太阳耀斑磁重联的数值模拟

数值模拟了太阳耀斑中二维磁重联过程。结果表明,当重联Ｘ 点比较高时,演化过程能再现双带耀斑中耀斑环的运动等主要特征;当重联Ｘ 点比较低时,可解释致密耀斑的观测特征。结果还表明,耀斑环上升和重联点上升之间没有直接的联系。     

耦合热传导的磁重联的数值模拟

磁重联被认为是太阳耀斑的产生机制,本文数值模拟在日冕中发生在磁重联过程,结果表明耀斑环的表观运动是磁重联的自洽结果;由重联点发出的慢激波对耀斑环的加热有贡献;耀斑环的上升并不意味着重联点的上升。     

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。     

2个太阳爆发事件中磁准分界面的演化

磁准分界面(Quasi-Separatrix Layer,简称QSL)是3维磁结构中磁力线连接性发生显著改变的区域,观测表明它多数时候和耀斑带所在的位置符合得较好.有关这一结构和3维磁重联及耀斑关系的研究在近年来受到越来越多的关注.从QSL的理论出发,研究了2011年12月26日在活动区AR11384发生的一个C5.7级典型双带耀斑(事件1)和2015年6月22日发生在活动区AR12371处的一个M6.5级耀斑(事件2).结合SDO/AIA(Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly)观测到的多波段数据和SDO/HMI(Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager)观测到的矢量磁场数据,首先分别利用势场和非线性无力场对日冕的3维磁场结构进行了外推,并计算了活动区磁自由能的演化;然后基于势场和非线性无力场的外推结果计算了不同高度处磁压缩因子(magnetic squashing factor)Q的对数分布,并研究了不同高度磁准分界面与相应高度处观测到的耀斑带的演化关系.最后分析了2个耀斑事件的多波段演化特征,并计算得到事件2中磁力线的平均滑动速度在304?A波段和335?A波段分别为4.6 km·s~(-1)和6.3 km·s~(-1).研究发现:计算得到的磁准分界面在色球和日冕中的位置和相应高度观测到的耀斑带的位置符合得较好,而且各层次的磁准分界面与相应层次的耀斑亮带在时间上也有近乎一致的演化行为,这突显出了磁准分界面理论在3维磁重联和耀斑研究中的作用,并证实事件2耀斑能量的释放可能是通过发生在QSL处的磁重联进行的,同时说明,研究QSL对于理解2维磁重联和3维磁重联本质联系是至关重要的.     

耀斑前兆相日冕环的色球足点增亮和兰移

报导了云南天文台精细结构望远镜观测到的耀斑前兆相的日冕环的色球足点增亮和兰移现象。两个日冕环的４ 个足点由 Ｙｏｈｋｏｈ／ Ｈ Ｘ Ｈ／ Ｓ Ｘ Ｔ 的观测研究所确认。在耀斑前, 色球上与日冕环足点相对应的、分立的点状亮谱斑,其偏带观测显示出兰移, 表明它们是日冕环的色球足点, 且表明存在着物质的预加热, 以及物质从足点沿冕环向上流动。观测还显示冕环所跨越的暗条的激活。这些现象清楚说明, 物质沿磁力线的“蒸发”发生在耀斑前兆相, 而且,色球磁场的剧烈变化可能是引起色球蒸发的原因之一     

耀斑主相动力学模型的谱诊断

本文对一个耀斑主相动力学模型进行了谱诊断，包括同时计算ＣａＸＩＸ，Ｈα和ＣａＩＩＫ谱线轮廓演化系列．与地面光学观测及最新的Ｙｏｈｋｏｈ／ＢＣＳ观测结果比较显示，计算轮廓及其特性在实测的范围以内，从而说明该耀斑主相动力学模型在一般性反映耀斑主相演化方面的合理性，同时也意味着有相当一部分耀斑，其在主相演化过程中没有额外的加热源作用．     

太阳耀斑磁环动力学研究进展

讨论了磁环（电流环）在耀斑的贮能和释能过程中的重要作用，贮存于环中的磁能可能通过两种方式经由磁重联而散逸，即磁环的相互作用和环的扭转，并给出一些观测证据和理论分析结果。     

