable to polar-crown filament cavities by doing forward calculations to produce synthetic polarization data. We analyze these forward data to determine the distinguishing characteristics of each model. We conclude that it is possible to distinguish between cylindrical flux ropes, spheromak flux ropes, and sheared arcades using coronal polarization measurements. If one of these models is found to be consistent with observational measurements, it will mean positive identification of the magnetic morphology that surrounds certain quiescent filaments, which will lead to a greater understanding of how they form and why they erupt.