Study of the optical variability of T Tau in the period 1962–2003

We present the results of our long-term U BV R observations of the star T Tauri performed at Mt. Maidanak Observatory from 1986 until 2003. These data, together with previous photoelectric observations of other authors, suggest that the long-term variations of the light curve are not periodic, but have a cycle with a time scale of 6–9 yr. The light curve also exhibits slower variations with time scales of ～30–40 yr. We confirm the existence of periodic brightness variations with a period of \(P = 2\mathop .\limits^d 798\) over many years; this process is peculiar in that the phase and shape of the phase curve change from season to season. We analyze the color behavior of the star. We found evidence of a strong flare occurred on October 5, 1999, when the brightness of the star reached \(9\mathop .\limits^m 22\). This is the strongest flare recorded during its photoelectric observations.     

THE AMOUNT OF LITHIUM PRODUCED DURING IMPULSIVE FLARES

Recent observations have provided much real information about the acceleration of particles in solar flares. High-reliability data about accelerated particles have been obtained for an impulsive phase of some flares of the activity cycle XXII. Therefore, it seems reasonable to re-estimate the amount of Li atoms produced in the upper photospheric layers by – reactions. A value of 5 × 10 29 nuclei during the largest impulsive solar events has been found from calculations for the thick-target model. This agrees with observations of the line of lithium. In conclusion, the probability of enhanced Li absorption observed after large impulsive flares in the sunspot penumbra is discussed.     

Multiwavelength analysis of a well observed flare from SMM

We describe and analyse observations of an M1.4 flare which began at 17: 00 UT on 12 November, 1980. Ground based H and magnetogram data have been combined with EUV, soft and hard X-ray observations made with instruments on-board the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite. The preflare phase was marked by a gradual brightening of the flare site in Ov and the disappearance of an H filament. Filament ejecta were seen in Ov moving southward at a speed of about 60 km s^–1, before the impulsive phase. The flare loop footpoints brightened in H and the Caxix resonance line broadened dramatically 2 min before the impulsive phase. Non-thermal hard X-ray emission was detected from the loop footpoints during the impulsive phase while during the same period blue-shifts corresponding to upflows of 200–250 km s^–1 were seen in Ca xix. Evidence was found for energy deposition in both the chromosphere and corona at a number of stages during the flare. We consider two widely studied mechanisms for the production of the high temperature soft X-ray flare plasma in the corona, i.e. chromospheric evaporation, and a model in which the heating and transfer of material occurs between flux tubes during reconnection.     

Electron beams and associated rapid fluctuations in solar flares

Recent observations show that the rapid fluctuations in radio, hard X-ray, and H emissions are closely associated with type III and microwave (or decimetric) bursts during the impulsive and/or preimpulsive phases of solar flares.In order to clarify the physical processes of these observed phenomena, this paper proposes a tentative model of two acceleration regions A (source of type III bursts) and B (source of microwave or decimetric bursts) formed in the neutral sheet and at the top of a flaring loop, respectively; and also suggests that the electron beams streaming from region A and/or region B downward to the chromosphere are responsible for the rapid fluctuations in the different emissions mentioned above during the impulsive and/or pre-impulsive phases of solar flares.     

Solar hard X-ray bursts

The major results from SMM are presented as they relate to our understanding of the energy release and particle transportation processes that lead to the high-energy X-ray aspects of solar flares. Evidence is reviewed for a 152–158 day periodicity in various aspects of solar activity including the rate of occurrence of hard X-ray and gamma-ray flares. The statistical properties of over 7000 hard X-ray flares detected with the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer are presented including the spectrum of peak rates and the distribution of the photon number spectrum. A flare classification scheme introduced by Tanaka is used to divide flares into three different types. Type A flares have purely thermal, compact sources with very steep hard X-ray spectra. Type B flares are impulsive bursts which show double footpoints in hard X-rays, and soft-hard-soft spectral evolution. Type C flares have gradually varying hard X-ray and microwave fluxes from high altitudes and show hardening of the X-ray spectrum through the peak and on the decay. SMM data are presented for examples of type B and type C events. New results are presented showing coincident hard X-rays, O v, and UV continuum observations in type B events with a time resolution of 128 ms. The subsecond variations in the hard X-ray flux during 10% of the stronger events are discussed and the fastest observed variation in a time of 20 ms is presented. The properties of type C flares are presented as determined primarily from the non-imaged hard X-ray and microwave spectral data. A model based on the association of type C flares and coronal mass ejections is presented to explain many of the characteristics of these gradual flares.     