太阳光球层磁重联的直接证据

本文首次给出了发生在太阳光球磁重联的一个直接的观测证据。 这一磁重联的观测特征是:(1)重联发生在一新浮现磁通量区的一极与极性相反的老磁通量之间;(2)重联前中性线附近磁剪切明显;(3)被重联两极为一对消磁结构,重联发生在稳定的磁通量损失数小时之后;(4)一个级别为C2.9的亚耀斑发生在重联之前。该耀斑以重联区为中心,双带离重联位置2～3万公里,直到耀斑极大相后14分钟,重联仍未发生;(5)重联后,磁对消速率呈增大趋势。     

太阳耀斑研究的新进展(英)

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。综述的范围包括太阳耀斑中磁重联的新证据、硬X射线源（包括所谓的超热源）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。基于这些新的知识，讨论了有关耀斑模型的一些问题。     

耀斑前兆相日冕环的色球足点增亮和兰移

报导了云南天文台精细结构望远镜观测到的耀斑前兆机的日冕环的色球足点增亮和兰移现象。两个日冕环的４个足点由Ｙｏｈｋｏｈ／ＨＸＨ／ＳＸＴ的观测研究所确认因光心斑前,色球上与日冕环足点相对应的,分立的点状亮谱斑,其偏带观测显示出兰移,表明它们是日冕环的色球足点,且表明存在着物质的预加热,以及物质从足点沿冕环上向上流动。观测还显示冕环所跨所跨越的暗条的激少达些现象清楚说明,物质沿磁力线的“蒸发”发生在耀斑     

Magnetic reconnection and coronal transients

Every two-ribbon flare observed during the Skylab period produced an observable coronal transient, provided the flare occurred close enough to the limb. The model presented here treats these two events as a combined process. Transients that occur without flares are believed to involve magnetic fields that are too weak to produce significant chromospheric emission. Adopting the hypothesis that the rising flare loop systems observed during two-ribbon flares are exhibiting magnetic reconnection, a model of a coronal transient is proposed which incorporates this reconnection process as the driving force. When two oppositely directed field lines reconnect a lower loop is created rooted to the solar surface (the flare loop) and an upper disconnected loop is produced which is free to rise. The magnetic flux of these upper loops is proposed as the driver for the transient. The force is produced by the increase in magnetic pressure under the filament and transient.A quantitative model is developed which treats the transient configuration in terms of four distinct parts- the transient itself with its magnetic field and material, the region just below the transient but above the filament, the filament with its magnetic field, and the reconnected flux beneath the filament. Two cases are considered - one in which all the prominence material rises with the transient and one in which the material is allowed to fall out of the transient. The rate of rise of the neutral line during the reconnection process is taken from the observations of the rising X-ray flare loop system during the 29 July, 1973 flare. The MHD equations for the system are reduced to four non-linear ordinary coupled differential equations which are solved using parameters believed to be realistic for solar conditions. The calculated velocity profiles, widths, etc., agree quite well with the observed properties of coronal transients as seen in white light. Since major flares are usually associated with a filament eruption about 10–15 min before the flare and since this model associates the transient with the filament eruption, we suspect that the transient is actually initiated some time before the actual flare itself.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

A model of solar flares triggered by interactions between force-free current loops and plasmoids

We present a model of solar flares triggered by collisions between current loops and plasmoids. We investigate a collision process between a force-free current loop and a plasmoid, by using 3-D resistive MHD code. It is shown that a current system can be induced in the front of a plasmoid, when it approaches a force-free current loop. This secondary current produced in the front of the plasmoid separates from the plasmoid and coalesces to the force-free current loop associated with the magnetic reconnection. The core of the plasmoid stays outside the reconnection region, maintaining high density. The core can be confined by the current system produced around the plasmoid. This collison process between a current loop and a plasmoid may explain the triggering of solar flares observed byYohkoh.     

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.     

