Observations of multiple surges associated with magnetic activities in AR 10484 on 2003 October 25

Abstract

We present a multi-wavelength study of recurrent surges observed in Hα, UV (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/EIT), and Radio (Learmonth, Australia) from the super-active region NOAA 10484 on 2003 October 25. Several bright structures visible inHα and UV corresponding to subflares are also observed at the base of each surge. Type III bursts are triggered and RHESSI X-ray sources are evident with surge activity. The major surge consists of bunches of ejective paths forming a fan-shaped region with an angular size of (≈65º) during its maximum phase. The ejection speed reaches up to ∼200 km/s. The SOHO/Michelson Doppler Imager magnetograms reveal that a large dipole emerges from the east side of the active region on 2003 October 18–20, a few days before the surges. On 2003 October 25, the major sunspots were surrounded by “moat regions” with moving magnetic features (MMFs). Parasitic fragmented positive polarities were pushed by the ambient dispersion motion of the MMFs and annihilated with negative polarities at the borders of the moat region of the following spot to produce flares and surges. A topology analysis of the global Sun using Potential Field Source Surface shows that the fan structures visible in the EIT 171Å images follow magnetic field lines connecting the present active region to a preceding active region in the southeast. Radio observations of Type III bursts indicate that they are coincident with the surges, suggesting that magnetic reconnection is the driver mechanism. The magnetic energy released by the reconnection is transformed into plasma heating and provides the kinetic energy for the ejections. A lack of a radio signature in the high corona suggests that the surges are confined to follow the closed field lines in the fans. We conclude that these cool surges may have some local heating effects in the closed loops, but probably play a minor role in global coronal heating and the surge material does not escape to the solar wind.