An example of the association of X-ray and UV emission with H-alpha surges

From H-alpha UV, and X-ray data, the nature of a well-observed surge on November 12, 1980 has been studied to try to understand the relationships between the mechanical motions and the high-temperature emissions. The cool (H-alpha) and the hot (O v) parts of the surge plasma both show velocities in the range of 100-120 km/s. The kinetic and potential energies of the surge are two orders of magnitude higher than the radiative energy. The observations suggest that the surge occurs in open structures parallel to one leg of a large scale coronal magnetic loop. The energy is released principally in the open structure (surge) and only a small amount heats the coronal loop (X-ray signature). This energy division should probably not be treated as a general characteristic of surge events. Different events are expected to exhibit a different energy balance, and this can account for the lack of a consensus in the previous literature regarding surge/X-ray associations.