The sunspot area fluctuations for the northern and the southern hemispheres of the Sun over the epoch of 12 cycles (12–23) are investigated. Because of the asymmetry of their probability distributions, the positive and the negative fluctuations are considered separately. The auto-correlation analysis of them shows three quasi-periodicities at 10, 17 and 23 solar rotations. The wavelets gives the 10-rotation quasi-periodicity. For the original and the negative fluctuations the correlation coefficient between the wavelet and the auto-correlation results is about 0.9 for 90% of the auto-correlation peaks. For the positive fluctuations it is also 0.9 for 70% of the peaks. For 90% of cycles in both hemispheres the auto-correlation analysis of negative fluctuations shows that two longer periods can be represented as the multiple of the shortest period. For positive fluctuations such dependences are found for more than 50% of cases.

The differential rotation of the compact elements of the large-scale magnetic fields is studied using Solar Synoptic Charts (1966–1986). It is revealed that compact magnetic elements with the similar polarity of the polar magnetic field of the Sun have a larger rotation rate than the elements with the opposite polarity at all stages in the cycle.

From the comparison of the experimental measuring data of the solar magnetic elements there are received the results: a) The differential rotations of the compact magnetic elements with negative and positive polarities have the similar behavior for the solar 20 and 21 cycles; b) It is established that in the rotation rate of compact magnetic elements there are present some variations at the time of polarity reversal of the Sun.

There is assumed that the physical understanding of the connections of differential rotation of compact magnetic elements and polarity reversal of the Sun depends upon establishing a connection between the temporal variability of spatially resolved solar magnetic elements and polar reversals.

We report on two off-limb radio sources of microwave emission which were detected in one-dimensional RATAN-600 solar scans of the post-eruptive loops: on December 2, 2003 (off west limb) and January 25, 2007 (east limb). The microwave spectra showed that the thermal emission was predominant at the early stage of the arcade formation with a small contribution of non-thermal emission. There were no high-energy particles in these events. The microwave spectra of the radio sources associated with the tops of postflare loops show the predominant thermal emission during one hour after the eruption. In case of a small contribution from accelerated particles to the microwave emission, there is a large amount of hot plasma in the region of the loop tops after the eruption.

We examine oscillatory phenomena in a solar network region from multi-wavelength, observations obtained by the ground-based Dutch Open Telescope (DOT), and by instruments on the spacecraft Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO). The observations were obtained during a coordinated observing campaign on October 14, 2005. The temporal variations of the intensities and velocities in two distinct regions of the quiet Sun were investigated: one containing several dark mottles and the other several bright points defining the network boundaries (NB). The aim is to find similarities and/or differences in the oscillatory phenomena observed in these two regions and in different spectral lines formed from the chromosphere to the transition region, as well as propagation characteristics of waves.

We present 2-D numerical simulations of wave propagation in the magnetic network. The network is modelled as consisting of individual magnetic flux sheets located in intergranular lanes. They have a typical horizontal size of about 150 km at the base of the photosphere and expand upward and become uniform. We consider flux sheets of different field strengths. Waves are excited by means of transverse motions at the lower boundary, to simulate the effect of granular buffeting. We look at the magneto-acoustic waves generated within the flux sheet and the acoustic waves generated in the ambient medium due to the excitation. We calculate the wave energy fluxes separating them into contributions from the acoustic and the Poynting part and study the effect of the different field strengths.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) have been addressed by a particularly active research community in recent years. With the advent of the International Heliophysical Year and the new STEREO and Hinode missions, in addition to the on-going SOHO mission, CME research has taken centre stage in a renewed international effort. This review aims to touch on some key observational areas, and their interpretation. First, we consider coronal dimming, which has become synonymous with CME onsets, and stress that recent advances have heralded a move from a perceived association between the two phenomena to a firm, well-defined physical link. What this means for our understanding of CME modeling is discussed. Second, with the new STEREO observations, and noting the on-going SMEI observations, it is important to review the opening field of CME studies in the heliosphere. Finally, we discuss some specific points with regard to EIT-waves and the flare-CME relationship. In the opinion of the author, these issues cover key hot topics which need consideration for significant progress in the field.

It has been known for some time now that rapidly-rotating solar-like stars possess the stellar equivalent of solar prominences. These may be three orders of magnitude more massive than their solar counterparts, and their ejection from the star may form a significant contribution to the loss of angular momentum and mass in the stellar wind. In addition, their number and distribution provide valuable clues as to the structure of the stellar corona and hence to the nature of magnetic activity in other stars.

