Numerical simulation of a solar flare produced by the emergence of new magnetic flux

A scenario for the production of a current sheet above an active region during the emergence of new magnetic flux is considered. The formation of a current sheet is demonstrated via a numerical solution of a system of MHD equations with dissipative terms. The flare energy is stored in the magnetic field of the current sheet. The decay of the current sheet can account for a number of solar-flare phenomena, including the observed divergence of H _α ribbons.     

Magnetic flux in an active solar region and its correlation with flares

The correlation between the magnetic flux in an active solar region and associated powerful solar flares is studied. The behavior of the active regions AR 10486 and AR 10365 is considered. These regions produced a series of class X flares as they crossed the solar disk. The flares appeared when the magnetic flux exceeded 10²² Mx. The magnetic flux remained constant during all the flares except for one. During this flare, the flux decreased by about 10%; this impulsive decrease of the flux was also recorded in the absence of flares. No energy flux from the photosphere to the corona at the time of the flare was observed. The behavior of the photospheric field in AR 10486 and AR 10365 is consistent with a slow accumulation of energy in the corona and the explosive release of energy stored in the magnetic field of a current sheet above an active region during the flare.     

MHD simulations of current-sheet formation over a bipolar active region

We present the results of numerical simulations of the development of a current sheet in the solar corona over a bipolar region during the emergence of two new sunspots arranged collinearly with older spots. Two fronts of increased plasma density form at the boundary of the rising new magnetic flux. One of these is due to the generation of a current sheet, whose magnetic field accumulates energy for a flare. The other front is a branch of the density perturbation, and separates the old and new magnetic fluxes in a region where the magnetic field lines have the same direction on both sides of the boundary. The development of this perturbation is not associated with the energy accumulation in the corona, and hinders observation of the preflare state and complicates analysis of the results. This second front can be interpreted as the eruption of a filament before the onset of the flare. A scheme conservative with respect to magnetic flux was introduced in the Peresvet code that solves the MHD equations, in order to suppress numerical instabilities in regions of large magnetic-field gradients.     

The generation of hard X-rays and relativistic protons observed during solar flares

The flare source of thermal X-rays above a magnetic arch in the corona arises from the dissipation of the magnetic energy of the current sheet formed at the reconnection of magnetic-field lines. The sources of hard X-rays emitted from the footpoints of the magnetic arch are beams of electrons accelerated in field-aligned currents induced by the Hall electric field generated in the current sheet. Both the hard X-rays detected above the active region and the type III radio emission are radiated by electrons accelerated in the field-aligned currents induced by Alfven waves. The solar cosmic rays are emitted promptly at the instant of the flare. It is important that the Lorentz electric field accelerates protons along the singular magnetic X line. The relativistic protons propagate along the interplanetary magnetic field. These protons have exponential spectra, typical for acceleration occurring in current sheets. A mechanism that is relevant for the generation of delayed cosmic rays, which demonstrate significant anisotropy and a power-law spectrum with γ ∼5, is also discussed.     

Common features in the development of powerful long-duration solar X-ray flares

We have begun an investigation of the possible origins of considerable of powerful solar flares. This effect is manifest, first and foremost, in the existence of high-temperature plasma in flare loops over many hours. Analysis of the soft X-ray emission in two energy bands detected by the GOES satellites for about 20 powerful solar flares reveals long time intervals during the decay phase when the source temperature decreases, in general, exponentially. The characteristic time t _i for a decrease in the temperature by a factor of ten is 3–10 hours for most powerful events. In addition, another interval of very slow decrease with a characteristic time t _i of tens of hours can be identified in some cases. We found a gradual change in the dependence of the temperature on the square root of the emission measure for the source as a whole, which characterizes the transition from purely coronal processes to powerful flares with a prolonged inflow of plasma from the chromosphere. Modeling the energy balance in a loop can yield the requirements for the source of plasma heating in a long-lived arch system. A necessary condition for the development of prolonged flares seems to be a powerful coronal mass ejection, which initiates the formation of a source of plasma heating at coronal heights. Our analysis shows that a considerable fraction of the energy is often released in the region of the cusp, and that systems of giant coronal arches rising to heights of about 100 000 km above the limb are formed in most prolonged events (called dynamical flares in the terminology of Svestka).     

