• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.105-113
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• 2014

We apply differential affine velocity estimator (DAVE) to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) 12-min line-of-sight magnetograms, and separately calculate the injected magnetic helicity for the leading and the following polarities of nine emerging bipolar active regions (ARs). Comparing magnetic helicity flux of the leading polarity with the following polarity, we find that six ARs studied in this paper have the following polarity that injected more magnetic helicity flux than that of the leading polarity. We also measure the mean area of each polarity in all the nine ARs, and find that the compact polarity tend to possess more magnetic helicity flux than the fragmented one. Our results confirm the previous studies on asymmetry of magnetic helicity that emerging bipolar ARs have a polarity preference in injecting magnetic helicity. Based on the changes of unsigned magnetic flux, we divide the emergence process into two evolutionary stages: (1) an increasing stage before the peak flux and (2) a constant or decreasing stage after the peak flux. Obvious changes on magnetic helicity flux can be seen during transition from one stage to another. Seven ARs have one or both polarity that changed the sign of magnetic helicity flux. Additionally, the prevailing polarity of the two ARs, which injects more magnetic helicity, changes form the following polarity to the leading one.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2009

A necessary condition for the formation of a filament is magnetic helicity. In the present paper we seek the origin of magnetic helicity of intermediate filaments. We observed the formation of a sinistral filament at the boundary of a decaying active region using full-disk $H_{\alpha}$ images obtained from Bi Bear Solar Observatory. We have measured the rate of helicity injection during the formation of the filament using full-disk 96 minute-cadence magnetograms taken by SOHO MDI. As a result we found that 1) no significant helicity was injected around the region (polarity inversion line; PIL) of filament formation and 2) negative helicity was injected in the decaying active region. The negative sign of the injected helicity was opposite to that of the filament helicity. On the other hand, at earlier times when the associated active region emerged and grew, positive helicity was intensively injected. Our results suggest that the magnetic helicity of the intermediate filament may have originated from the helicity accumulated during the period of the growth of its associated active region.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.spc1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2003

In this paper, we review recent studies on the magnetic helicity changes of solar active regions by photospheric horizontal motions. Recently, Chae(200l) developed a methodology to determine the magnetic helicity change rate via photospheric horizontal motions. We have applied this methodology to four cases: (1) NOAA AR 8100 which has a series of homologous X-ray flares, (2) three active regions which have four eruptive major X-ray flares, (3) NOAA AR 9236 which has three eruptive X-class flares, and (4) NOAA AR 8668 in which a large filament was under formation. As a result, we have found several interesting results. First, the rate of magnetic helicity injection strongly depends on an active region and its evolution. Its mean rate ranges from 4 to $17 {\times} 10^{40}\;Mx^2\;h^{-1}$. Especially when the homologous flares occurred and when the filament was formed, significant rates of magnetic helicity were continuously deposited in the corona via photospheric shear flows. Second, there is a strong positive correlation between the magnetic helicity accumulated during the flaring time interval of the homologous flares in AR 8100 and the GOES X-ray flux integrated over the flaring time. This indicates that the occurrence of a series of homologous flares is physically related to the accumulation of magnetic helicity in the corona by photospheric shearing motions. Third, impulsive helicity variations took place near the flaring times of some strong flares. These impulsive variations whose time scales are less than one hour are attributed to localized velocity kernels around the polarity inversion line. Fourth, considering the filament eruption associated with an X1.8 flare started about 10 minutes before the impulsive variation of the helicity change rate, we suggest that the impulsive helicity variation is not a cause of the eruptive solar flare but its result. Finally, we discuss the physical implications on these results and our future plans.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.spc1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2003

We have studied the magnetic helicity of active regions by using the data from (1) the photo-electric magnetograph of the Okayama Observatory (1983-1995) and (2) the video magnetograph of NAOJ/Mitaka (1992-2000). The latitude distribution of helicity showed a tendency that the regions in the north (south) hemisphere have negative (positive) helicities, respectively, which is already known as the hemispheric sign rule. If we look into the sign of helicity as a function of time, the sign rule was less definite or was reversed sometimes in the sunspot minimum phase. We also studied the relation between the magnetic helicity and the sunspot tilt angles, and found that these two quantities are positively correlated, which is opposite to the expectation of a theoretical model. The implications of this cycle-phase dependence of helicity signs and the correlation between magnetic he Ii city and sunspot tilt angles are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.295-298
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• 2005

Recently a big progress has been made on the measurements of magnetic helicity of solar active regions based on photospheric magnetograms . In this paper, we present the details of Chae's method of determining the rate of helicity transfer using line-of-sight magnetograms such as taken by SORO /MDI. The method is specifically applied to full-disk magnetograms that are routinely taken at 96-minute cadence.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2003

