Magnetic Flux Erosion and Redistribution during CME Propagation

LAVRAUD, B.; RUFFENACH, A.; MANCHESTER, W.; FARRUGIA, C.J.; DEMOULIN, P.; DASSO, S.; SAUVAUD, J.; ROUILLARD, A.P.; FOULLON, C.; OWENS, M.J.; SAVANI, N.; KAJDIC, P.; LUHMANN, J.G.; GALVIN, A.B.

San Francisco

Congreso; AGU Fall Meeting; 2014

American GeoPhysical Union

We will review recent works which highlight the occurrence of magnetic flux erosion and redistribution at the front of coronal mass ejections (when they have the structure of a well-defined magnetic cloud). Two main processes have been found and will be presented. The first comes from the occurrence of magnetic reconnection between the magnetic cloud and its sheath ahead, leading to magnetic flux erosion and redistribution, with associated large scale topological changes. The second may occur when dense filament material in the coronal mass ejection pushes its way through the structure and comes in direct contact with the shocked plasma in the sheath ahead. This leads to diverging non-radial flows in front of the CME which transport poloidal flux of the flux rope to the sides of the magnetic cloud.