Until recently, these “slingshot prominences” had only been observed in mature stars, but their recent detection in an extremely young star suggests that they may be more widespread than previously thought. In this review we will summarise our current understanding of these stellar prominences, their ejection from their stars and their role in elucidating the (sometimes very non-solar) behaviour of stellar magnetic fields.

We consider some general aspects of twisted magnetic flux ropes (TFR), which are thought to play a fundamental role in the structure and dynamics of large scale eruptive events. We first discuss the possibility to show the presence of a TFR in a pre-eruptive configuration by using a model along with observational informations provided by a vector magnetograph. Then we present, in the framework of a generic model in which the coronal field is driven into an evolution by changes imposed at the photospheric level, several mechanisms which may lead to the formation and the disruption of a TFR, including the development of a MHD instability, and we discuss the issues of the energy and helicity contents of an erupting configuration. Finally we report some results of a recent and more ambitious approach to the physics of TFRs in which one tries to describe in a consistent way their rising through the convection zone, their emergence through the photosphere, and their subsequent evolution in the corona.

Solar filaments (or prominences) are magnetic structures in the corona. They can be represented by twisted flux ropes in a bipolar magnetic environment. In such models, the dipped field lines of the flux rope carry the filament material and parasitic polarities in the filament channel are responsible for the existence of the lateral feet of prominences.

Very simple laws do exist for the chirality of filaments, the so-called “filament chirality rules”: commonly dextral/sinistral filaments corresponding to left- (resp. right) hand magnetic twists are in the North/South hemisphere. Combining these rules with 3D weakly twisted flux tube models, the sign of the magnetic helicity in several filaments were identified. These rules were also applied to the 180° disambiguation of the direction of the photospheric transverse magnetic field around filaments using THEMIS vector magnetograph data (López Ariste et al. 2006). Consequently, an unprecedented evidence of horizontal magnetic support in filament feet has been observed, as predicted by former magnetostatic and recent MHD models.

The second part of this review concerns the role of emerging flux in the vicinity of filament channels. It has been suggested that magnetic reconnection between the emerging flux and the pre-existing coronal field can trigger filament eruptions and CMEs. For a particular event, observed with Hinode/XRT, we observe signatures of such a reconnection, but no eruption of the filament. We present a 3D numerical simulation of emerging flux in the vicinity of a flux rope which was performed to reproduce this event and we briefly discuss, based on the simulation results, why the filament did not erupt.

We report on the statistical relationships between solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) observed during 1996-2007 inclusively. We used soft X-ray flares observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and CMEs observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission. Main results are (1) the CME association rate increases with flare's peak flux, fluence, and duration, (2) the difference between flare and CME onsets shows a Gaussian distribution with the standard deviation σ = 17 min (σ = 15 min) for the first (second) order extrapolated CME onset, (3) the most frequent flare site is under the center of the CME span, not near one leg (outer edge) of the CMEs, (4) a good correlation was found between the flare fluence versus the CME kinetic energy. Implications for flare-CME models are discussed.

Using SOHO/EIT Fe XII λ195 Å observations the new type of oscillations in coronal loops was detected. The oscillation corresponds to wave propagated to outer area of atmosphere of active area. As opposed to most kind of oscillations associated with coronal loops the waves are observed at non-flare stage of active areas evolution. Velocities of the wave propagation were 8-20 km s−1 and had quasi-perpendicular direction with magnetic field. Such waves were detected in active areas located on solar disk and loops structures outside solar limb. Investigation of EIT data shows the waves are not result of changes of topology of a magnetic field and loops configuration. The nature and probable sources of waves are discussed.

A CME is triggered by the disappearance of a stable equilibrium as a result of the slow evolution of the photospheric magnetic field. This disappearance may be due to a loss of ideal-MHD equilibrium or stability as in the kink mode, or to a loss of resistive-MHD equilibrium as a result of magnetic reconnection. We have obtained CMEs in sequence by a time dependent magnetohydrodynamic computation performed on three solar radii. These successive CMEs resulted from a prominence eruption. Velocities of these CMEs decrease in time, from a CME to another. We present observational evidences for large-scale magnetic reconnections that caused the destabilization of a sigmoid filament. These reconnections covered half of the solar disk and produced CMEs in squall (sequential CMEs).