Formation of several current sheets preceding a series of flares above the active region AR 0365

We have carried out 3D MHD modeling of the solar corona above the active region AR 0365 before a series of flares observed on May 26–27, 2003. Maps of the evolving photospheric magnetic fields preceding the flares were used as boundary conditions. An emergence of new flux equal to ～1.5 × 10²² Maxwell preceded the observed series of X-ray flares. Modeling a large region 4 × 10¹⁰ cm in size demonstrates the formation of several current sheets in the vicinities of coronal Xlines, both already existing in the initial potential field and arising due to the emergence of the new magnetic flux. Each current sheet could be responsible for an elementary flare.     

Origin of prolonged X-ray flares on active late-type stars

Soft X-ray data for prolonged flares in subgiants in RS CVn binary systems and some other active late-type stars (AB Dor, Algol) are analyzed. During these nonstationary events, a large amount of hot plasma with temperatures exceeding 10⁸ K exists for many hours. Numerical simulations of gas-dynamical processes in the X-ray source—giant loops—can yield reliable estimates of the plasma parameters and flare-source size. This confirms that such phenomena exist while considerable energy is supplied to the top part of a giant loop or system of loops. Refined estimates of the flare energy (up to 10³⁷ erg) and scales contradict the widely accepted idea that prolonged X-ray flares are associated with the evolution of local magnetic fields. The energy of the current component of the large-scale magnetic field arising during the ejection of magnetic field by plasma jets or stellar wind is estimated. Two cases are considered: a global stellar field and fields connecting regions with oppositely directed unipolar magnetic fields. The inferred energy of the current component of the magnetic field associated with distortion of the initial MHD configuration is close to the total flare energy, suggesting that large-scale magnetic fields play an important role in prolonged flares. The flare process encompasses some portion of a streamer belt and may propagate along the entire magnetic equator of the star during the most powerful prolonged events.     

The role of plasma ejections in the development of large solar flares of various durations

Recent observations indicate that relatively strong plasma ejections are accompanied by the formation of systems of coronal loops with two glowing ribbons near their footpoints. However, while two-ribbon flares can sometimes last for many hours, for example, soft X rays, they sometimes decay within tens of minutes. We study here factors affecting the durations of flares using four major flares occurring in July 15–18, 2002, as examples. Various ground-based and satellite observations are used to show that short-duration events involved collimated (narrow) plasma ejections directed to the north and the subsequent formation of compact loops in the leading part of the active region. During one event, a powerful eastward ejection in a wide solid angle was followed by the formation of an extended arch system in the trailing part, which determined the long duration of the flare. It is proposed that in events involving collimated jets and corresponding narrow features in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), systems of coronal loops do form, but post-eruptive energy release either does not occur or is expressed very faintly. So the energy does not go downward from this region, and the plasma is emitted free in the coronal loops. In contrast to such rapid flares, wide ejections and bright, large-scale CMEs are accompanied by the formation and prolonged existence of an extended arch system. Thus, powerful nonstationary solar processes involve a large-scale CME and the flare itself, with the pattern of a particular event determined by the reconnection scenario and the evolution of the ejected plasma.     

Restructuring of the Solar Magnetic Fields and Flare Activity Centers in Cycle 24

The development of the solar magnetic activity in cycle 24 has been analyzed. It has been shown that the significant north–south asymmetry of magnetic activity was accompanied by the asynchronous reorganization of solar magnetic fields in the northern and southern hemispheres. The formation of unipolar magnetic regions after the decay of activity centers has been studied. The meridional transport of unipolar magnetic regions leading to changes in the zonal structure of the solar magnetic field has been shown. Long-lived centers of flare activity have been found to exist during the periods of magnetic field restructuring. The spatiotemporal analysis of the flare ensemble making it possible to diagnose non-stationary processes in the solar atmosphere has been shown.     

