Spectral features of large type IV bursts and interrelation to solar-terrestrial phenomena

The type IV burst phenomenon consists of at least five physically distinct components or phases. Concerning the spectral and polarization characteristics of the radio emission, the X-ray emission and the association of energetic particle emission, two main classes of type IV burst components can be distinguished. The first class associated with energetic particle events comprises the (especially hard) X-ray burst, the type IV and mA₁ components. With respect to the dynamics of the burst source a quasistationary mA₁-phase can be distinguished from a moving mA₂-phase. The general tendencies of the development of large type IV events have been discussed with regard to the possibility of the occurrence of neutral points of the magnetic field in greater coronal heights.     

Polarization of fundamental type III radio bursts

The fundamental of type III bursts is only partially polarized, yet all theory for emission near the plasma frequency predicts pure o-mode emission. I argue depolarization is inherent in the burst itself. The o-mode radiation is intensely scattered and mode-converted when it temporarily falls behind its own source and finds itself in the medium that is already disturbed by the electron beam. In particular, mode conversion is very efficient and yet causes only modest angular scattering at the height were _p + 0.5.The predicted minimum polarization nearly equals the polarization of the harmonic, as observed. Spike polarization is naturally explained by the earlier arrival of the scattered o-mode. Additional residual polarization depends on the refraction at the site of emission; larger beam velocities imply higher polarization, as observed, because a larger fraction of the radiation escapes without mode-conversion. The polarization at the frequencies where U-bursts reverse is of particular interest.Support is acknowledged from the NSF Solar-Terrestrial Research Program.     

Pulsating type IV solar radio bursts

Several models for pulsating type IV radio bursts are presented based on the assumption that the pulsations are the result of fluctuations in the synchrotron emission due to small variations in the magnetic field of the source. It is shown that a source that is optically thick at low frequencies due to synchrotron self-absorption exhibits pulsations that occur in two bands situated on either side of the spectral peak. The pulsations in the two bands are 180° out of phase and the band of pulsations at the higher frequencies is the more intense. In contrast, a synchrotron source that is optically thin at all frequencies and whose low frequency emission is suppressed due to the Razin effect develops only a single band of pulsations around the frequency of maximum emission. However, the flux density associated with the later model would be too small to explain the more intense pulsations that have been observed unless the source area is considerably larger than presently seems reasonable.     

Decameter type IV bursts associated with coronal transients

Recent observations of neutral line absorbing features in the solar atmosphere may give an important clue to the mechanism whereby both type III solar radiobursts and solar flares are triggered. It is suggested that as new satellite magnetic flux emerges at the edge of an active region in an area of opposite polarity a neutral sheet builds up between the new and old flux. When the sheet has a length of about a megametre its thermal insulation from the surrounding plasma is effective enough for a thermal instability to occur. The resulting compression and inflow of plasma is observed in H on the disc as a neutral line absorbing feature. Furthermore, the electric field of the accompanying collisionless tearing mode instability in a thin slab near the centre of the sheet exceeds the runaway field; it may therefore accelerate electrons to high enough energies to produce the type III burst which usually occurs at the same time as the absorbing feature. Perhaps the flare which sometimes ensues is triggered when the quasi-equilibrium state is destroyed by the development of turbulence in the neutral sheet.     

Polarization measurements of solar type III radio bursts at 25.3 MHz

We report the results of 1966, 1968, and 1969 polarization measurements of solar type III radio noise bursts made by recording the output of two orthogonally polarized receiving channels and subsequent digital processing of selected data. The processed data yield total intensity, degree of polarization, ellipticity, and polarization ellipse orientation at 1 second intervals. The measurements are made in a 100 Hz bandwith to minimize the influence of the propagating medium on the measurements. The mean degree of polarization was found to be about 65% in contrast to previous studies which indicated that type III events were more weakly polarized. By assuming that type III bursts are flare related we study the polarization characteristics of type III bursts as a function of the solar longitude of the related flares. The relation between type III event polarization characteristics and flare importance is also investigated. The significance of polarization measurements in studies of solar radio events is pointed out and suggestions for further theoretical research are given.     

