太阳耀斑研究的新进展

近年来对太阳耀斑的研究取得了重要的进展，一些新的发 现主要来自高分辨率的观测，特别是来自“阳光”卫星的结果，综合的范围包括太阳耀斑中磁重联的新证据、硬Ｘ射线源的分类、Ｘ射线喷流的发现、环－环相互作用的证据以及对耀斑大气动力学过程的新认识等。     

冕环与太阳耀斑的形成

本文讨论近年来在通过冕环相互作用而形成太阳耀斑的研究上所取得的进展。在观测上,无论在射电波段,或者X射线和光学波段的观测都提供了一些可靠的证据,说明耀斑冕环的相互作用可能导致耀斑的产生。在理论上,等离子体环的相互作用所引起的结合不稳定性将触发耀斑,释放大量的能量以产生观测到的各种辐射特性。     

1989年8月17日太阳射电尖峰事件的准周期脉动及EFB分析

本文分析了云南天文台１０ｍ射电望远镜在２ｌｃｍ波段上观测到的一次尖峰辐射事件，这次事件发生在５６２９活动区（Ｓ１６Ｗ１０９），它伴随了Ｘ２·９／ＳＦ耀斑及边缘耀斑环，并且有质子流量的上升和一次罕见的地磁场突然反相脉冲与之对应．我们从耀斑环的Ｈβ照片可以看出，在尖峰辐射发生前，原先存在的耀斑环的顶部开始变亮，而尖峰开始后环顶亮度达到极大，说明这次尖峰辐射与耀斑环顶部增亮有关，辐射很可能来自环顶．从尖峰事件的时间轮廓得到的ＦＦＴ功率谱表明存在１５０ｍｓ的准周期脉动．按照Ｍｃｌｅａｎ等人的模型，即脉动是由俘获在磁通管内的电子的径向振荡引起，可以推断，这次尖峰辐射与Ｆｅｒｍｉ机制激发快速电子有关，且尖峰的发生需要被俘获的电子．此外，我们将这次尖峰事件分解为几百个元耀斑爆发（ＥＦＢ），并且讨论了这些ＥＦＢ的性质．     

2002年7月23日X射线耀斑的RHESSI和TRACE观测物理图像

通过对比分析TRACE195A和RHESSI的X射线及Ha的图像，发现2002年7月23日的X4.8级耀斑的主体是一个典型的双带耀斑，它的Ha及TRACE195A的图像都显现出明显的双带耀斑特征，TRACE195A的像还呈现一个环拱结构，其环拱的足点与TRACE的亮带并不重合，但TRACE的亮带与X射线像的位置对应很好．在耀斑极大时刻附近，大于38keV的X射线像呈现一个低的环跨在TRACE的双带上，X射线环的顶点及两足点尤其明显，在这个低的环上方，还存在一个在低能量段明显的X射线日冕源，对该耀斑的空间结构及演化特征作了描述，还简单地讨论了一个可能的理论解释．     

1989年3月大宇宙线暴的特征

1989年3月太阳上出现的超级活动区5395产生了一系列的大耀斑,其中2级以上的Hα耀斑23个,包括11个X级耀斑,48个M级耀斑。这些活动对宇宙线强度变化产生了巨大的调制,其中以3月10日大耀斑X4.5/3B所引起的宇宙线暴最为强烈。     

太阳耀斑的分类

太阳耀斑分类工作的进展反映了太阳耀斑观测研究与理论研究的进展。本文首先综述耀斑的分类，对近年提出的种种分类作评述，讨论这些分类的观测基础。然后，基于最近两个太阳周的观测工作，提出一种新的多能段太阳耀斑分类方法。按照耀斑在光学，Ｘ射线以及射电波段的观测表象，把耀斑较完整地分为８类。     

耀斑软X射线流量的统计性质

为了更定量地研究太阳耀斑软X射线辐射的统计性质,发展了一套对于给定峰值流量区间的耀斑的自动识别程序,并用它分析了从1980年到2013年GOES(Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)在两个软X射线波段上对太阳耀斑的观测.研究发现耀斑软X射线流量在峰值附近变化的统计特征和耀斑流量峰值的绝对大小无关:平均而言耀斑流量的上升时间约是下降时间的一半,而且高能量通道的上升和下降时间比相应的低能量通道时间要短,但是这些时间还是会随着耀斑流量变化幅度的增加而增加.     

