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D.C. Myers, D.A. Biesecker (Steven Myers and Associates), A Vourlidas (George Mason University), B.J. Thompson (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
In an effort to understand what causes an "EIT wave" or what effects an EIT wave might have, we are investigating whether EIT waves can be associated directly with any other solar phenomena. An EIT wave is a coronal disturbance, typically appearing as a bright rim, observed to propagate across the Sun. Waves at the solar limb are identified by the deflections of magnetic fields that they cause. We have taken a working catalogue of "EIT waves" and determined what, if any, solar phenomena are associated with each wave. We have thus far looked for an association with GOES X-ray flares and with LASCO coronal mass ejections. This poster shows the work accomplished thus far, in particular, that there is a strong association with GOES flux increases and that waves with a higher quality rating tend to have a higher GOES flux level. We also plan to determine if there is an association with radio transients, particularly type II events. The EIT wave catalogue was compiled by examining EIT difference images of the Sun from the start of higher cadence images (24-March-1997). Each wave is classified by a quality rating from 0 to 6. The quality rating describes a confidence level that the given times contain an EIT wave, with 0 being the lowest certainty and 6 the highest. The catalogue of EIT waves, and this study, are still being expanded and will eventually encompass all EIT waves observed with a high image cadence from 1996 through 1998.