Nonlinear wave coupling in type IV solar radio bursts

In order to explain a fine structure of parallel ridges in stationary type IV continua, the emission due to the coupling of electrostatic upper hybrid waves and Bernstein waves at the sum frequency of the upper hybrid and harmonics of the gyro frequency has been calculated. If the energy density of these electrostatic waves is of the order of 10^-3 times the thermal energy density, then the observed zebra pattern can be emitted by a region with a diameter of 10³ km.     

Observations and interpretation of moving type IV solar radio bursts

Properties of 23 moving type IV bursts observed with the Culgoora Radioheliograph are summarized. Both shock and plasmoid models are examined. It is found that the theories invoking shocks have limited application and that plasmoid models have several problems with regard to plasmoid formation as well as with explanations for multiple sources and large values of circular polarization. While the synchrotron radiation mechanism is the most widely accepted for both shock and plasmoid models, it is possible that Langmuir wave emission processes may be important, at least in some events. To overcome some of the difficulties of the plasmoid theory, a new source model is proposed. This model involves synchrotron radiation from electror ; confined by rapid scattering through hydromagnetic wave particle interactions.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract AST-74-04129 with the National Science Foundation.     

A coherent radiation mechanism for type IV solar radio bursts

A new coherent radiation mechanism, involving nonlinear interaction of whistler solitons with upperhybrid waves, excited by energetic electrons of energies of 10 keV–100 keV, is proposed for type IV solar bursts of both moving (type IV M) and stationary (type IV S) types. We show that the type IV M bursts occur when the interaction of whistler solitons and upperhybrid waves takes place in the coronal transients whereas the type IV S bursts originate provided this interaction takes place in stationary loops where density has been increased. The emitted radiation is right-hand circularly polarized with 100% polarization. Increase of brightness temperature, T _b , at lower frequencies and also its decrease, at all frequencies, with the passage of time is predicted for type IV M bursts; this agrees fully with the observations. Furthermore, the decrease of T _b , with time for stationary type IV component, is easily explained if the source which supplies energetic electron to the loop, becomes weaker with time.     

A coherent radiation mechanism for type IV dm radio bursts

An interpretation is presented of the decimetric type IV continuum with fine structure on March 6, 1972 and of the corresponding source region, in terms of ?erenkov plasma radiation and alternatively of synchrotron radiation, both in case of coherent and incoherent generation. If the magnetic field strength in the source region is a few gauss, in a stationary situation a loss cone instability develops which generates electron plasma waves coherently. The amount of energetic electrons required for consecutive induced scattering of the plasma waves at the thermal ions into electromagnetic waves is less than in case of synchrotron radiation. It is concluded that the former mechanism provides the explanation of type IV continua with fine structure such as intermediate drift bursts and sudden reductions of the continuum level.     

A statistical study of moving type IV bursts based on Culgoora radioheliograph observations

Thirty-one moving type IV (IV(M)) bursts recorded with the Culgoora radioheliograph are examined to deduce their characteristic features, such as spatial distribution, projected velocity, etc., and their relation to other phenomena. The distribution of the projected velocity suggests that less than 15% of the total IV(M) bursts have fast velocities (>1000 km s^–1), almost equal to MHD shock velocity, and that the remaining IV(M) bursts have slower velocities (400 km s^–1) and are probably not associated with MHD shock waves. Most of the slow IV(M) bursts (and 70% of the total IV(M) bursts) are of an isolated plasmoid type. Even if they are associated with minor H flares, IV(M) bursts of the isolated-plasmoid type have 10³¹ ergs in the form of magnetic energy. They are in many cases closely associated with extended flare-continuum sources; this seems plausible if the flare continuum is interpreted as an interaction of a plasmoid with a large-scale magnetic arch.The association of IV(M) bursts with energetic proton events seems to be poor - contrary to expectation.     

