Confined and Ejective Eruptions of Kink-unstable Flux Ropes

The ideal helical kink instability of a force-free coronal magnetic flux rope, anchored in the photosphere, is studied as a model for solar eruptions. Using the flux rope model of Titov & Demoulin (1999} as the initial condition in MHD simulations, both the development of helical shape and the rise profile of a confined (or failed) filament eruption (on 2002 May 27) are reproduced in very good agreement with the observations. By modifying the model such that the magnetic field decreases more rapidly with height above the flux rope, a full (or ejective) eruption of the rope is obtained in very good agreement with the developing helical shape and the exponential-to-linear rise profile of a fast coronal mass…