Parallel sessions

The current fleet of solar observatories builds on a decades-long programme of studying the Sun and the inner-heliosphere. Observations have shown us that eruptive flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and interplanetary magnetic clouds are among the major drivers of space weather. These phenomena are often associated with the presence of a magnetic flux rope, a twisted bundle of magnetic field. Such structures are seen in both EUV and coronagraph images, and are consistent with in-situ measurements of interplanetary transient events.

With the forthcoming launch of the Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe+ missions, the aim of this session is to bring together solar and heliospheric physicists, both modelers and observers, to discuss the formation and evolution of magnetic flux ropes. In particular we will discuss how and when magnetic flux ropes are formed, as well as how their structure evolves during their propagation through the inner heliosphere. We will also discuss the universal physical mechanisms responsible for triggering solar eruptions and how the structure of the interplanetary magnetic clouds relate to their source regions on the Sun.