Coronal Cavities: A Survey Across the Solar Cycle
Coronal prominences are involved in many coronal mass ejections (CMEs), but the prominence traces only a portion of the 3D magnetic field of the core of the CME. The cavities surrounding them encompass much larger volumes, making them ideal candidates for studying pre-eruption magnetic structures. We present a survey of > 3500 coronal cavities that span the solar cycle, including solar maximum, declining phase, and solar minimum. The survey includes cavities observed in the extreme ultraviolet (Solar Dynamics Observer Atmospheric Imaging Assembly; SDO/AIA). For all of the cavities, we determined the parameters that define their position and size and showed how the frequency of occurrence and the position of the cavities change with the solar cycle. We have also identified eruptive cavities for which it is possible to determine the changes that occur prior to an eruption.
Urszula Bąk-Stęślicka is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Astronomy, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wrocław, Poland. Her research focuses on the Sun, with a particular interest in coronal cavities and solar eruptive phenomena, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. She has been actively engaged in science communication and outreach for many years. She is currently leading the research project “Multiwavelength Analysis of CME Precursors.”