Three-Dimensional Polarimetric Imaging of Coronal Mass Ejections

Abstract

We present three-dimensional reconstructions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which were obtained through polarization analysis of single-view images recorded with the use of the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 coronagraph on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Analysis of a loop-like CME shows a complex three-dimensional structure centered at 40° from the plane of the sky, moving radially at 250 kilometers/second. Reconstruction of two halo CMEs suggests that these events are expanding loop arcades.