Observation of an evolving magnetic flux rope before and during a solar eruption

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 3; no. 1; p. 747
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jie, Cheng, Xin, Ding, Ming-de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 20.03.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/33/525/870; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1753

Explosive energy release is a common phenomenon occurring in magnetized plasma systems ranging from laboratories, Earth's magnetosphere, the solar corona and astrophysical environments. Its physical explanation is usually attributed to magnetic reconnection in a thin current sheet. Here we report the important role of magnetic flux rope structure, a volumetric current channel, in producing explosive events. The flux rope is observed as a hot channel before and during a solar eruption from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory. It initially appears as a twisted and writhed sigmoidal structure with a temperature as high as 10 MK, and then transforms toward a semi-circular shape during a slow-rise phase, which is followed by fast acceleration and onset of a flare. The observations suggest that the instability of the magnetic flux rope triggers the eruption, thus making a major addition to the traditional magnetic-reconnection paradigm. Explosive energy releases in plasmas, such as in solar eruptions like flares and coronal mass ejections, are thought to be caused by magnetic reconnection in thin current sheets. Zhang et al . observed a magnetic flux rope during a solar eruption, highlighting its role in driving explosive energy releases.