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Strength of the Solar Coronal Magnetic Field – A Comparison of Independent Estimates Using Contemporaneous Radio and White-Light Observations

  • Radio and Space-based Observations
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A Radio and Space-based Observations to this article was published on 21 November 2017

Abstract

We estimated the coronal magnetic field strength (\(B\)) during the 23 July 2016 coronal mass ejection (CME) event using i) the flux rope structure of the CME in the white-light coronagraph images and ii) the band-splitting in the associated type II burst. No models were assumed for the coronal electron density (\(N(r)\)) we used in the estimation. The results obtained with these two independent methods correspond to different heliocentric distances (\(r\)) in the range \({\approx}\,2.5\,\mbox{--}\,4.5~\mbox{R}_{\odot}\), but they show excellent consistency and could be fit with a single power-law distribution of the type \(B(r)=5.7r^{-2.6}~\mbox{G}\), which is applicable in that distance range. The power-law index (i.e. −2.6) is in good agreement with the results obtained in previous studies by different methods.

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Notes

  1. See http://www.iiap.res.in/centers/radio .

  2. The gain of an antenna system relative to an isotropic radiator.

  3. See https://casper.berkeley.edu/ .

  4. See http://spaceweather.gmu.edu/seeds/monthly.php?a=2016&b=07 .

  5. See ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/swpc_products/daily_reports/solar_event_reports/2016/07 .

  6. See https://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/where.shtml .

  7. http://www.iiap.res.in/files/solarradioimages/gbd/GLOSS_20160723.jpg .

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Gauribidanur observatory for their help in maintenance of the antenna receiver systems and the observations. AK acknowledges K. Hariharan and V. Mugundhan for discussions. We also thank the referee for his/her comments that helped us to present the results more clearly. The SOHO data are produced by a consortium of the Naval Research Laboratory (USA), Max-Planck-Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung (Germany), Laboratoire d’Astronomie (France), and the University of Birmingham (UK). SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. The SOHO-LASCO CME catalog is generated and maintained at the CDAW Data Center by NASA and the Catholic University of America in cooperation with the Naval Research Laboratory. The work of TJW was supported by NASA Cooperative Agreement NNG11PL10A to CUA.

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  1. Indian Institute of Astrophysics, 2nd Block, Koramangala, Bangalore, 560034, India

    Anshu Kumari, R. Ramesh & C. Kathiravan

  2. Department of Physics, The Catholic University of America and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 671, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    T. J. Wang

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  1. Anshu Kumari
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Kumari, A., Ramesh, R., Kathiravan, C. et al. Strength of the Solar Coronal Magnetic Field – A Comparison of Independent Estimates Using Contemporaneous Radio and White-Light Observations. Sol Phys 292, 161 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-017-1180-6

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