A Skeptic’s View of the CME-Flare Relationship

1. A Skeptic’s View of the CME-Flare Relationship Russ Howard NRL

2. Background • A very commonly held opinion is that the CME-Flare relationship is now well understood • We need to be careful how we define a CME and a Flare • A CME is an outwardly moving brightness enhancement seen in a WLC • A flare is a brightening in chromospheric, transition region or coronal lines • Associating lists or rates is very dangerous and mixes apples and oranges • In this definition, there are many instances of flares without CMEs – the count of CMEs include very small (jet-like) brightness enhancements • All of the current CME theories have a “flare” as a necessary consequence of the eruption, although perhaps not a cause and effect relationship • But there are also CMEs without flares • This is often written off as due to occurring on the “backside” or that the flare is faint and isn’t significant in the GOES 1-8 Angstrom flux. • A class of CMEs have been identified which do not have chromospheric signatures

3. “Streamer Blowouts” • CMEs that occur at an almost constant rate throughout the solar cycle (1 every 5-10 days) • A process of • Small discrete streamer enhancements with a gradual swelling and expansion of the streamer • Followed by a faster eruption • And then the streamer disappears CME RATE vs Solar Cycle SB RATE vs Solar Cycle

4. Example of a Streamer Blowout CME that occurred on 1 Jun 2008 (Robbrecht et al 2008, in prep)

5. STEREO-A EUVI COR1 COR2 2008 5/31-6/2

6. There is NO Disk Signature STEREO-B STEREO-A

7. Summary • Please let’s not be scientific lemmings