The gradual and impulsive reconnection and the preheating of solar flares

We discuss the preheating phase of solar flares triggered by emerging magnetic flux. We consider the development of microinstabilities in the diffusion region during the emergence process and we propose four different types of reconnection, by which we explain the preheating, as well as the impulsive phase of flares. We find that during the emergence of new magnetic flux the current sheet will not jump from the initial classical state to a fully turbulent one, but will remain in a marginally turbulent state which may develop either gradually or impulsively depending on the conditions of emergence. As a consequence of this, we find that four cases of reconnection are indeed possible: a week gradual heating, a weak impulsive process, a gradual preheating followed by an impulsive phase, and violent bursty reconnection.The expansion rate of the diffusion region, the duration of the gradual phase, the magnetic energy release, and the energy deposition rate in coronal loops during the gradual phase are derived under simplifying assumptions and applied to X-ray and UV observations of flares from the Solar Maximum Mission.On leave from the Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing, The People's Republic of China.     

Multiwavelength observations of the impulsive flare of November 19, 1990

We present the observation and interpretation of a solar radio burst whose evolution of the source position at 48 GHz has been correlated with microwave spectral observations from 3.1 to 19.6 GHz and H imaging spectrograms. The event of November 19, 1990 showed 4 impulsive peaks in microwaves and 2 H kernels. There exists strong evidence that the impulsive emission has originated from nonthermal electrons including an electron beam during the rising phase of the third microwave peak. The complex evolution of the source position at 48 GHz is attributed to two inhomogeneous and spatially separated sources with changing relative brightness.     

Particle Acceleration by a Time-Varying Electric Field in Merging Magnetic Fields

Traditional models for particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection in solar flares assumed a constant electric field in a steady reconnecting magnetic field. Although this assumption may be justified during the gradual phase of flares, the situation is different during the impulsive phase. Observed rapid variations in flare emissions imply that reconnection is non-steady and a time-varying electric field is present in a reconnecting current sheet. This paper describes exploratory calculations of charged particle orbits in an oscillating electric field present either at a neutral plane or a neutral line of two-dimensional magnetic field. A simple analytical model makes it possible to explain the effects of particle trapping and resonant acceleration previously noted by Petkaki and MacKinnon in a numerical simulation. As an application, electron acceleration to X-ray generating energies in impulsive solar flares is discussed within the context of the model.     

Particle acceleration in flares

Particle acceleration is intrinsic to the primary energy release in the impulsive phase of solar flares, and we cannot understand flares without understanding acceleration. New observations in soft and hard X-rays, -rays and coherent radio emissions are presented, suggesting flare fragmentation in time and space. X-ray and radio measurements exhibit at least five different time scales in flares. In addition, some new observations of delayed acceleration signatures are also presented. The theory of acceleration by parallel electric fields is used to model the spectral shape and evolution of hard X-rays. The possibility of the appearance of double layers is further investigated.Report of Team 3, Flares 22 Workshop, Ottawa, May 25–28, 1993.     

A dominant role for protons at the onset of solar flares

The energetics of the onset of the impulsive phase of solar flares are examined on the premise that a single acceleration mechanism is operating in the corona. From considerations of recent observations of plasma turbulence and upflows, and nuclear gamma-rays it is concluded that a model where the bulk of the energy resides in a non-thermal electron beam with a low energy cut-off at 20–25 keV is incompatible with many of the observations. Conversely, a model where the bulk of the energy resides in non-thermal protons is consistent with the majority, if not all, of the observations. It is suggested that the bulk of the energy in the impulsive phase is initially transferred to 10²–10³ keV protons. Acceleration by a series of small shocks is an energy transfer mechanism which gives particles increments in velocity rather than energy and would naturally favour protons over electrons. An important consequence of this result is that the hard X-ray burst must be thermal. At this time the precise mechanism for thermal X-ray production is unclear; however recent theoretical plasma physics results have indicated promising avenues of research in this context.     

