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R.A. Howard, K.P. Dere, N.R. Sheeley, Jr (Naval Research Laboratory), P. Subramanian, A. Vourlidas (George Mason University), D. Wang (Interferometrics, Inc.)
The question we would like to address is whether coronal mass ejections snowplow ambient material. Some of the CMEs observed by the LASCO coronagraph on SOHO have a clearly defined loop-like front, meaning that the trailing edge of the front can be clearly defined. We measure the mass in the front of the CME in this subclass. We find that for some of the events, the mass in the leading edge increases, implying that the CME is indeed "snowplowing" ambient material. If there is a significant increase in mass, then the CME frontal speed might decrease to conserve momentum. We estimate the amount of ambient material, using a model of coronal densities, and find that it is consistent with the mass increase. We can also estimate the height in the corona, below the occulting disk, from where the original material in the CME is released. These concepts as well as conditions for when the mass increases will be discussed.
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