PSEUDOSTREAMERS AS THE SOURCE OF A SEPARATE CLASS OF SOLAR CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS

Using white-light and extreme-ultraviolet imaging observations, we confirm that pseudostreamers (streamers that separate coronal holes of the same polarity) give rise to a different type of coronal mass ejection (CME) from that associated with helmet streamers (defined as separating coronal holes of opposite polarity). Whereas helmet streamers are the source of the familiar bubble-shaped CMEs characterized by gradual acceleration and a three-part structure, pseudostreamers produce narrower, fanlike ejections with roughly constant speeds. These ejections, which are typically triggered by underlying filament eruptions or small, flaring active regions, are confined laterally and channeled outward by the like-polarity open flux that converges onto the pseudostreamer plasma sheet from both sides. In contrast, helmet streamer CMEs are centered on the relatively weak field around the heliospheric current sheet and thus undergo greater lateral expansion. Pseudostreamer ejections have a morphological resemblance to white-light jets from coronal holes; however, unlike the latter, they are not primarily driven by interchange reconnection, and tend to have larger widths (~20°–30°), lower speeds (~250–700 km s−1), and more complex internal structure.