Abstract:
Coronal cavities are large scale structures in the solar corona that are closely related to the long-term evolution of the magnetic field in the photosphere as well as associated with energetic solar activity such as prominence eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are a primary driver of space weather. Coronal cavities are observed as elliptical-shaped and relatively low density dark regions above the solar limb in extreme ultraviolet (EUV), X-ray, and white-light coronal images. However, the nature of their magnetic field, how they form and their relationship to solar activity are not well understood. In this dissertation, several important questions regarding coronal cavity origin, structure, and relation to the solar cycle are addressed.
