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Multiwavelength Study on Solar and Interplanetary Origins of the Strongest Geomagnetic Storm of Solar Cycle 23

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Abstract

We study the solar sources of an intense geomagnetic storm of solar cycle 23 that occurred on 20 November 2003, based on ground- and space-based multiwavelength observations. The coronal mass ejections (CMEs) responsible for the above geomagnetic storm originated from the super-active region NOAA 10501. We investigate the Hα observations of the flare events made with a 15 cm solar tower telescope at ARIES, Nainital, India. The propagation characteristics of the CMEs have been derived from the three-dimensional images of the solar wind (i.e., density and speed) obtained from the interplanetary scintillation data, supplemented with other ground- and space-based measurements. The TRACE, SXI and Hα observations revealed two successive ejections (of speeds ≈ 350 and ≈ 100 km s−1), originating from the same filament channel, which were associated with two high speed CMEs (≈ 1223 and ≈ 1660 km s−1, respectively). These two ejections generated propagating fast shock waves (i.e., fast-drifting type II radio bursts) in the corona. The interaction of these CMEs along the Sun–Earth line has led to the severity of the storm. According to our investigation, the interplanetary medium consisted of two merging magnetic clouds (MCs) that preserved their identity during their propagation. These magnetic clouds made the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) southward for a long time, which reconnected with the geomagnetic field, resulting the super-storm (Dst peak=−472 nT) on the Earth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Hwaamdong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-348, Republic of Korea

    Pankaj Kumar

  2. Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Udhagamandalam (Ooty), 643 001, India

    P. K. Manoharan

  3. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Manora Peak, Nainital, 263129, India

    Wahab Uddin

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  1. Pankaj Kumar
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Correspondence to Pankaj Kumar.

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Kumar, P., Manoharan, P.K. & Uddin, W. Multiwavelength Study on Solar and Interplanetary Origins of the Strongest Geomagnetic Storm of Solar Cycle 23. Sol Phys 271, 149–167 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-011-9805-7

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