Recent observations have shown that coronal magnetic fields in the northern (southern) hemisphere tend to have negative (positive) magnetic helicity. There has been controversy as to whether this hemispheric pattern is of surface or sub-surface origin. A number of studies have focused on clarifying the effect of the surface differential rotation on the change of magnetic helicity in the corona. Meanwhile, recent observational studies reported the existence of transient shear flows in active regions that can feed magnetic helicity to the corona at a much higher rate than the differential rotation does. Here we propose that such transient shear flows may be driven by the torque produced by either the axial or radial expansion of the coronal segment of a twisted flux tube that is rooted deeply below the surface. We have derived a simple relation between the coronal expansion parameter and the amount of helicity transferred via shear flows. To demonstrate our proposition, we have inspected Yohkoh soft X-ray images of NOAA 8668 in which strong shear flows were observed. As a result, we found that the expansion of magnetic fields really took place in the corona while transient shear flows were observed in the photosphere, and the amount of magnetic helicity change due to the transient shear flows is quantitatively consistent with the observed expansion of coronal magnetic fields. The transient shear flows hence may be understood as an observable manifestation of the pumping of magnetic helicity out of the interior portions of the field lines driven by the expansion of coronal parts as was originally proposed by Parker (1974).

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.137.1-137.1
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• 2012

If all Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have flux ropes, then the CMEs should keep their helicity signs from the Sun to the Earth according to the helicity conservation principle. We select 34 CME-ICME pairs whose source active regions (ARs) have continuous SOHO/MDI magnetogram data covering more than 24 hr without data gap during the passage of the ARs near the solar disk centre. The helicity signs in the ARs are determined by estimation of accumulating amounts of helicity injections through the photospheric surfaces in the entire source ARs. The helicity signs in the ICMEs are estimated by applying the cylinder model developed by Marubashi (2000) to 16 second resolution magnetic field data from the MAG instrument onboard the ACE spacecraft. It is found that 30 out of 34 events (88%) are helicity sign-consistent events, while 4 events (12%) are sign-inconsistent. Through a detailed investigation of the AR solar origins of the 4 exceptional events, we find that those exceptional events can be explained by the local AR helicity sign opposite to that of the entire AR helicity (2000 July 28 ICME), incorrectly reported solar source in CDAW (2005 May 20 ICME), or the helicity sign of the pre-existing coronal magnetic field (2000 October 13 and 2003 November 20 ICMEs). We conclude that the helicity signs of the ICMEs are quite consistent with those of the injected helicities in the AR regions where CMEs were erupted.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.179-184
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• 2017

We present a new method for solving an inverse problem of flux emergence which transports subsurface magnetic flux from an inaccessible interior to the surface where magnetic structures may be observed to form, such as solar active regions. To make a quantitative evaluation of magnetic structures having various characteristics, we derive physical properties of subsurface magnetic field that characterize those structures formed through flux emergence. The derivation is performed by inversion from an evolutionary relation between two observables obtained at the surface, emerged magnetic flux and injected magnetic helicity, the former of which provides scale information while the latter represents the configuration of magnetic field.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.89.2-89.2
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• 2011

The geometry of an MC (magnetic cloud) in the interplanetary space can be estimated by the magnetic flux rope model. But the single point observation in the interplanetary space near the Earth is scanty to comprehend the global configuration of MC because the MC is considered a huge loop extending from the Sun with both legs rooted on the Sun. If the MC is observed at two different locations sufficiently far away from each other, it may provide the global configuration of the MC. In this study, we model the MC which is observed two different locations using a simple straight cylinder model. The MC model fit parameters are the flux rope axis orientation (${\Theta}$, ${\phi}$), the intensity of the magnetic field at the flux rope axis ($B_0$), the radius of the MC ($R_0$), and the impact parameter (p), etc. With the MC model fit parameters we look into the difference between two observed MC geometries and also calculate the magnetic flux and helicity of the MC.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 1999

Recent studies show the importance of understanding three-dimensional magnetic reconnect ion on the solar surface. For this purpose, I consider non-coplanar magnetic reconnection, a simple case of three-dimensional reconnect ion driven by a collision of two straight flux tubes which are not on the same plane initially. The relative angle e between the two tubes characterizes such reconnection, and can be regarded as a measure of magnetic shear. The observable characteristics of non-coplanar reconnection are compared between the two cases of small and large angles. An important feature of the non-coplanar reconnect ion is that magnetic twist can be produced via the re-ordering of field lines. This is a consequence of the conversion of mutual helicity into self helicities by reconnection. It is shown that the principle of energy conservation when combined with the production of magnetic twist puts a low limit on the relative angle between two flux tubes for reconnect ion to occur. I provide several observations supporting the magnetic twist generation by reconnection, and discuss its physical implications for the origin of magnetic twist on the solar surface and the problem of coronal heating.