Forty five limb CMEs related with eruptive prominences and/or near-to-limb post-eruptive arcades have been tested. It is shown that CMEs can be divided into two groups. The first group includes coronal mass ejections whose “2α” latitude angular sizes apparent in the plane of the sky remain unchanged within measurement accuracy of several degrees. The second one is formed by CMEs that expand “non-radially”, namely, their angular sizes increase by the relative value (10-30)% up to the position of the ejection front RF = Rαm and run to the maximal value 2αm at this distance. It has been found that CMEs of the second type are, on the average, wider, faster and have an outer shell brighter and with higher plasma density for long distances. It is shown that on average Rαm increases as 2αm rises.

Coronal dimmings often develop in the vicinity of erupting magnetic configurations. It has been suggested that they mark the location of the footpoints of ejected flux ropes and, thus, their magnetic flux can be used as a proxy for the ejected flux. If so, this quantity can be compared to the flux in the associated interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) to find clues about the origin of the ejected flux rope. In the context of this interpretation, we present several events for which we have done a comparative solar-interplanetary analysis. We combine SOHO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) data and Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) magnetic maps to identify and measure the flux in the dimmed regions. We model the associated MCs and compute their magnetic flux using in situ observations. We find that the magnetic fluxes in the dimmings and MCs are compatible in some events; though this is not the case for large-scale and intense eruptions that occur in regions that are not isolated from others. We conclude that, in these particular cases, a fraction of the dimmed regions can be formed by reconnection between the erupting field and the surrounding magnetic structures, via a stepping process that can also explain other CME associated events.

Dynamics of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is strongly affected by the interaction of the erupting structure with the ambient magnetoplasma: eruptions that are faster than solar wind transfer the momentum and energy to the wind and generally decelerate, whereas slower ones gain the momentum and accelerate. Such a behavior can be expressed in terms of “aerodynamic” drag. We employ a large sample of CMEs to analyze the relationship between kinematics of CMEs and drag-related parameters, such as ambient solar wind speed and the CME mass. Employing coronagraphic observations it is demonstrated that massive CMEs are less affected by the aerodynamic drag than light ones. On the other hand, in situ measurements are used to inspect the role of the solar wind speed and it is shown that the Sun-Earth transit time is more closely related to the wind speed than to take-off speed of CMEs. These findings are interpreted by analyzing solutions of a simple equation of motion based on the standard form for the drag acceleration. The results show that most of the acceleration/deceleration of CMEs on their way through the interplanetary space takes place close to the Sun, where the ambient plasma density is still high. Implications for the space weather forecasting of CME arrival-times are discussed.

In this paper we determined the parameters of 45 full halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) for various modifications of their cone forms (“ice cream cone models”). We show that the CME determined characteristics depend significantly on the CME chosen form. We show that, regardless of the CME chosen form, the trajectory of practically all the considered HCMEs deviate from the radial direction to the Sun-to-Earth axis at the initial stage of their movement.

We examine the source properties of X-class soft X-ray flares that were not associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). All the flares were associated with intense microwave bursts implying the production of high energy electrons. However, most (85%) of the flares were not associated with metric type III bursts, even though open field lines existed in all but two of the active regions. The X-class flares seem to be truly confined because there was no material ejection (thermal or nonthermal) away from the flaring region into space.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large scale structures of plasma (~1016g) and magnetic field expelled from the solar corona to the interplanetary medium. During their travel in the inner heliosphere, these “interplanetary CMEs” (ICMEs), suffer acceleration due to the interaction with the ambient solar wind. Based on hydrodynamic theory, we have developed an analytical model for the ICME transport which reproduce well the observed deceleration of fast ICMEs. In this work we present the results of the model and its application to the CME observed on May 13, 2005 and the associated interplanetary type II burst.

The variations of the global mass of heliosphere in the 23rd cycle of the solar activity are described. The results are derived from solar corona observations and from ‘in situ’ measurements made by the space probes SOHO, VOYAGER2, ACE, WIND, and ULYSSES. It has been revealed that though the total mass of corona fluctuates during the solar activity cycle approximately in a ratio of 1 : 3, the specific mass flow (q) in the solar wind does not change in the ecliptic plane. In the polar regions the q decreases during the minimum in a third of the original value and the velocity of expansion is roughly double. These findings are valid for the 23rd solar cycle.

The analysis of in-situ data recorded by Ulysses for the ICME on 24 August 2001 is carried out, using different signatures such as He++ abundance enhancement, low ion temperature, low velocity, and anomalies of abundance and charge state of heavy ion species.