SGER: Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) Initiations as a Result of Magnetic Helicity Accumulation in the Corona

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The PI proposes a one-year investigation to study and test a theory she developed with Co-PIs Low with support from a previous NSF SHINE (National Science Foundation Solar, Heliospheric, and INterplanetary Environment) award. The Zhang-Low theory states that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are a natural end product of coronal evolution because of the accumulation of magnetic helicity in the corona. This theory will be investigated and tested both theoretically and observationally in this effort. The proposers will first investigate an MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) conjecture that there is an upper bound on the total magnetic helicity that a force-free field can contain. If such an upper bound exists, the accumulation of magnetic helicity in excess of this limit will naturally result in an eruption of a CME. The proposers will also use vector magnetic field measurements to study the magnetic helicity evolution in several active regions to test whether observations do show consistence with the theory that CMEs are occurring at times of significant accumulation of magnetic helicity. The proposed work is intellectually challenging and innovative, because it will change the way scientists view coronal dynamics and will require formulations of new approaches to CME-initiation prediction.The results of the proposed work will have a broad impact on solar and space community. This effort will contribute to the understanding of fundamental CME physics as well as provide a promising physics-based tool for space weather prediction.