Acceleration of charged particles in collapsing magnetic traps during solar flares

This paper examines the mechanisms for the acceleration of electrons, protons, and ions during solar flares. The acceleration is assumed to occur in two steps. The particles are first pre-accelerated by the electric field of a high-temperature current sheet undergoing magnetic reconnection. A collapsing magnetic trap in the solar corona provides further acceleration. It is shown that the Fermi mechanism accelerates trapped protons and ions even more efficiently than it does electrons. The particles escaping from the trap have energies reaching several GeV. The energy distribution of the accelerated ions is essentially independent of their mass and degree of ionization.     

Large-scale phenomena on the Sun associated with the eruption of filaments outside active regions: the event of September 12, 1999

The event of September 12, 1999 is used to analyze large-scale disturbances associated with coronal mass ejections during the eruption of filaments outside active regions. The analysis is based on Hα filtergrams, EUV and soft X-ray images, and coronograph data. The filament eruption occurred in relatively weak magnetic fields, but was accompanied by larger-scale phenomena than flare events. During several hours after the eruption, a large-scale arcade developed, whose bases formed diverging flare-like ribbons. The volume of the event was bounded by an “EIT wave”, which was quasi-stationary at the solar surface and expanded above the limb. The event did not have an impulsive component; therefore the “EIT wave” above the limb was a magnetic structure, identified as the front of a coronal mass ejection by virtue of its shape, structural features, and kinematics. Three types of dimmings were observed within the areal of the event, cause by (a) the evacuation of plasma, (b) heating of plasma with its subsequent evacuation, and (c) the absorption of radiation in a system of filaments activated by the eruption. The fact that a dimming appeared due to plasma heating was revealed by its presence in soft X-rays, whereas the four EIT channels did not demonstrate this. This brings into question the correctness of certain conclusions drawn earlier based purely on EIT data. A transformation of magnetic fields brought about by the eruption also occurred in a stationary coronal hole adjacent to the areal of the event. The expansion of the coronal mass ejection was self-similar and characterized by a rapidly decreasing acceleration, which is not taken into account in the widely used polynomial approximation.     

Analysis of a solar eruptive event on November 4, 2001, using CORONAS-F/SPIRIT data

We analyze large-scale solar activity following the eruption of a very powerful, geoeffective coronal mass ejection in the 23rd solar cycle, observed at 175, 284, and 304 Å on November 4, 2001, using data from the CORONAS-F/SPIRIT telescope. In particular, we have shown that the restructuring of the magnetic field above the eruption center was accompanied by the formation of a multicomponent post-eruptive arcade, which was observed in all three bands over many hours and had an extent of the order of 0.5R_⊙. Two kinds of dimmings were observed, i.e., compact dimmings on either side of this arcade and channeled dimmings along some extended features beyond the active region. The intensity in the dimmings decreased by several tens of percent. The enhanced emission observed at the top of the post-eruptive arcade can be due to energy release in the course of magnetic reconnection high in the corona at the relaxation stage of the perturbed magnetic field to a new equilibrium state with a closed configuration. It can also be due to an enhanced emission measure because of the oblique direction of the line of sight crossing both loop tops and footpoint regions. The spatial coincidence of the main dimmings in lines corresponding to different temperatures indicates that a plasma outflow from the transition region and coronal structures with opened field lines are responsible for these dimmings. Variations in the plasma temperature associated with coronal mass ejections probably play an important role for some dimmings, which appear different in different lines.     

Magnetic-field variations in the active region NOAA 10486 and their relationship to X-ray flares and coronal mass ejections

SOHO/MDI magnetograms are used to analyze the time variations in the magnetic parameters of the active region (AR) NOAA 10486, which was part of a large activity complex that passed over the solar disk from October 26 to 31, 2003, during solar cycle 23. The results are compared with X-ray flares in the AR and the parameters of coronal mass ejections associated with the AR. The time variations in the distributions of themagnetic-field strengths associated with the total magnetic flux (Fa), the flux imbalance between the northern and southern polarities (Im), the complexity of the field, as a measure of the mutual overlapping of the opposite polarities (Co), and the tilt angle of the magnetic axis (An) are considered. The time variations in the free energy accumulated in current sheets of ARs were traced using a parameter introduced for this purpose (Sh). The following results were obtained. First, the parameters Fa, Im, Co, An, and Sh quantitatively describe the current state of the AR and can be used to trace and analyze the dynamical evolution of its magnetic field. Second, variations in the magnetic-field-strength distributions and the mean values of Fa, Im, Co, An, and Sh are associated with flares and coronal mass ejections, and the variations have considerable amplitudes. Third, the parameter Sh characterizing the degree to which the magnetic field is non-potential in regions adjacent to the main neutral line increases before eruptive events, and is thus particular interest for monitoring the states of ARs in real time. Fourth, the magnetic field of the AR manifests a sort of quasi-elasticity, so that the field structure is restored after active events, on average, within 1–3 h.     

