March 2, 2012, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

March 2, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Diagnosing the Prominence-Cavity Connection

Dr. Donald James Schmit, University of Colorado at Boulder

Prominences are regions of cool, dense plasma which are suspended above the solar limb within the much hotter and more rarefied solar corona. The coronal environment surrounding the prominence is often observed as a elliptical region of reduced density (compared to the ambient corona) known as a cavity. To date, the cavity has been a neglected constraint on the prominence system. In this research, I probe the magnetic structural connection between the cavity and prominence and the potential role the cavity plays in the mass and energy balance of the prominence. Observationally, I use the Hinode/EIS and SDO/AIA datasets to extract dynamic substructure from the cavity. The temperature-sensitivities of these data are used to diagnose the interaction of plasma in the prominence and in the surrounding corona.These observational dynamics present a viable constraint on prominence models in two ways. Structurally, the morphology of the extract substructure can be compared to the 3D models of prominence support. Energetically, the spatial and temporal signature of EUV dynamics can be compared to the thermal non-equilibrium model for prominence mass supply. This joint approach systematically addresses the two largest questions in prominence research: how is the prominence mass supported and where does it come from.