太阳X射线爆发与甚低频传播相位异常关系的研究

本文对Omega系统H台,E台甚低频信号的相位实测资料及太阳耀斑软X射线资料进行了分析及研究,分析表明甚低频相位异常与太阳耀斑软X射线之间存在着极好的相关性。对白天相位变化值随太阳天顶角位置的变化效应进行修正得到修正公式,并对太阳天顶角、太阳耀斑事件效应的影响进行归算后,可得出两者之间的定量关系,经修正和归算后的相位变化量推断太阳耀斑X射线辐射流量密度值。反之,亦可由后考一太阳X射线爆发峰值流量密度值来预报相位变化量及电离层等效反射高度的变化。     

太阳射电IV型爆发及伴随现象与白光耀斑的关系

通过1991年6月6日共生太阳白光耀斑（WLF）的射电运动IV型爆发及其伴随现象（包括耀斑后环、爆发衰减相的射电脉动、多波段射电辐射和太阳物质抛射等）观测资料的分析,定性地探讨了WLF的起源、加热机制和发射地点的问题．假设了WLF和射电运动IV型射电爆发可能有共同起源的低日冕电子加速区,讨论了WLF的能量传输可能是通过二步加速过程,即来自低日冕的非热电子沉降能量于色球层,产生色球层的压缩波或向下的辐射场进而使上光球层温度增加导致WLF此外,提出WLF可能会伴有耀斑后环和射电精细结构的对应物．     

1981年4月1日日面4N耀斑环系的光学前兆与活动特征

根据云南天文台太阳色球H_α和相应的光球黑子观测以及磁场测量,并结合有关X—ray资料等,对1981年4月1日日面4N大耀斑进行了部份测量和分析。结果表明,该耀斑为环系;光球浮现磁流和黑子扭曲、挤压和剪切运动是触发该耀斑的直接原因。而活动的黑子光桥又是浮现磁流的一种重要标志;耀斑环或带与磁场位形密切相关;耀斑后在运动空间原位置处光球又浮现出部份磁流;卵形暗条内预示能爆发大耀斑。     

Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Flares and a Unified Model of Flares

The solar X-ray observing satellite Yohkoh has discovered various new dynamic features in solar flares and corona, e.g., cusp-shaped flare loops, above-the-loop-top hard X-ray sources, X-ray plasmoid ejections from impulsive flares, transient brightenings (spatially resolved microflares), X-ray jets, large scale arcade formation associated with filament eruption or coronal mass ejections, and so on. It has soon become clear that many of these features are closely related to magnetic reconnection. We can now say that Yohkoh established (at least phenomenologically) the magnetic reconnection model of flares. In this paper, we review various evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares and corona, and present unified model of flares on the basis of these new Yohkoh observations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

耀斑日冕硬X射线源观测研究

对于足点被日面边缘遮挡住的耀斑的观测研究是诊断日冕硬X射线辐射的一个重要方法.通过统计分析RHESSI (Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager)卫星观测到的71个此类耀斑硬X射线源发现,前人提出的两类源,即日冕X射线辐射中热辐射与非热辐射源区空间分离较小的源和分离较大的源,在能谱、成像、光变曲线以及GOES持续时间等方面都没有显著的区别,其中辐射区的面积、耀斑总热能以及GOES持续时间与分离距离之间有很好的相关性.这些结果支持近年来提出的一些耀斑统一模型.同时也表明Masuda耀斑只是一类非常特殊的事件,不具有日冕硬X射线辐射的一般特征.     

Flares of red dwarf stars and the galactic X-ray background

The mean density of the UV Cet-type flare stars in the solar neighbourhood is estimated. If differences of activity levels on different flare stars are taken into account, their summary flare activity is equivalent to 0.03 YZ CMi's flare activity per cubic parsec or to 4×10²⁶ erg s^–1 pc^–3 in U-passband. From the X-ray flare observation on YZ CMi of 19.10.74 we estimate the luminosity of stellar flares in soft and intermediate X-ray. The ratio of X-ray to optical radiation for stellar flares is close to the respective ratio for strong solar chromospheric flares. It is shown the set of red-dwarf flare stars has all essential features of an ensemble of discrete X-ray sources to represent the galactic diffuse X-ray background.     

A study of X-ray flares – I. Active late-type dwarfs

We present temporal and spectral characteristics of X-ray flares observed from six late-type G–K active dwarfs (V368 Cep, XI Boo, IM Vir, V471 Tau, CC Eri and EP Eri) using data from observations with the XMM–Newton observatory. All the stars were found to be flaring frequently and altogether a total of 17 flares were detected above the 'quiescent' state X-ray emission which varied from 0.5 to  8.3 × 10²⁹ erg s⁻¹  . The largest flare was observed in a low-activity dwarf XI Boo with a decay time of 10 ks and ratio of peak flare luminosity to 'quiescent' state luminosity of 2. We have studied the spectral changes during the flares by using colour–colour diagram and by detailed spectral analysis during the temporal evolution of the flares. The exponential decay of the X-ray light curves, and time evolution of the plasma temperature and emission measure are similar to those observed in compact solar flares. We have derived the semiloop lengths of flares based on the hydrodynamic flare model. The size of the flaring loops is found to be less than the stellar radius. The hydrodynamic flare decay analysis indicates the presence of sustained heating during the decay of most flares.     

Interpretation of the observed motions of hard X-ray sources in solar flares

In connection with the RHESSI satellite observations of solar flares, which have revealed new properties of hard X-ray sources during flares, we offer an interpretation of these properties. The observed motions of coronal and chromospheric sources are shown to be the consequences of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection at the separator in the corona. During the first (initial) flare phase, the reconnection process releases an excess of magnetic energy related predominantly to themagnetic tensions produced before the flare by shear plasma flows in the photosphere. The relaxation of a magnetic shear in the corona also explains the downward motion of the coronal source and the decrease in the separation between chromospheric sources. During the second (main) flare phase, ordinary reconnection dominates; it describes the energy release in the terms of the “standard model” of large eruptive flares accompanied by the rise of the coronal source and an increase in the separation between chromospheric sources.     

