arXiv subjects

Ranadeep Sarkar

Publications and source records attributed to Ranadeep Sarkar.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A study of the kinematic and volumetric co-evolution of Earth-directed CMEs

While flare-associated CMEs generally show a strong association between flare X-ray flux and CME kinematics, their volumetric evolution and its link to both kinematics and flare activity remains less explored. In this study, we investigate the volumetric and kinematic co-evolution of ten Earth-directed, flare-associated CMEs using multi-viewpoint observations from STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and SOHO. We perform 3D reconstructions of the CME flux ropes with the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model and derive their geometrical parameters. We find that the total CME volume follows a power-law dependence on the leading edge height, and that different structural components expand at different rates, with the ellipsoidal front expanding faster than the conical legs. Furthermore, the volumetric evolution follows a multi-phase pattern: initial overexpansion, a gradual reduction in the expansion rate, and finally saturation at a higher heliocentric distance. This is similar to the well-established three-phase evolution of the CME kinematics. Notably, the second-order derivative of volume with time shows a strong temporal correlation with both CME acceleration and the GOES soft X-ray flux of the associated flare. This is the first study to report such a correspondence between volumetric evolution and flare timing, highlighting the role of flare energy release in governing CME expansion dynamics. Our findings motivate further studies into the coupling between magnetic reconnection and CME volumetric evolution in the corona.

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arXiv2026

Evolution of reconnection flux during eruption of magnetic flux ropes

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are powerful drivers of space weather, with magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) widely regarded as their primary precursors. However, the variation in reconnection flux during the evolution of MFR during CME eruptions remains poorly understood. In this paper, we develop a realistic 3D magneto-hydrodynamic model using which we explore the temporal evolution of reconnection flux during the MFR evolution using both numerical simulations and observational data. Our initial coronal configuration features an isothermal atmosphere and a potential arcade magnetic field beneath which an MFR emerges at the lower boundary. As the MFR rises, we observe significant stretching and compression of the overlying magnetic field beneath it. Magnetic reconnection begins with the gradual formation of a current sheet, eventually culminating with the impulsive expulsion of the flux rope. We analyze the temporal evolution of reconnection fluxes during two successive MFR eruptions while continuously emerging the twisted flux rope through the lower boundary. We also conduct a similar analysis using observational data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) for an eruptive event. Comparing our MHD simulation with observational data, we find that reconnection flux play a crucial role in determination of CME speeds. From the onset to the eruption, the reconnection flux shows a strong linear correlation with the velocity. This nearly realistic simulation of a solar eruption provides important insights into the complex dynamics of CME initiation and progression.

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arXiv2024

Modelling the magnetic vectors of ICMEs at different heliocentric distances with INFROS

The INterplanetary Flux ROpe Simulator (INFROS) is an observationally constrained analytical model dedicated for forecasting the strength of the southward component (Bz) of the magnetic field embedded in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). In this work, we validate the model for six ICMEs sequentially observed by two radially-aligned spacecraft positioned at different heliocentric distances. The six selected ICMEs in this study comprise of cases associated with isolated CME evolution as well as those interacting with high-speed streams (HSS) and high-density streams (HDS). For the isolated CMEs, our results show that the model outputs at both the spacecraft are in good agreement with in-situ observations. However, for most of the interacting events, the model correctly captures the CME evolution only at the inner spacecraft. Due to the interaction with HSS and HDS, which in most cases occurred at heliocentric distances beyond the inner spacecraft, the ICME evolution no longer remains self-similar. Consequently, the model underestimates the field strength at the outer spacecraft. Our findings indicate that constraining the INFROS model with inner spacecraft observations significantly enhances the prediction accuracy at the outer spacecraft for the three events undergoing self-similar expansion, achieving a 90 % correlation between observed and predicted Bz profiles. This work also presents a quantitative estimation of the ICME magnetic field enhancement due to interaction which may lead to severe space weather. We conclude that the assumption of self-similar expansion provides a lower limit to the magnetic field strength estimated at any heliocentric distance, based on the remote sensing observations.