Non-thermal processes during the ‘build-up’ phase of solar flares and in absence of flares

Hard X-ray and radio observations lead to the conclusion that production of non-thermal electrons is a common phenomenon of the active Sun. A preliminary analysis of three hard X-ray bursts observed with the OGO-5 satellite and the radio observations reported in the literature indicates that non-thermal particles are present in the flare region prior to the impulsive (flash) phase and also during the gradual rise and fall (GRF) bursts which are usually explained in terms of purely thermal radiation. The principal difference between the non-thermal electrons observed before the flash phase and during the flash phase appears to be in their total number rather than in the hardness of their energy spectrum. This indicates that the basic characteristics of the two acceleration processes are probably similar although the total energy converted into non-thermal electrons is considerably larger in the flash phase than in the build-up phase. Transient absorbing H features and filament activations are discussed in terms of their ability to produce energetic particle events and magnetic energy release.Presently at the Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley and Institute of Plasma Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California.     

Synchrotron cooling and annihilation of ane +-e − plasma: The radiation mechanism for the 5 March, 1979 transient

Positron-electron pair radiation is examined as a mechanism that could be responsible for the impulsive phase emission of the 5 March, 1979 transient. Synchrotron cooling and subsequent annihilation of the pairs can account for the energy spectrum, the very high brightness, and the 0.4 MeV feature observed from this transient, whose source is likely to be a neutron star in the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. In this model, the observed radiation is produced in the skin layer of a hot, radiation-dominated pair atmosphere, probably confined to the vicinity of the neutron star by a strong magnetic field. The width of this layer is only about 0.1 mm. In this layer, 10¹² generations of pairs are formed (by photon-photon collisions), cooled and annihilated during the 0.15 s duration of the impulsive phase. The very large burst energy implied by the distance of the LMC, and its very rapid release, are unsolved problems. We mention, nonetheless, the possibility of neutron star vibrations, which could transport the energy coherently to the surface, heat the atmosphere mechanically to a hot, pair-producing temperature, and have a characteristic damping time roughly equal to the duration of the impulsive phase.Paper presented at the Symposium on Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts held at Toulouse, France, 26–29 November, 1979.     

Multicolor photometry and polarimetry of the young binary system V1696 Cyg

We present results of multicolor photometric and polarimetric observations of the binary system V1696 CYG obtained in the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in 2006. It is shown that observed variations of the linear polarization of the V1696 Cyg light are well correlated with the orbital period phase. We also found brightness variations (～0.1 ^m ) in the UBVRI bands. The brightness variations are weakly correlated with the orbital period phase. A rapid photometric variability was found.     

Spatial structure and temporal development of a solar X-ray flare observed from Skylab on June 15, 1973

A solar flare on June 15, 1973 has been observed with high spatial and temporal resolution by the S-054 grazing-incidence X-ray telescope on Skylab. Both morphological and quantitative analyses are presented. Some of the main results are: (a) the overall configuration of the flare is that of a compact region with a characteristic size of the order of 30 at the intensity peak, (b) this region appears highly structured inside with complex systems of loops which change during the event, (c) a brightening over an extended portion of the active region precedes the flare onset, (d) the impulsive phase indicated by the non-thermal radio emission is a period during which a rapid brightening occurs in loop structures, (e) the X-ray emission is centered over the neutral line of longitudinal magnetic field, and the brightest structures at the flare onset bridge the neutral line, (f) loop systems at successively increasing heights form during the decay phase, finally leading to the large loops observed in the postflare phase, (g) different parts of the flare show distinctly different light curves, and the temporal development given by full disk detectors is the result of integrating the different intensity vs time profiles.The implications of these observations for mechanisms of solar flares are discussed. In particular, the flux profiles of different regions of the flare give strong evidence for continued heating during the decay phase, and a multiplicity of flare volumes appears to be present, in all cases consisting of loops of varying lengths.On leave from Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Florence, Italy.     

On the nature of cosmic gamma-ray bursts

Photoelectric and spectrographic observations of the Be star Eri made during five nights indicate that the luminosity variations have a different periodicity from that of radial velocity variations. This result seems to show that, at least during our observing time, the observed variability has not to be ascribed to a pulsation of the star.     

Impulsive Phase He 10830 Spectra of a Large Solar Limb Flare of 16 August 1989*

We obtained simultaneously He i 10830 Å spectra, H filtergrams and microwave data of a large limb flare (2N/X20) in 1989. In this paper we characterize He i 10830 spectra in relation to the impulsive phase. All the He i 10830 spectra, except those of the surge, show blue shift or blue asymmetry. The velocities inferred from the spectra range from a few to 160 km s–1, implying that the horizontal motion is very likely present in the structure of this flare at different heights. The He i 10830 profiles of a flare are relatively broad and cannot be simulated by the Doppler broadening mechanism with a uniform flare model atmosphere. It is most likely that these characteristics are related to rapid and localized heating in the low and middle chromosphere. Comparing the SXR and microwave data with the optical data leads to the following scenario: the corona was already heated to some extent before the flare onset, and in the first 2 minutes of the impulsive phase, heat conduction was the main source or, at least, a competitive source, for chromospheric heating. However, the impulsive event, associated with the unusually broadened He i 10830 line (f>20 Å) and temporally correlated with a microwave burst, is probably caused by electron-beam heating.     

The M8.1 flare of 23 June, 1988

H observations of two-ribbon flares often show secondary brightenings which are not directly spatially connected with the main center of activity but which are correlated in time with the primary impulsive flare. We present here a mechanism which explains these secondary brightenings via the reconnection of magnetic loops which are tied to only one of the two ribbons, in contrast with the loops responsible for the main flare which are tied to both ribbons. The distant footpoint is then interpreted as the site of the secondary brightening. We apply our model to the two-ribbon flare of 17:52 UT, 23 June, 1988, which started during the rocket flight of the Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation. Partial support for the National Solar Observatory is provided by the USAF under a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSF.     

太阳10cm波爆发与共生的硬X射线耀斑中精细结构的分析

利用日本“Ｙｏｈｋｏｈ”卫星的资料及北京天文台２８４０ＭＨｚ的射电观测资料,对１９９２年６月７日的太阳爆发事件进行了分析,结果表明,在这次爆发的脉冲相期间存在着大小两种时间尺度的脉动分量,大尺度的脉动周期约为３０ｓ,小尺度脉动周期为１－４ｓ。利用硬Ｘ射线成像观测结果,发现大尺度的脉动与硬Ｘ射线源区的一系列变化相对应。文中给出了一个环－环相互作用的ＭＨＤ振荡调制物理图像。     

Yohkoh observations of the creation of high-temperature plasma in the flare of 16 December 1991

Yohkoh observations of an impulsive solar flare which occurred on 16 December, 1991 are presented. This flare was a GOES M2.7 class event with a simple morphology indicative of a single flaring loop. X-ray images were taken with the Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) and soft X-ray spectra were obtained with the Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) on board the satellite. The spectrometer observations were made at high sensivity from the earliest stages of the flare, are continued throughout the rise and decay phases, and indicate extremely strong blueshifts, which account for the majority of emission in Caxix during the initial phase of the flare. The data are compared with observations from other space and ground-based instruments. A balance calculation is performed which indicates that the energy contained in non-thermal electrons is sufficient to explain the high temperature plasma which fills the loop. The cooling of this plasma by thermal conduction is independently verified in a manner which indicates that the loop filling factor is close to 100%. The production of superhot plasma in impulsive events is shown to differ in detail from the morphology and mechanisms appropriate for more gradual events.     

Spectral Observations of the Novalike Star TT Ari

Spectral observations of the novalike star TT Ari at the Byurakan Observatory in September 2001 are reported. In most cases these results are in good agreement with earlier observational data. Some interesting differences from the earlier results were obtained, in particular the absence of emission and the presence of very weak absorption in the H line. Another interesting difference that was recorded is the absence of an anti-P Cygni H line profile along with rapid variations in the P Cygni profile during our observations.