Flare loop geometry

In selected flares that occurred in AR 7260, we have studied the geometry of the brightest soft X-ray loop by tracing it on an image. Even under the assumption that the loop is contained in a plane, it is clear that a single image does not permit us to determine the full geometry. It only provides possible loop shapes as a function of the inclination angle of the loop plane with respect to the vertical. However, all the loops that reproduce the observed appearance give the same direction of increasing height as projected on to the image plane. This direction is compared with two relevant observations. Based on 2-D reconnection models that involve a cusp configuration, it is expected that the soft X-ray loop top source moves upward with time and that a higher temperature region exists above the loop top. Several flares are found to contradict these predictions, presumably implying the inadequacy of the models. Lastly we discuss a possibility of constraining the inclination angle (and hence the loop shape) with spatially-unresolved soft X-ray line spectra which are Doppler-shifted due to plasma upflows.     

Implications of solar flare dynamics for reconnection in magnetospheric substorms

From observations of two-ribbon solar flares, we present a new line of evidence that magnetic reconnection is of key importance in magnetospheric substorms. We infer that in substorms reconnection of closed field lines in the near-Earth thinned plasma sheet both initiates and is driven by the overall MHD instability that drives the tailward expulsion of the reconnected closed field (0 loops). The general basis for this inference is the longstanding notion that two-ribbon flares and substorms are essentially similar phenomena, driven by similar processes. We give an array of observed similarities that substantiate this view. More specifically, our inference for substorms is drawn from observations of filament eruptions in two-ribbon flares, from which we conclude that the heart of the overall instability consists of reconnection and eruption of the closed magnetic field in and around the filament. We propose that essentially the same overall instability operates in substorms. Our point is not that the magnetic field configuration or the microphysics in substorms is identical to that in two-ribbon flares, but that the overall instability results from essentially the same combination of reconnection and eruption of closed magnetic field.     

Effect of Collisions and Magnetic Convergence on Electron Acceleration and Transport in Reconnecting Twisted Solar Flare Loops

We study a model of particle acceleration coupled with an MHD model of magnetic reconnection in unstable twisted coronal loops. The kink instability leads to the formation of helical currents with strong parallel electric fields resulting in electron acceleration. The motion of electrons in the electric and magnetic fields of the reconnecting loop is investigated using a test-particle approach taking into account collisional scattering. We discuss the effects of Coulomb collisions and magnetic convergence near loop footpoints on the spatial distribution and energy spectra of high-energy electron populations and possible implications on the hard X-ray emission in solar flares.     

Shocks produced by impulsively driven reconnection

Shock waves produced by impulsively driven reconnection may be important during flares or during the emergence of magnetic flux from the photosphere into the corona. Here we investigate such shock waves by carrying out numerical experiments using two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics. The results of the numerical experiments imply that there are three different categories of shocks associated with impulsively driven reconnection: (1) fast-mode, blast waves which rapidly propagate away from the reconnection site; (2) slow-mode, Petschek shocks which are attached to the reconnection site; and (3) fast-mode, termination shocks which terminate the plasma jets flowing out from the reconnection site. Fast-mode blast waves are a common feature of many flare models, but the Petschek shocks and jet termination shocks are specific to reconnection models. These two different types of reconnection shocks might contribute to chromospheric ablation and energetic particle acceleration in flares.     

Current-Sheet Buildup and Magnetic Reconnection in Weakly Ionized Solar Lower Atmosphere

Solar observations show that magnetic reconnection can occur in the Sun's weakly ionized lower atmosphere (magnetic cancellation, Ellerman bombs and type II white-light flares). Unlike what the usual reconnection models have predicted, such a reconnection is accompanied by temperature enhancements which are less than 10%. To overcome this difficulty, we have reexamined the reconnection in a two-fluid model using a 2D numerical simulation. The numerical solutions demonstrate the following results: (1) Under the influence of Lorentz force, ionized gas carries the magnetic field into a diffusion region where part of the field is annihilated, and the current-sheet scaling laws for the weakly ionized plasma are basically the same as in the fully ionized case. (2) Though the neutral gas is not directly affected by the magnetic field due to frictional forces, its motion is almost the same as the ionized gas except in the region near stagnation point where the streamlines of both species differ appreciably. (3) The pressure of neutrals which governs the distribution of total pressure and temperature varies slightly. So the temperature of the whole domain is nearly uniform in space and constant in time. These results support the idea that magnetic cancellation, Ellerman bombs, and type II white-light flares are due to magnetic reconnection in the Sun's lower atmosphere.