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arXiv2023

Photospheric Lorentz force changes in eruptive and confined solar flares

Solar flares are known to leave imprints on the magnetic field at the photosphere, often manifested as an abrupt and permanent change in the downward-directed Lorentz force in localized areas inside the active region. Our study aims to differentiate eruptive and confined solar flares based on the vertical Lorentz force variations. We select 26 eruptive and 11 confined major solar flares (stronger than the GOES M5 class) observed during 2011-2017. We analyze these flaring regions using SHARP vector-magnetograms obtained from the NASA's Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). We also compare data corresponding to 2 synthetic flares from a $δ$--sunspot simulation reported in Chatterjee et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 101101 (2016)]. We estimate the change in the horizontal magnetic field and the total Lorentz force integrated over an area around the polarity inversion line (PIL) that encompasses the location of the flare. Our results indicate a rapid increase of the horizontal magnetic field along the flaring PIL, accompanied by a significant change in the downward-directed Lorentz force in the same vicinity. Notably, we find that all the confined events under study exhibit a total change in Lorentz force of < $1.8 \times 10^{22}$ dyne. This threshold plays an important factor in effectively distinguishing eruptive and confined flares. Further, our analysis suggests that the change in total Lorentz force also depends on the reconnection height in the solar corona during the associated flare onset. The results provide significant implications for understanding the flare-related upward impulse transmission for the associated coronal mass ejection.

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arXiv2023

The Automatic Identification and Tracking of Coronal Flux Ropes -- Part II: New Mathematical Morphology-based Flux Rope Extraction Method and Deflection Analysis

We present a magnetic flux rope (FR) extraction tool for solar coronal magnetic field modelling data, which builds upon the methodology from Wagner et al. (2023). We apply the scheme to magnetic field simulations of active regions AR12473 and AR11176. We compare the method to its predecessor and study the 3D movement of the newly extracted FRs up to heights of 200 and 300 Mm, respectively. The extraction method is based on the twist parameter and a variety of mathematical morphology algorithms, including the opening transform and the morphological gradient. We highlight the differences between the methods by investigating the circularity of the FRs in the plane we extract from. The simulations for the active regions are carried out with a time-dependent data-driven magnetofrictional model (TMFM; Pomoell et al. (2019)). We investigate the FR trajectories by tracking their apex throughout the full simulation time span. We demonstrate that this upgraded methodology provides the user with more tools and less a-priori assumptions about the FR shape that, in turn, leads to a more accurate set of field lines. The propagation analysis yields that the erupting FR from AR12473 showcases stronger dynamics than the AR11176 FR and a significant deflection during its ascent through the domain. The AR11176 FR appears more stable, though there still is a notable deflection. This confirms that at these low coronal heights, FRs do undergo significant changes in the direction of their propagation even for less dynamic cases. The modelling results are also verified with observations, with AR12473 being indeed dynamic and eruptive, while AR11176 only features an eruption outside of our simulation time window.

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arXiv2023

Studying the spheromak rotation in data-constrained CME modelling with EUHFORIA and assessing its effect on the Bz prediction

A key challenge in space weather forecasting is accurately predicting the magnetic field topology of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), specifically the north-south magnetic field component (Bz) for Earth-directed CMEs. Heliospheric MHD models typically use spheromaks to represent the magnetic structure of CMEs. However, when inserted into the ambient interplanetary magnetic field, spheromaks can experience a phenomenon reminiscent of the condition known as the "spheromak tilting instability", causing its magnetic axis to rotate. From the perspective of space weather forecasting, it is crucial to understand the effect of this rotation on predicting Bz at 1 au while implementing the spheromak model for realistic event studies. In this work, we study this by modelling a CME event on 2013 April 11 using the "EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset" (EUHFORIA). Our results show that a significant spheromak rotation up to 90 degrees has occurred by the time it reaches 1 au, while the majority of this rotation occurs below 0.3 au. This total rotation resulted in poor predicted magnetic field topology of the ICME at 1 au. To address this issue, we further investigated the influence of spheromak density on mitigating rotation. The results show that the spheromak rotation is less for higher densities. Importantly, we observe a substantial reduction in the uncertainties associated with predicting Bz when there is minimal spheromak rotation. Therefore, we conclude that spheromak rotation adversely affects Bz prediction in the analyzed event, emphasizing the need for caution when employing spheromaks in global MHD models for space weather forecasting.

