Coronal Mass Ejections:

1
Coronal Mass Ejections

• A Study of Structural Properties
• Chris Lowder
• Georgia Institute of Technology

2
The Method
Gathering Data

• LASCO Database
• Preview white-light animations
• Selection criteria
• Download selected datasets

3
The Method
Processing Data

• Radial filter applied to original images
• Averaged background image subtracted

4
The Method
Recording Data

• Originally attempted using the GIMP
• IDL code written to simplify the process
• Positions and angles gathered
• Results calculated and output

5
The Analysis
Plotting Data
6
(No Transcript)
7
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
1998 06 22
8
(No Transcript)
9
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
1998 11 08
10
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
1999 02 06
11
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
1999 10 06
12
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
2000 08 20
13
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
2005 10 04
14
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
2005 12 29
15
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
2006 02 03
16
Coronal Mass Ejection Edge and Core Positions -
2006 04 02
17
The Analysis
Interpreting Data

• CMEs vary greatly in velocity
• Behavior shows certain trends
• Whats the big picture though?

18
Edge Velocity versus Core Velocity
19
Velocity Distribution of Coronal Mass Ejections
20
Velocity Distribution of Coronal Mass Ejections
21
The Analysis
Interpreting Data

• Correlation between edge and core velocity
• Common sense?
• CME velocity appears time dependent
• Higher percentage of low velocity CMEs

22
The Results
Finalizing Data

• Edge and core structural components
• Similarity in CME behavior
• Differences in CME behavior

23
The Results
Looking Ahead

• More datasets - fill in gaps
• Analysis of additional properties
• Refined measurement techniques

24
The Acknowledgments

• Dr. Shadia Habbal
• Dr. Huw Morgan
• Dr. Jonathan J-Dubbs Williams
• Anthony Rasca
• Anonymous IDL tutors
• Moon Room Coffee
• Dr. Thomas G Homie