Effects of coronal mass ejections on distant coronal streamers

The effects of a large coronal mass ejection (CME) on a solar coronal streamer located roughly 90° from the main direction of the CME propagation observed on January 2, 2012 by the SOHO/LASCO coronograph are analyzed. Radial coronal streamers undergo some bending when CMEs pass through the corona, even at large angular distances from the streamers. The phenomenon resembles a bending wave traveling along the streamer. Some researchers interpret these phenomena as the effects of traveling shocks generated by rapid CMEs, while others suggest they are waves excited inside the streamers by external impacts. The analysis presented here did not find convincing arguments in favor of either of these interpretations. It is concluded that the streamer behavior results from the effect of the magnetic field of a moving magnetic flux rope associated with the coronal ejection. The motion of the large-scale magnetic flux rope away from the Sun changes the surrounding magnetic field lines in the corona, and these changes resemble the half-period of a wave running along the streamer.     

Failed Eruptions of Solar Filaments

Solar filaments (prominences), which suddenly and swiftly ascend, i.e., become eruptive, sometimes decelerate and stop at comparatively low altitudes. Causes of failed eruptions generally remain uncertain. The present study analyzes two eruptive phenomena with very similar initial geometries and configurations of external magnetic fields; one of these eruptions evolves in a coronal mass ejection, but the other breaks off shortly after its start. The tension of curved magnetic field lines is the most probable force causing eruptions to stop. Significant external magnetic fields parallel to rope axes located in failed eruption regions can be a decisive factor. Such an effect has been revealed during laboratory experiments on plasma rope dynamics, which likely plays an important role in solar eruptive phenomena.     

Solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays in the three-dimensional heliosphere according to meteorite data

Cosmogenic radionuclides with distinctive half-lives from chondritic falls were used as natural detectors of galactic cosmic rays (GCR). A unique series of uniform data was obtained for variations in the integral gradients of GCR with a rigidity of R > 0.5 GV in 1955–2000 on heliocentric distances of 1.5–3.3 AU and heliographic latitudes between 23° S and 16° N. Correlation analysis was performed for the variations in GCR gradients and variations in solar activity (number of sunspots, SS, and intensity of the green coronal line, GCL), the intensity of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and the inclination of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). Distribution and variations of GCR were analyzed in 11-year solar cycles and during a change in 22-year magnetic cycles. The detected dependencies of GCR gradients on the intensity of IMF and HCS inclination provided insight into the differences in the processes of structural transformation of IMF during changes between various phases of solar and magnetic cycles. The investigated relationships lead to the conclusion that a change of secular solar cycles occurred during solar cycle 20; moreover, there is probably still an increase in the 600-year solar cycle, which can be among the major reasons for the observed global warming.     

The generation of magnetic field via convective motions in the photosphere,Alvén waves,and the origin of chromospheric spicules

The basis is laid out for a theory relating various phenomena in the solar atmosphere, including localized concentrations of magnetic field at the bases of coronal magnetic arches, chromospheric spicules, twisted coronal magnetic flux tubes, and flows of energy carried by Alfvén waves propagating upward into the corona. The structure of photospheric currents localized in the vicinity of supergranule boundaries and excited by convective motions is studied. These currents exist primarily in a “dynamo layer” of sharply enhanced transverse conductivity, which forms in the weakly ionized thermal photospheric plasma located in the solar gravitational field. The motions of the electrons and ions in this layer have appreciably different characters: the ions are collisionly driven by the flows of neutral atoms, while the electrons drift in the crossed electric and magnetic fields. The electric field supporting the current arises due to the polarization of the electrons and ions. This field also gives rise to Alfvén perturbations that propagate upward into the corona, together with their associated longitudinal currents. The character of this “loading” makes the system of fields and currents uniquely defined. Moreover, the momentum flux carried by these Alfvén waves should be transferred to the cool chromospheric gas, facilitating the vertical ejection of this gas in the form of spicules, as was first proposed in 1992 by Haerendel.     