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arXiv2023

The Automatic Identification and Tracking of Coronal Flux Ropes -- Part I: Footpoints and Fluxes

Investigating the early-stage evolution of an erupting flux rope from the Sun is important to understand the mechanisms of how it looses its stability and its space weather impacts. Our aim is to develop an efficient scheme for tracking the early dynamics of erupting solar flux ropes and use the algorithm to analyse its early-stage properties. The algorithm is tested on a data-driven simulation of an eruption that took place in active region AR12473. We investigate the modelled flux rope's footpoint movement and magnetic flux evolution and compare with observational data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly in the 211 $\unicode{x212B}$ and 1600 $\unicode{x212B}$ channels. To carry out our analysis, we use the time-dependent data-driven magnetofrictional model (TMFM). We also perform another modelling run, where we stop the driving of the TMFM midway through the flux rope's rise through the simulation domain and evolve it instead with a zero-beta magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approach. The developed algorithm successfully extracts a flux rope and its ascend through the simulation domain. We find that the movement of the modelled flux rope footpoints showcases similar trends in both TMFM and relaxation MHD run: they recede from their respective central location as the eruption progresses and the positive polarity footpoint region exhibits a more dynamic behaviour. The ultraviolet brightenings and extreme ultraviolet dimmings agree well with the models in terms of their dynamics. According to our modelling results, the toroidal magnetic flux in the flux rope first rises and then decreases. In our observational analysis, we capture the descending phase of toroidal flux. In conclusion, the extraction algorithm enables us to effectively study the flux rope's early dynamics and derive some of its key properties such as footpoint movement and toroidal magnetic flux.

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arXiv2022

Magnetohydrodynamics evolution of three-dimensional magnetic null in NOAA active region 11515 initiated using non-force-free field extrapolation

Magnetohydrodynamics simulation of active region NOAA 11515 is performed to examine the initiation of the M5.6 flaring event that starts around 10:43 UT on 2012 July 2. The simulation is conducted using an extrapolated non-force-free magnetic field generated from the photospheric vector magnetogram of the active region as the initial magnetic field. The magnetic field shows the presence of a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic null with the corresponding dome overlying a filament and a low-lying magnetic flux rope, observed in 304~Å~ and 131~Å~ respectively. The simulated dynamics, triggered by the initial Lorentz force, lead to the bifurcations of the flux rope, which is similar to the observed bifurcation in the 131 Å~ brightenings. Additionally, the rope exhibits a rise and reconnects at the 3D null. These reconnections convert field lines of the rope into the anchored outer spine of the 3D null -- explaining the occurrence of a nearby confined C-class flare. Further, the results show that the field lines of the flux rope reach the vicinity of the filament and become non-parallel to the field lines of the filament. This initiates the reconnections between the rope and the field lines of the filament -- activating the filament for the eruption. This interesting interaction of the flux rope and filament seems to contribute to the onset of the M-class flare.

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arXiv2019

An Observationally Constrained Analytical Model for Predicting the Magnetic Field Vectors of ICMEs at 1 AU

We report on an observationally constrained analytical model, the INterplanetary Flux ROpe Simulator (INFROS), for predicting the magnetic-field vectors of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the interplanetary medium. The main architecture of INFROS involves using the near-Sun flux rope properties obtained from the observational parameters that are evolved through the model in order to estimate the magnetic field vectors of interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) at any heliocentric distance. We have formulated a new approach in INFROS to incorporate the expanding nature and the time-varying axial magnetic field-strength of the flux rope during its passage over the spacecraft. As a proof of concept, we present the case study of an Earth-impacting CME which occurred on 2013 April 11. Using the near-Sun properties of the CME flux rope, we have estimated the magnetic vectors of the ICME as intersected by the spacecraft at 1 AU. The predicted magnetic field profiles of the ICME show good agreement with those observed by the in-situ spacecraft. Importantly, the maximum strength (10.5 $\pm$ 2.5 nT) of the southward component of the magnetic field (Bz) obtained from the model prediction, is in agreement with the observed value (11 nT). Although our model does not include the prediction of the ICME plasma parameters, as a first order approximation it shows promising results in forecasting of Bz in near real time which is critical for predicting the severity of the associated geomagnetic storms. This could prove to be a simple space-weather forecasting tool compared to the time-consuming and computationally expensive MHD models.

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arXiv2019

Lorentz Force Evolution Reveals the Energy Buildup Processes during Recurrent Eruptive Solar Flares

The energy release and build-up processes in the solar corona have significant implications in particular for the case of large recurrent flares, which pose challenging questions about the conditions that lead to the episodic energy release processes. It is not yet clear whether these events occur due to the continuous supply of free magnetic energy to the solar corona or because not all of the available free magnetic energy is released during a single major flaring event. In order to address this question, we report on the evolution of photospheric magnetic field and the associated net Lorentz force changes in ARs 11261 and 11283, each of which gave rise to recurrent eruptive M- and X-class flares. Our study reveals that after the abrupt downward changes during each flare, the net Lorentz force increases by (2-5)x10^22 dyne in between the successive flares. This distinct rebuild-up of net Lorentz forces is the first observational evidence found in the evolution of any non-potential parameter of solar active regions (ARs), which suggests that new energy was supplied to the ARs in order to produce the recurrent large flares. The rebuild-up of magnetic free energy of the ARs is further confirmed by the observations of continuous shearing motion of moving magnetic features of opposite polarities near the polarity inversion line. The evolutionary pattern of the net Lorentz force changes reported in this study has significant implications, in particular, for the forecasting of recurrent large eruptive flares from the same AR and hence the chances of interaction between the associated CMEs.