X-ray emission from solar flares

Solar X-ray Spectrometer (SOXS), the first space-borne solar astronomy experiment of India was designed to improve our current understanding of X-ray emission from the Sun in general and solar flares in particular. SOXS mission is composed of two solid state detectors, viz., Si and CZT semiconductors capable of observing the full disk Sun in X-ray energy range of 4–56 keV. The X-ray spectra of solar flares obtained by the Si detector in the 4–25 keV range show evidence of Fe and Fe/Ni line emission and multi-thermal plasma. The evolution of the break energy point that separates the thermal and non-thermal processes reveals increase with increasing flare plasma temperature. Small scale flare activities observed by both the detectors are found to be suitable to heat the active region corona; however their location appears to be in the transition region.     

电离层TEC对小耀斑的响应

利用国际GPS观测网(IGS)提供的多个台站的观测数据,分析了M级别以下的小、暗太阳耀斑对向阳面电离层TEC的影响．利用传统分析方法的结果表明,从单条视线(LOS)观测数据得到的电离层TEC及其时间变化率曲线来看,由于它们的波动水平和正常情况下的背景电离层变化相当,使此类小耀斑的信息完全淹没在背景噪声中,不能够显示和分辨出耀斑的发生．利用相干求和的数据处理方法,选用向阳面18个GPS台站的观测数据研究了一次C级SF耀斑引起的电离层TEC增加,结果发现,这种方法能有效地消除背景电离层变化噪声,电离层对耀斑的响应非常清楚和明显,这通常只能在X级别的大耀斑中看到．和GOES卫星X射线数据相比,电离层TEC变化的时间特征和耀斑爆发的开始、最大和结束时间均有很好的符合,其最大平均TEC增量在0．1TECU以下,和X级别的大耀斑相比有一个或多个量级上的差别．     

Solar and stellar flares

Short-lived increases in the brightness of many red dwarfs have been observed for the last 30 yr, and a variety of more or less exotic models have been proposed to account for such flares. Information about flares in the Sun has progressed greatly in recent years as a result of spacecraft experiments, and properties of coronal flare plasma are becoming increasingly better known. In this paper, after briefly reviewing optical, radio and X-ray observations of stellar flares, we show how a simplified model which describes conductive plus radiative cooling of the coronal flare plasma in solar flares has been modified to apply to optical and X-ray stellar flare phenomena. This model reproduces many characteristic features of stellar flares, including the mean UBV colors of flare light, the direction of flare decay in the two-color diagram, precursors, Stillstands, secondary maxima, lack of sensitivity of flare color to flare amplitude, low flux of flare X-rays, distinction between so-called spike flares and slow flares, Balmer jumps of as much as 6–8, and emission line redshifts up to 3000 km s^–1. In all probability, therefore, stellar flares involve physical processes which are no more exotic (and no less!) than those in solar flares. Advantages of observing stellar flares include the possibilities of (i) applying optical diagnostics to coronal flare plasma, whereas this is almost impossible in the Sun, and (ii) testing solar flare models in environments which are not generally accessible in the solar atmosphere.     

Soft X-Ray Pre-Flare Emission Studied in Yohkoh-SXT Images

The goal of this study is to improve our knowledge of the spatial relation between pre-flare and flare X-ray sources, to find other connections between the two phenomena (if they exist) and to study the role of pre-flare heating in flare build-up. We selected all flares with available preflare data observed by Yohkoh during the period October 1993–October 1994 and thus created a data base of 32 flares. When studying the spatial relation we discovered that our events can be classified into 3 categories: Co-spatial, Adjacent/Overlapping and Distant according to the spatial separation between the pre-flare and flare source(s) in the same field of view. The 'Co-spatial class of events, of which we found 8 cases, refers to flares that had a visible pre-flare soft X-ray structure with the same size, shape, and orientation as the main flare loops at the flare site at least 5 min before the start of the impulsive phase. We suggest that this is strong evidence that for a significant number of flares the flare structure is active in soft X-rays several minutes or more before the flare begins. However, an analysis of the physical properties of the flare sites, including temperature and intensity variation found no consistent feature distinguishable from other non-flaring active region emission and hence no definite evidence of a special 'pre-flare or 'precursor phase in solar flares.     

Weakly polarized microwave sources in active regions prior to large X-ray flares

The data set archive of the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope was used to synthesize two-dimensional images of more than 50 active solar regions where X-ray flares occurred. Reasonably bright microwave sources with a relatively low level of circular polarization were found to be present in 2/3 of cases prior (days, hours) to the flare. Such characteristics are normally inherent in sources located above the polarity inversion line of the photospheric magnetic field. This result, which has been obtained for the first time using such a representative data set, confirms the significance of these sources in the context of X-ray flare formation.