Evidence for shock generation in the solar corona in the absence of coronal mass ejections

The solar event SOL2012–10–23T03:13, which was associated with a X1.8 flare without an accompanying coronal mass ejection (CME) and with a Type II radio burst, is analyzed. A method for constructing the spatial and temporal profiles of the difference brightness detected in the AIA/SDOUVand EUV channels is used together with the analysis of the Type II radio burst. The formation and propagation of a region of compression preceded by a collisional shock detected at distances R < 1.3R _⊙ from the center of the Sun is observed in this event (R _⊙ is the solar radius). Comparison with a similar event studied earlier, SOL2011–02–28T07:34 [1], suggests that the region of compression and shock could be due to a transient (impulsive) action exerted on the surrounding plasma by an eruptive, high-temperature magnetic rope. The initial instability and eruption of this rope could be initiated by emerging magnetic flux, and its heating from magnetic reconnection. The cessation of the eruption of the rope could result from its interaction with surrounding magnetic structures (coronal loops).     

The spectrum of solar cosmic rays: Data of observations and numerical simulation

Analysis of the relativistic proton spectra of solar flares occurring in the 23rd solar activity cycle derived from data of a worldwide neutron monitor network and numerical modeling both provide evidence for the acceleration of charged particles by an electric field that arises in coronal current sheets during reconnection. The method used to obtain the spectra is based on simulating the response of a neutron monitor to an anisotropic flux of relativistic solar protons with specified parameters and determining the characteristics of the primary relativistic solar protons by fitting model responses to the observations. Studies of the dynamics of the energy spectra distinguish two populations of relativistic protons in solar cosmic-ray events: the so-called fast component, which arrives at the flux front of the solar cosmic rays, followed by the delayed slow component. The fast component is characterized by strong anisotropy and an exponential energy spectrum, in agreement with the spectrum yielded by mathematical modeling of particle acceleration by an electric field directed along the X line of the magnetic field. The slow component, whose propagation is probably diffusive, has a power-law spectrum.     

Diagnostic of a Solar Flare via Analyses of Emission in Spectral Lines of Highly Ionized Iron

An analysis of the dynamics of the electron temperature of the solar atmosphere in regions where solar flares appear is presented. The temperatures are estimated from the emission in spectral lines of ions with various degrees of ionization. The emission of ionized helium and highly ionized iron was used. Images of preflare states and of flares from the archive of the American SDO spacecraft are analyzed. A solar flare is usually preceded by the registration of a bright glowing structure above the action region, with a temperature exceeding that of the corona. This preflare structure (~10¹⁰ cm) is identified with the development of a system of currents, which, according to numerical simulations, is responsible for the accumulation of energy above the active region before the flare. After several tens of hours of a slow increase in the brightness of the preflare glow in the 94 Å iron (FeXVIII) line, the emission in the 193 Å line of FeXXIV increases sharply, indicating a flare-like growth of the temperature up to at least 20 MK. This growth of the emission coincides with the onset of the solar flare. The observed dynamics of the emission in spectral lines of highly ionized ions is consistent with an electrodynamic model of a solar flare based on the accumulation of magnetic energy in a current sheet above the active region and the explosive release of the stored energy. Studies of mechanisms for solar flares are of special importance in connection with the discovery of solar cosmic rays. Information from the worldwide network of neutron monitors and from the GOES spacecraft has made it possible to firmly state that the source of solar rays is solar flares, not shocks generated by such flares. It cannot be ruled out that a similar mechanism, not shocks, is also responsible for the acceleration of cosmic rays in the Galaxy.