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arXiv2019

Evolution of Coronal Cavity from Quiescent to Eruptive Phase in Association with Coronal Mass Ejection

We present the evolution of a coronal cavity encompassing its quiescent and eruptive phases in the lower corona. Using the multi-vantage point observations from the SDO/AIA, STEREO SECCHI/EUVI and PROBA2/SWAP EUV imagers, we capture the sequence of quasi-static equilibria of the quiescent cavity which exhibited a slow rise and expansion phase during its passage on the solar disc from 2010 May 30 to 2010 June 13. By comparing the decay-index profiles of the cavity system during the different stages of its quiescent and pre-eruptive phases we find that the decay-index value at the cavity centroid height can be used as a good indicator to predict the cavity eruption in the context of torus instability. Combining the observations of SWAP and LASCO C2/C3 we show the evolution of the EUV cavity into the white-light cavity as a three-part structure of the associated CME observed to erupt on 2010 June 13. By applying successive geometrical fits to the cavity morphology we find that the cavity exhibited non self-similar expansion in the lower corona, below 2.2 +/- 0.2 Rs, which points to the spatial scale for the radius of source surface where the coronal magnetic field lines are believed to become radial. Furthermore, the kinematic study of the erupting cavity captures both the "impulsive" and "residual" phases of acceleration along with a strong deflection of the cavity at 1.3 Rs. We also discuss the role of driving forces behind the dynamics of the morphological and kinematic evolution of the cavity.

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arXiv2018

Geometric and magnetic properties of coronal flux ropes associated with CMEs leading to geomagnetic storms

We have studied three Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) having clear signatures of magnetic cloud (MC) arrival at 1 AU and their associated solar sources during 2011 to 2013. Comparing the axial magnetic field strength (B0) of the near-Sun coronal flux-ropes with that of the MC at 1 AU, we have found that the average inferred value of B0 at 1 AU assuming the self-similar expansion of the flux-rope is two times smaller than the value of B0 obtained from the results of MC fitting. Furthermore, by comparing the initial orientation of the flux-rope near the Sun and its final orientation at 1 AU we have found that the three CMEs exhibited more than 80-degree rotation during its propagation through the interplanetary medium. Our study suggests that although the near-Sun magnetic properties of coronal flux-ropes can be used to infer the field strength of the associated MC at 1 AU, it is difficult to estimate the final orientation of the MC axis in order to predict the geo-effectiveness of the ICMEs.

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arXiv2018

A Comparative Study of the Eruptive and Non-Eruptive Flares Produced by the Largest Active Region of Solar Cycle 24

We investigate the morphological and magnetic characteristics of solar active region (AR) NOAA 12192. AR 12192 was the largest region of Solar Cycle 24; it underwent noticeable growth and produced 6 X-class flares, 22 M-class flares, and 53 C-class flares in the course of its disc passage. However, the most peculiar fact of this AR is that it was associated with only one CME in spite of producing several X-class flares. In this work, we carry out a comparative study between the eruptive and non-eruptive flares produced by AR 12192. We find that the magnitude of abrupt and permanent changes in the horizontal magnetic field and Lorentz force are significantly smaller in the case of the confined flares compared to the eruptive one. We present the areal evolution of AR 12192 during its disc passage. We find the flare-related morphological changes to be weaker during the confined flares, whereas the eruptive flare exhibits a rapid and permanent disappearance of penumbral area away from the magnetic neutral line after the flare. Furthermore, from the extrapolated nonlinear force-free magnetic field, we examine the overlying coronal magnetic environment over the eruptive and non-eruptive zones of the AR. We find that the critical decay index for the onset of torus instability was achieved at a lower height over the eruptive flaring region, than for the non-eruptive core area. These results suggest that the decay rate of the gradient of overlying magnetic field strength may play a decisive role to determine the CME productivity of the AR. In addition, the magnitude of changes in the flare-related magnetic characteristics are found to be well correlated with the nature of solar eruptions.

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