A model for the coherent emission of solar radio moving type IV bursts

A theoretical model is proposed for interpreting the coherent emissionmechanism of solar radio moving type IV bursts. Energetic electrons produced in flares captured by an expanding and rising magnetic flux tube exhibit a beam-like distribution of velocities on the top of the flux tube. These excite beaming plasma instability and directly amplifies O-mode electromagnetic waves. The instability growth rate sensitively depends on the coronal plasma parameter, ƒ_pe/ƒ_ce and the beam-temperature T_b. This can qualitatively explain the high brightness temperature and high degree of polarization as well as the broad spectrum observed in this type of solar radio bursts.     

Beat structure in pulsating type IV solar radio bursts and a possible mechanism

Pulsating type IV solar radio bursts with beat structure are presented and analysed in this paper. Based upon the theory of whistler soliton emission we interpret the beat structure by the combination of two components with different pulsation frequencies due to radial oscillations of two legs of the magnetic loop. The large depth of pulsation is also explained in this model.Proceedings if the Second CESRA Workshop on Particle Acceleration and Trapping in Solar Flares, held at Aubigny-sur-Nère (France), 23–26 June, 1986.On leave from the Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing, The People's Republic of China.     

The time behaviour of the continua during the initial stage of type IV bursts

The existence of a group of broad-band continua during the initial stage of some type IV bursts can be shown which are polarized in the extraordinary sense. Unfortunately interferometric records were available only for one of these continua. In this case no movement of the radiation source could be stated during the whole of its lifetime. It can be shown that the time behaviour of the broad-band continua is clearly different from that of the moving type IV bursts recorded directly by interferometers. Therefore, it must be concluded that both types of continua originate from different physical processes at the Sun, though both are caused by synchrotron radiation.Based on the author's thesis in Berlin.     

On some transient Hα features associated with metric type III bursts

The question of the chromospheric features type III association is reconsidered by using Hα filtergrams both on and off band. A set of 44 metric type III groups, for which an association can be ascertained with a high degree of confidence leads to the following results:

1. The type III's have a dual chromospheric association. Sometimes they are related to a flare, sometimes to a perturbation of a different kind. The latter is seen in absorption in the Hα core and ±0.75 Å away. It is interpreted as a rather dense and cool material in motion in the chromosphere or the low corona. A part of which moves downward, the other upward. The type III's are more closely related to the downward motion.
2. The type III associated absorbing features take place at the border of an active center and along an H_∥ = 0 line. At the present time this appears as the most conspicuous property for marking them off from the great variety of the Hα absorbing features commonly observed on the Sun.
3. Most of the type III associated flares are related to an absorbing feature of the same kind, which appears before the flare itself. This indicates that the initial instability which is responsible for the type III emission is basically the same, whether the bursts are flare associated or not.

Our observations give good evidence that an efficient acceleration of 10–100 keV electrons occur also in the absence of flares. Furthermore the chromospheric perturbation involved in this acceleration is, in many cases, clearly associated to the triggering of a flare. A tentative model is proposed. We assume that in relation with the Hα absorbing feature a stream of fast electrons is accelerated which in turn, under suitable conditions, triggers both the flare and the type III's at the same time.     

Pulsations of type IV radio bursts as an indicator of protonarility of solar flares

The analysis of observational data has shown that the duration of a pulse train in type IV radio bursts decreases with increasing hardness of the spectrum of high-energy protons and increases with decreasing proton fluxes from the Sun. It is shown that such a correlation corresponds to a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of pulsations and is inexplicacable within the framework of a nonlinear periodical regime of plasma instabilities. The pulse train duration is determined by proton pitch-angle diffusion caused by Alfvén waves in coronal magnetic loops. A method of predicting solar proton hardness and proton fluxes using type IV radio burst pulsations is proposed.     

