16 October 2003

Speaker: John Raymond (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)

Title: Coronal Mass Ejections Associated with the Most Powerful Solar Flares

Abstract: Magnetic activity is pervasive in the universe, and the physics of magnetic field generation and dissipation can best be studied in the Sun. Solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections are the most spectacular manifestations of solar magnetic activity, and their causal relation has long be debated. Recent UVCS observations of the CMEs associated with 3 exceptionally powerful flares show that they are similar to each other and different from the majority of CMEs observed in the ultraviolet. This talk describes those events, which show exceptionally high speeds, catastrophic destruction of the overlying coronal structures, and unusual amounts of hot gas. It will also discuss the roles of flares and CMEs in the global variation of the magnetic field.

References for students: