An analysis of photospheric vector magnetograms, Hα images and soft X-ray images in a superactive region NOAA 7321

Based on the photospheric vector magnetograms taken at Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), H images taken at Hiraiso Solar Terrestrial Research Center of Communication Research Laboratory, soft X-ray images taken by Yohkoh and an extrapolation method, the magnetic field structures and some active phenomena of the active region AR 7321 around 04:12 UT on 27 October 1992 are analyzed in this paper. A divergence of the transverse magnetic field, located at a newly formed spot, was found. At least four highly sheared magnetic field systems separately spread from this divergence to four other sites around this divergence. Vertical current concentrations are upward in this region and downward in the other four sites, and the corresponding H bright patches and soft X-ray bright loops coincide with these structures, confirming the existence of these four systems. The extrapolated magnetic force lines reconstructed by the Boundary Element Method (BEM), force-free field assumption, and boundary condition of observed photospheric vector magnetic field, coincide in space with the H bright patches and soft X-ray bright loops, showing that this extrapolation method is very effective and suggesting that the H bright patches and soft X-ray bright loops in this case represent the magnetic field structures in the upper atmosphere of the Sun.The bright structures in the H images and the soft X-ray images have a close correlation with the non-potential characteristics of the magnetic fields.     

ANALYSIS OF 2D Hα SPECTRA AND MAGNETIC FIELD DURING THE IMPULSIVE PHASE OF A SOLAR FLARE

We obtained a set of well-observed 2D H spectral data of a 1N/M1.5 flare from the Solar Tower of Nanjing University. Using the H spectra, the sites of electron precipitation and high coronal pressure have been found, and the Doppler velocity was calculated from the red asymmetry of the H emission line by use of the bisector method. The current density distribution was also computed from magnetic field measurements. We have coaligned the H spectroheliograms and the magnetograms. It was found that the sites of electron precipitation were at the edge of a main current area. The sites of red asymmetry coincided with those of high coronal pressure. The flare reached its maximum in the magnetic shear region, though it began in a weak magnetic field. Several flare models are discussed to see which one could satisfy the observation.     

Topology of Magnetic Field and Coronal Heating in Solar Active Regions – II. The Role of Quasi-Separatrix Layers

The photospheric vector magnetic fields, H and soft X-ray images of AR 7321 were simultaneously observed with the Solar Flare Telescope at Mitaka and the Soft X-ray Telescope of Yohkoh on October 26, 1992, when there was no important activity in this region. Taking the observed photospheric vector magnetic fields as the boundary condition, 3D magnetic fields above the photosphere were computed with a new numerical technique. Then quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), i.e., regions where 3D magnetic reconnection takes place, were determined in the computed 3D magnetic fields. Since Yohkoh data and Mitaka data were obtained in well-arranged time sequences during the day, the evolution of 3D fields, H features and soft X-ray features in this region can be studied in detail. Through a comparison among the 3D magnetic fields, H features and soft X-ray features, the following results have been obtained: (a) H plages are associated with the portions of QSLs in the chromosphere; (b) diffuse coronal features (DCFs) and bright coronal features (BCFs) are morphologically confined by the coronal linkage of the field lines related to the QSLs; (c) BCFs are associated with a part of the magnetic field lines related to the QSLs. These results suggest that as the likely places where energy release may occur by 3D magnetic reconnection, QSLs play an important role in the chromospheric and coronal heating in this active region.     

Nature of the fine structure of the middle chromosphere

Fine dark H filaments fibrils form at the limb, apparently in most of the middle chromosphere corresponding to an altitude between 1500–2000 km and 4000 km. The space in between filaments is corona and the transition layer. The cool gas in fibrils is protected by the magnetic field against the conductive flux out of the hot corona. Therefore the fibrils stretch up to 4000 km where their temperature is about 18 000 K and the density about 5 × 10⁹ cm^–3. The gas in the fibrils is ionized by electronic collisions and by the external ultraviolet radiation. The second level of the hydrogen atoms in fibrils is populated by recombinations, electronic collisions and by Ly- quanta. The calculated optical thickness of the fibrils in H is about 1, it explains the absorption features on the spectroheliograms. The gas pressure in fibrils is lower than the coronal pressure, and the pressure equilibrium is achieved by a magnetic field of about 1.5–2 G. In the active regions the photospheric fields are stronger, therefore the fibrils in active regions are wider and show more contrast. The emission of the fibrils at the limb is explained by the scattering of the solar radiation. The temperature in arches reaching as high as 5000–6000 km, is stabilized near the top by the HeII emission. Thus the middle chromosphere is essentially a collection of magnetic arches.     

The behaviour of the infrared lines of neutral oxygen and the balmer lines of hydrogen in the spectra of early-type stars with emission lines

The equivalent widths of the oxygen lines at 7774 and 8446 and of H (and some H) have been measured for 22 early-type, emission-line stars. A strong correlation between H and 8446 intensities has been found, although there is no such correlation between H and 7774. This confirms the probability that Bowen's mechanism is operative (the neutral oxygen 3³ D state is overpopulated because the excitation energy of Ly- nearly coincides with that of theOi 1025 line). The possibility of using 8446 and H equivalent widths for a comparison of oxygen to hydrogen abundances in these stars is discussed.     

An example for solar flares caused by magnetic field non-equilibrium

Using a photospheric magnetogram of the solar activity complex HR 16862, 16863, 16864 at the end of May 1980 as boundary data a sequence of three-dimensional force-free magnetic fields with spatially constant ( defined by the equation × B = B) is calculated, including numerical field-line tracing. The field is assumed not to be frozen-in and ¦¦, which is a measure of the magnetic free energy, is assumed to increase with time due to some dynamo mechanism. Variation of , starting from = 0, produces a catastrophe-like change of the topology of a field-line system corresponding to an arch filament system connecting the leading spot of HR 16863 with the trailing spot of HR 16862. This topological change is interpreted as causing a series of large homologous flares with synchronous flaring in the two spots. The catastrophe-like behaviour of the field topology is attributed to the nonlinear field-line equations.     

Spatial development of X-ray emission during the impulsive phase of a solar flare

The flare of 11 November, 1980, 1725 UT occurred in a magnetically complex region. It was preceded by some ten minutes by a gradual flare originating over the magnetic inversion line, close to a small sunspot. This seems to have triggered the main flare (at 70 000 km distance) which originated between a large sunspot and the inversion line. The main flare started at 172320 UT with a slight enhancement of hard X-rays (E > 30 keV) accompanied by the formation of a dark loop between two H bright ribbons. In 3–8 keV X-rays a southward expansion started at the same time, with - 500 km s ^–1. At the same time a surge-like expansion started. It was observable slightly later in H, with southward velocities of 200 km s^–1. The dark H loop dissolved at 1724 UT at which time several impulsive phenomena started such as a complex of hard X-ray bursts localized in a small area. At the end of the impulsive phase at 172540 UT, a coronal explosion occurred directed southward with an initial expansion velocity of 1800 km s^–1, decreasing in 40 s to 500 km s^–1.Now at Fokker Aircraft Industries, Schiphol, The Netherlands.     

Simultaneous radio and white light observations of the 1984 June 27 coronal mass ejection event

We present the two-dimensional imaging observations of radio bursts in the frequency range 25–50 MHz made with the Clark Lake multifrequency radioheliograph during a coronal mass ejection event (CME) observed on 1984, June 27 by the SMM Coronagraph/Polarimeter and Mauna Loa K-coronameter. The event was spatially and temporally associated with precursors in the form of meter-decameter type III bursts, soft X-ray emission and a H flare spray. The observed type IV emission in association with the CME (and the H spray) could be interpreted as gyrosynchrotron emission from a plasmoid containing a magnetic field of 2.5 G and nonthermal electrons with a number density of 10⁵ cm^–3 and energy 350 keV.On leave from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Kodaikanal, India.     

Physics of solar prominences

Summary Conclusion This colloquium on solar prominences - the first ever held - has shown that a major part of activity in prominence research in recent years concentrated on both observation and computation of the magnetic conditions which were found to play a crucial role for the development and the maintainance of prominences. Remarkable progress was made in fine-scale measurements of photospheric magnetic fields around filaments and in internal field measurements in prominences. In addition, important information on the structure of the magnetic fields in the chromosphere adjacent to the filaments may be derived from high resolution photographs of the H fine structure around filaments which have become available recently; unfortunately, an unambiguous determination of the vector field in the chromosphere is not yet possible.It is quite clear, now, that stable filaments extend along neutral lines which divide regions of opposite longitudinal magnetic fields. Different types of neutral lines are possible, depending on the history and relationship of the opposite field regions. There is convincing evidence that the magnetic field in the neighbouring chromosphere may run nearly parallel to the filament axis and that there are two field components in stable prominences: an axial field dominant in the lower parts and a transverse field dominant in the higher parts.Methods for the computation of possible prominence field configurations from measured longitudinal photospheric fields were developed in recent years. In a number of cases (e.g. for loop prominences) the observed configuration could be perfectly represented by a force-free or even a potential field; poor agreement was found between computed and measured field strengths in quiescent prominences. In order to reconcile both of them it is necessary to assume electric currents. Unambiguous solutions will not be found until measurements of the vector field in the photosphere and in the prominences are available.The two-dimensional Kippenhahn-Schlüter model is still considered a useful tool for the study of prominence support and stability. However, a more refined model taking into account both field components and considering also thermal stability conditions is available now. It was proposed that quiescent prominences may form in magnetically neutral sheets in the corona where fields of opposite directions meet.As for the problem of the origin of the dense prominence material there are still two opposite processes under discussion. The injection of material from below, which was mainly applied to loop prominences, has recently been considered also a possible mechanism for the formation of quiescent prominences. On the other hand, the main objections against the condensation mechanism could be removed: it was shown that (1) sufficient material is available in the surrounding corona, and that (2) coronal matter can be condensed to prominence densities and cooled to prominence temperatures in a sufficiently short time.The energy balance in prominences is largely dependent on their fine structure. It seems that a much better radiative loss function for optically thin matter is now available. The problem of the heat conduction can only be treated properly if the field configuration is known. Very little is known on the heating of the corona and the prominence in a complicated field configuration. For the optically thick prominences the energy balance becomes a complicated radiative transfer problem.Still little is known on the first days of prominence development and on the mechanism of first formation which, both, are crucial for the unterstanding of the prominence phenomenon. As a first important step, it was shown in high resolution H photographs that the chromospheric fine structure becomes aligned along the direction of the neutral line already before first filament appearance. More H studies and magnetic field measurements are badly needed.Recent studies have shown that even in stable prominences strong small-scale internal rotational or helical motions exist; they are not yet understood. On the other hand, no generally agreed interpretation of large-scale motions of prominences seems to exist. A first attempt to explain the ascendance of prominences, the Disparitions Brusques, as the result of a kink instability was made recently.New opportunities in prominence research are offered by the study of invisible radiations: X-rays and meterwaves provide important information, not available otherwise, on physical conditions in the coronal surroundings of prominences; EUV observations will provide data on the thin transition layer between the cool prominence and the hot coronal plasma.Mitt. aus dem Fraunhofer Institut No. 111.     

The He i 10 830 Å chromosphere and filament associated structures

Full disk, He I 10 830 Å solar spectroheliograms have been generated using the Haleakala Stokes polarimeter-spectrometer. The spectroheliograms, with spatial resolution of 10 × 16 arc sec and wavelength bandpass of 0.53 Å, were developed for the detection of coronal holes, and have been compared with nearly simultaneous H and Ca K flltergrams.Areas of reduced helium absorption have been noted in the neighborhood of filaments and neutral zones in the longitudinal solar magnetic field. The existence of these helium lanes is discussed in terms of their relationship to H filament channels or to the coronal cavities which surround prominences.     

Hα and hard X-ray development in two-ribbon flares

Morphological features of two-ribbon flares have been studied, using simultaneous ISEE-3 hard X-ray records and high-resolution Big Bear H movies for more than 20 events. Long-lasting and complex hard X-ray bursts are almost invariably found associated with flares of the two-ribbon type. We find at least three events, namely March 31, 1979, April 10, 1980, and July 1, 1980, where the occurrence of individual spikes in hard X-ray radiation coincides with suddenly enhanced H emission covering the sunspot penumbra. There definitely exist important ( 1B) two-ribbon H flares without significant hard X-ray emission.     

High-resolution photography of the solar chromosphere

A method is described for reconstructing the true geometry of a solar loop observed on the disk which takes account of tilt in its own plane. Reconstructions of three H loops yield small tilt angles (14°) and provide further evidence that H loops show a close correspondence to the field lines of a magnetic dipole. The method offers new opportunities for exploring the physics of individual solar loops.     

Flare and filament activation in an unusually distorted field configuration

Using photospheric and H observations and total radio flux data we study a two-ribbon flare in AR NOAA 4263 which was a part of a flare event complex on July 31, 1983. We find some facts which illuminate the special way of flare triggering in the analysed event. Around a double spot the photospheric vector magnetic field is discussed with respect to the chromospheric activities. In one of the spots the feet of long stretched loops are pushed down under steepening loops rooted in the same spot. This causes energy build-up by twist and shear in the stretched loops. One foot of the two-ribbon flare (triggered in the stretched and underpushed loop system) roots in a part of the spot umbra and penumbra where the field runs in extremely flat like a pressed spiral spring. A strange radio event, starting before the flares, can be interpreted as a precursor activity of the flare event complex. The radio data support the view that the analyzed flare process and the given magnetic field structure, respectively, are not very effective in energetic particle generation and escape.     

Magnetic field configuration of active region NOAA 6555 at the time of a long-duration flare on 23 March 1991 – An Exception to Standard Flare Reconnection Model

The high-resolution H images observed during the decay phase of a long-duration flare on 23 March 1991 are used to study the three-dimensional magnetic field configuration of the active region NOAA 6555. Whereas all the large flares in NOAA 6555 occurred at the location of high magnetic shear and flux emergence, this long-duration flare was observed in the region of low magnetic shear at the photosphere. The H loops activity started soon after the maximum phase of the flare. There were a few long loop at the initial phase of the activity. Some of these were sheared in the chromosphere at an angle of about 45° to the east-west axis. Gradually, an increasing number of shorter loops, oriented along the east-west axis, started appearing. The chromospheric Dopplergrams show blue shifts at the end points of the loops. By using different magnetic field models, we have extrapolated the photospheric magnetograms to chromospheric heights. The magnetic field lines computed by using the potential field model correspond to most of the observed H loops. The height of the H loops were derived by comparing them with the computed field lines. From the temporal evolution of the H loop activity, we derive the negative rate of appearance of H features as a function of height. It is found that the field lines oriented along one of the neutral lines were sheared and low lying. The higher field lines were mostly potential. The paper also outlines a possible scenario for describing the post-flare stage of the observed long-duration flare.     

The spectra of extended radio sources with a nonuniform magnetic field and hard injection of particles

On the basis of an analytical solution of the diffusion-type kinetic equation for electrons, electron distributions and radiation spectra have been found which result from a hard injection of particles in sources of the core halo type, characterized by spatially nonuniform magnetic fields and diffusion parameters. Such radio sources are shown to possess nonlinear radiation spectra containing universal (=0.5) and diffusion-controlled power-law sections shaped by synchrotron losses, spatial diffusion and radiation conditions of the electrons. The diffusion-controlled sections can be described by spectral indices 0.5<1, if the magnetic field decreases towards the source edge, and by <0.5 where the magnetic field increases.     

Limb Prominence Eruption on 11 August 2000 as Seen From Ground- and Space-Based Observations

We report on a prominence eruption as seen in H with the Crimean Lyot coronagraph, the global H network, and coronal images from the LASCO C2 instrument on board SOHO. We observed an H eruption at the northwest solar limb between 07:38:50 UT and 07:58:29 UT on 11 August 2000. The eruption originated in a quiet-Sun region and was not associated with an H filament. No flare was associated with the eruption, which may indicate that, in this case, a flux rope was formed prior to the eruption of the magnetic field. The H images and an H Dopplergram show a helical structure present in the erupted magnetic field. We suggest that the driving mechanism of the eruption may be magnetic flux emergence or magnetic flux injection. The limb H observations provide missing data on CME speed and acceleration in the lower corona. Our data show that the prominence accelerated impulsively at 5.5 km s^–2 and reached a speed slightly greater than 800 km s^–1 in a narrow region (h<0.14 R ) above the solar surface. The observations presented here also imply that, based only on a CME's speed and acceleration, it cannot be determined whether a CME is the result of a flare or an eruptive prominence.     

Bidimensional spectroscopy of network bright points

We develop an automatic, computer controlled procedure to select and to analyze the Network Bright Points (NBPs) on solar images. These have been obtained at the Sac Peak Vacuum Tower Telescope by means of the Universal Birefringent Filter and Zeiss H filters, tuned, respectively, along the profiles of the H, Mg-b1, Na-D2, and H lines.A structure is identified as an NBP if at the wavelength H- 1.5 A its maximum intensity is greater than I + 3 and its area is greater than 1.5 arc sec² at I + 1.5, where I is the mean value and the standard deviation of the intensity distribution on the image. Each detected NBP is then searched and confirmed in all the remaining 31 images at different wavelengths.For each NBP several parameters are measured (position, area, mean and maximum contrast, Dopplergram velocity, compactness, and so on) and some identification constraints are applied.The statistical analysis of the various parameter distributions, for NBPs present within an active region and its surroundings, shows that two types of NBPs can be identified according to the value of their mean contrast C _min the H- 1.5 Å image (C _m 0.1 type I, C _m> 0.1 type II). The type I NBPs (all occurring on the boundaries of the supergranular network) appear to be much more frequent (180/26) than the type II ones.The size A of type I NBPs is less than 1.0 arc sec for H/H wings but of the order of 1.2 arc sec for Na-D2 and Mg-bl. The mean contrast C _m is around the value of 10% along the Na-D2 and Mg-bl profiles and of 20% along the H/H wings.The C _m - A scatter diagrams show, for the photospheric radiation (h < 100 km), a narrow range of variability for C _min correspondence with a wide range for A. For radiation orginated at higher levels (h > 200 km), the C _m- A scatter diagrams seem to indicate, even if with a large variance, that the highest C _m's tend to correspond to the highest A values.The mean Doppler shift is close to zero for Na-D2 and Mg-bl lines but negative (downward motion) for H and H lines.The type II NBPs tends to be preferentially located in the neighbourhood of small, compact sunspots and their detectability is almost constant through all the 4 studied line profiles. No conclusions can be derived on the mean size, contrast and Doppler shift values because their distributions are too dispersed. The only positive information is that its C _m- A scatter diagram, in H and H wings, indicates a wide range of variability for C _m in correspondence with very narrow range of variability for A.     

EUV emission,filament activation and magnetic fields in a slow-rise flare

The evolution of coronal and chromospheric structures is examined together with magnetograms for the 1B flare of January 19, 1972. Soft X-ray and EUV studies are based on the OSO-7 data. The H filtergrams and magnetograms came from the Sacramento Peak Observatory. Theoretical force-free magnetic field configurations are compared with structures seen in the soft X-ray, EUV and H images. Until the flare, two prominent spots were connected by a continuous dark filament and their overlying coronal structure underwent an expansion at the sunspot separation rate of 0.1 km s^–1. On January 19, the flare occurred as new magnetic fields emerged at 10¹⁹ Mx h^–1 beneath the filament, which untwisted and erupted as the flare began. The pre-flare coronal emissions remained unchanged during the flare except for the temporary addition of a localized enhancement that started 5 min after flare onset. EUV lines normally emitted in the upper transition region displayed a sudden enhancement coinciding in time and location with a bright H point, which is believed to be near the flare trigger or onset point. The EUV flash and the initial H brightening, both of which occurred near the center of the activated filament, were followed by a second EUV enhancement at the end of the filament. The complete disruption of the filament was accompanied by a third EUV enhancement and a rapid rise in the soft X-ray emission spatially coincident with the disappearing filament. From the change of magnetic field inferred from H filtergrams and from force-free field calculations, the energy available for the flare is estimated at approximately 10³¹ erg. Apparently, changes in the overlying coronal magnetic field were not required to provide the flare energy. Rather, it is suggested that the flare actually started in the twisted filament where it was compressed by emerging fields. Clearly, the flare started below the corona, and it appears that it derived its energy from the magnetic fields in or near the filament.NCAR is sponsored by NSF.     

Faculae,filigree and calcium bright points

Simultaneous observations of fine structure photospheric features at several wavelengths are described. The observations, which include regions near disk center and at the limb, were obtained using a narrow band calcium filter and selected wavelengths in Mg b₁, the red wing of H and the H continuum using the Universal Birefringent Filter of the Sacramento Peak Observatory.From the disk-center series it is concluded that bright point structures seen in calcium are cospatial with the H filigree and are related in origin.The limb photographs confirm that the calcium network is cospatial with the white light faculae. However, in regions of good seeing it is clear that even at the limb the calcium network patterns consist of individual bright points which are essentially the same as those seen near disk center.Thus it is concluded that the white light faculae, the H filigree and the calcium bright points are different manifestations of the same photospheric features.On leave from Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Sydney, Australia.The Sacramento Peak Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract AST 78-17292 with the National Science Foundation.     

On the line intensity ratios E(Hα)/E(D3) and E(Hβ)/E(D3) in prominences

The intensity ratios E(H)/E(D3) and E(H)/E(D3) in prominences depend on the total optical thickness in H of the layer. The emission of the He D3 line appears relatively enhanced in thin layers and in outer parts of the prominences.