Hudson, H. S., G. H. Fisher, and B. T. Welsch, Flare Energy and Magnetic Field Variations, 383, 221 (2008) (ADS)
(click on the image for a larger version)
The occurrence of a solar flare (and/or a CME) requires a restructuring
of the magnetic field in the corona, in such a way as to diminish
the stored energy by the appropriate amount.
While we don't know how this happens in detail, generally one can conclude
that this would correspond to a global reduction in the volume of the field.
The suggestion of this cartoon is that such a
collapse could launch
a seismic wave into the solar interior via the Lorentz force.
There are other feasible models for this very interesting aspect of
flare/CME development so this is just an idea.
The impulse delivered to the photosphere by the coronal restructuring could be
called the "McClymont Jerk," paying tribute to A.N. (Sandy) McClymont, who did
the first assessment of this idea in a paper by Anwar et al. (1993).
The cartoon here is the artistic creation of
Brian Welsch.
The occurrence of a solar flare (and/or a CME) requires a restructuring of the magnetic field in the corona, in such a way as to diminish the stored energy by the appropriate amount. While we don't know how this happens in detail, generally one can conclude that this would correspond to a global reduction in the volume of the field. The suggestion of this cartoon is that such a collapse could launch a seismic wave into the solar interior via the Lorentz force. There are other feasible models for this very interesting aspect of flare/CME development so this is just an idea.
The impulse delivered to the photosphere by the coronal restructuring could be called the "McClymont Jerk," paying tribute to A.N. (Sandy) McClymont, who did the first assessment of this idea in a paper by Anwar et al. (1993). The cartoon here is the artistic creation of Brian Welsch.