Force-free magnetic fields may have a "loss of equilibrium"

By comparing the light curves in optical, hard x-ray, and soft x-ray wavelengths for 8 well-observed flares, we confirm previous results indicating that the white light flare (WLF) is associated with the flare impulsive phase. The WLF emission peaks within secondsafter the associated hard x-ray peak, and nearly two minutesbefore the 1–8 soft x-ray peak. It is further shown that the peak power in nonthermal electrons above 50 keV is typically an order of magnitudelarger, and the power in 1–8 soft x-rays radiated over 2 strdn at the time of the WLF peak is an order of magnitudesmaller, than the peak WLF power.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Partial support for the National Solar Observation is provided by the USAF under a Memorandum of Undestanding with the NSF.