Two Classes of Eruptive Events During Solar Minimum

Solar eruptive events

Global Energetics of Thirty-eight Large Solar Eruptive Events

We have evaluated the energetics of 38 solar eruptive events observed by a variety of spacecraft instruments between 2002 February and 2006 December, as accurately as the observations allow. The measured energetic components include: (1) the radiated energy in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 1–8 Å band, (2) the total energy radiated from the soft X-ray (SXR) emitting plasm...

Magnetic reconnection in solar eruptive events of varying magnetic configurations

We study the relationship between magnetic reconnection and acceleration of filaments and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in different magnetic configurations. They occur in either quiet-Sun or active regions of either bipolar or multipolar magnetic fields, and are either or not accompanied by filament eruptions. The preliminary results of the case studies confirm the temporal correlation and mag...

Exploring the Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Eruptive Events

We summarize our recent progress in investigating the role of magnetic reconnection in solar eruptive events consisting of flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and/or Magnetic Clouds (MCs). The rate and total flux of magnetic reconnection in low-corona are inferred from flare observations and compared with kinematic properties and magnetic flux budget of erupting flux ropes. The results and t...

Implications of the Recent Low Solar Minimum for the Solar Wind during the Maunder Minimum

The behavior of the Sun and near-Earth space during grand solar minima is not understood; however, the recent long and low minimum of the decadal-scale solar cycle gives some important clues, with implications for understanding the solar dynamo and predicting space weather conditions. The speed of the near-Earth solar wind and the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) embedded wit...