A model explaining type IV continuum bursts by coherent nonlinear interaction of Bernstein waves

The investigated model supposes Bernstein waves emerging from Harris instabilities at a definite coronal level. The nonlinear process is considered for a higher region, where the quasimonochromatic waves forming the primary spectrum are reflected. Spatial dispersion takes place corresponding to the decreasing magnetic field. Thus each quasimonochromatic wave can be treated separately. According to the nonlinear resonance condition there result electromagnetic waves of twice the primary frequency, the power density of which is calculated. Assuming a coherence time of 480 periods and an oscillation velocity of the electrons of 10^-3 times the thermal velocity the effective radiation temperature 10¹¹ K of a type IVmA-burst is obtained at about 180 MHz, if the range of the nonlinear interaction is about 3.9 km long. In the discussion the interpretation of occurring zebra patterns is treated.     

Polarization of loop-top and footpoint sources in microwave bursts

The polarization is analyzed in four microwave bursts with one loop-top and two footpoint sources observed at 17 GHz with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). The loop-like structure of the four events is confirmed by simultaneous SOHO/MDI magnetograms and TRACE/EUV images or Yohkoh/SXT images. The heliocentric distance of the four events is greater than 30°. The three microwave sources in each given burst are polarized in the same sense. This may be interpreted in terms of extraordinary mode emission, taking into account the polarity of the underlying magnetic field and propagation effects, which may lead to inversion of the sense of polarization in the limbward foot and loop-top source of the flaring loop.     

伴随CME的微波爆发的特征

分析了与日冕物质抛射(CME)有关的太阳微波爆发(SMB)的特征,包括持 续时间、峰值流量、爆发类型、谱指数等．选取了从1999年11月至2003年9月的136 个事件,包括60个部分晕状CME(120°<宽度<360°)／晕状CME(宽度=360°)和 76个正常CME(20°<宽度<120°)／窄CME(0°<宽度<20°)． 研究发现: (1)与正常CME／窄CME有关的微波爆发持续时间较短,与部分晕状 ／晕状CME有关的微波爆发持续时间有长有短; (2)与慢CME有关的微波爆发持续时 间较短,与快CME有关的微波爆发持续时间可长可短;(3)与正常／窄CME有关的微 波爆发峰值辐射流量比较小,与部分晕状／晕状CME有关的微波爆发峰值辐射流量有大 有小;(4)与慢CME有关的微波爆发峰值辐射流量较小,与快CME有关的微波爆发峰 值辐射流量可长可短; (5)与正常／窄CME有关的微波爆发绝大多数为简单(simple) 型,与晕状CME有关的微波爆发绝大多数为复杂(C)／大爆发(GB)型; (6)与CME 有关的事件在频率,f相似文献   

Relation between circular polarization of moving type IV bursts and polarity of photospheric magnetic fields

Two-dimensional, high-resolution observations of about 30 moving type IV bursts allow us to compare the polarization structure of the radio sources high in the corona with the distribution of magnetic fields measured at the photospheric level. Left- and right-handed circularly polarized moving type IV bursts are associated with active regions dominated by magnetic fields of plus and minus polarity respectively. The result suggests that the polarity of magnetic fields within the type IV source which moves high in the corona ( 1R above the photosphere) is closely related to the polarity of local magnetic fields at the photosphere. The above relation between the sense of polarization and the polarity of magnetic field is contrary to what would be expected from the generally accepted synchroton hypothesis. One way of resolving this conflict is to postulate that the magnetic field within the radio source has the opposite polarity to that of the ambient magnetic fields.     

Transient magnetic disturbances from solar flare explosions and associated pulsations of type IV radio bursts

We have proposed a mechanism of arise of transient magnetic disturbances from solar flare explosion which can lead to understanding of observed pulsations of type IV radio emission with period of 0.3–3.0 s. According to the proposed mechanism the pulsation activity of the radio emission results from MHD waves accompanying the expanding diamagnetic plasma produced by the explosive flare material.