A possible acceleration mechanism for a solar surge

We examine a non-linear mechanism for a solar surge in which plasma regions of high electrical conductivity and macroscopic dimension can be rapidly accelerated without diffusion of magnetic field. The mechanism is suggested by Rust's observations, which show that surges occur near sunspots in regions of reversed magnetic polarity. For the purposes of numerical calculation, we replace the magnetic field near a polarity reversal in a sunspot by magnetic fields of current loops. The relaxation of the magnetic field generated by two antiparallel coaxial current loops in an incompressible plasma is traced by computer. The results suggest that plasma in the form of a vortex ring can be expelled at the Alfvén velocity from active solar regions.     

Coronal magnetic structures associated with interplanetary clouds

Among all the signatures of solar ejecta in interplanetary space, magnetic clouds are particularly interesting. We have shown that they are associated with solar mass ejections that involve not only coronal heights, but also chromospheric heights and so, they are almost always associated with low-altitude solar activity such as H flares or filament eruptions. As a magnetic cloud is a very large structure, and not all the ejecta found in the interplanetary medium are clouds, it is interesting to investigate the characteristics of the large-scale coronal magnetic structures in the regions where the activity leading to a cloud takes place. In this paper we use Hoeksema's potential field model of the solar magnetosphere to obtain the magnetic structure of the site of the solar events associated with 35 interplanetary magnetic clouds. The position of the related solar activity was determined from the location of the near-surface solar explosive events (flares and filament eruptions) associated with each cloud, obtained in our previous study. We find that the solar activity associated with interplanetary magnetic clouds occurs in regions of low-altitude, magnetically closed structures lying between higher helmets, or between the highest helmets and coronal holes, where the magnetic field lines are longitudinally oriented.     

Magnetic Clouds: Solar Cycle Dependence,Sources, and Geomagnetic Impacts

Magnetic clouds (MCs) are transient magnetic structures giving the strongest southward magnetic field (Bz south) in the solar wind. The sheath regions of MCs may also carry a southward magnetic field. The southward magnetic field is responsible for space-weather disturbances. We report a comprehensive analysis of MCs and Bz components in their sheath regions for 1995 to 2017. 85% of 303 MCs contain a south Bz up to 50 nT. Sheath Bz during the 23 years may reach as high as 40 nT. MCs of the strongest magnetic magnitude and Bz south occur in the declining phase of the solar cycle. Bipolar MCs depend on the solar cycle in their polarity, but not in the occurrence frequency. Unipolar MCs show solar-cycle dependence in their occurrence frequency, but not in their polarity. MCs with the highest speeds, the largest total-\(B\) magnitudes, and sheath Bz south originate from source regions closer to the solar disk center. About 80% of large Dst storms are caused by MC events. Combinations of a south Bz in the sheath and south-first MCs in close succession have caused the largest storms. The solar-cycle dependence of bipolar MCs is extended to 2017 and now spans 42 years. We find that the bipolar MC Bz polarity solar-cycle dependence is given by MCs that originated from quiescent filaments in decayed active regions and a group of weak MCs of unclear sources, while the polarity of bipolar MCs with active-region flares always has a mixed Bz polarity without solar-cycle dependence and is therefore the least predictable for Bz forecasting.     

The role of the magnetic field intensity and geometry in the type III burst generation

We study the association of type III bursts related to H flares in different magnetic environments in the period 1970–1981. Special attention is paid to flares which partly cover a major spot umbra (Z-flares). In particular we consider the location of the spots in the active regions and the magnetic field intensities of spots covered by a ribbon. The association rate with type III bursts decreases to 17% when the flare is located inside the bipolar pattern of a large active region, compared with an association rate of 54% when the flare is situated outside it. The association rate increases with the magnetic field intensity of the spot covered by H emission; this is most clearly revealed for the flares occurring outside the bipolar pattern of active regions. Ninety-three percent of the flare-associated type III burst were accompanied by 10 cm radio bursts. For the most general case in which a flare is developing anywhere in an active region, the association with type III bursts generation increases with the increasing magnetic field intensity of the main spot of the group.     

Flares,magnetic configurations,and magnetic energy release

Using a newly developed Aerospace digital videomagnetograph, three solar active regions are studied as to their magnetic configurations and their flare productivity. These three regions have very different types of magnetic configurations and different types of flare productivity. We review previous theoretical and experimental research on flares and magnetic energy storage, and discuss various ways to observe magnetic energy release due to flares. Results for six subflares are presented. Five showed no measurable magnetic energy change and one result is questionable.We show three counterexamples to Zirin's (1972) contention that as a rule H plage brightness is proportional to magnetic field strength. Each of these three cases involved two plage regions of the same polarity and equal field strengths with one of the plages adjacent to a neutral line. In all three cases the plage region nearer the neutral line was much brighter.     

Common Characteristics of the Active Regions of Strong Proton Flares

Common characteristics of nine active regions with strong proton flares in the 22nd solar activity cycle have been presented. Results show that the typical morphology of these active regions is a -type sunspot with a single multiple structure, in which there are many umbras with different magnetic polarities, packed tightly by a single penumbra. In these active regions, the rotating directions of the sunspot groups are nearly independent of their position on the solar disk. When the angle of rotation approaches the positive or the negative maximum, proton flares may occur in these active regions. After proton flares, sunspot groups rotate in the inverse direction because of the slack in the flux rope.     

Loss of magnetic tension in pre-flare magnetic configurations

We demonstrate that magnetic tension vanishes at regions of large magnetic shear on the polarity inversion line. The characteristics of these tension-free fields depend on the density of the medium and, therefore, change as a consequence of instabilities which modify the density. These instabilities may possibly evolve into solar flares. We suggest this as a possible explanation for the observed occurrence of flares at locations of large magnetic shear along the polarity inversion line.     

Flows,flares, and formation of umbrae and light bridges in BBSO region No. 1167

We present high-resolution observations of the large active region BBSO No. 1167 (Boulder No. 5060) which cast new light on the structure of sunspot regions. We obtained excellent data, highlighted by videomagnetograms (VMG) obtained with our 65-cm telescope, which give unprecedented spatial resolution, about 0.5' for much of two 11-hr periods. This permitted us to see details of the field evolution and flows in the AR. The H filtergrams and D3 filtergrams permit study of these magnetic changes compared to spots and chromospheric structure.The region was a huge but simple active region (CMP July 2, 1988) in which we observed rapid flux emergence for several days. Because the new flux generally matched the old, there were few large flares. However, there were 14 flares on June 28 and 29, mostly in two sites. The first site was a spot which already existed when the active region appeared on the east limb. This site showed little change of magnetic structure during our observing period. The second site is an area disturbed by new flux emergence, which included a spot which formed and disappeared in two days, and a rapidly moving p spot. Flares ocurring at one site almost always produced footpoints at the other. The delay between flash phases of the same flare at the two sites ranges from 40 to 160 s.The magnetograms show complex fine structure, with some closely interwined regions of opposite polarity. In a region of new flux emergence, positive (leading polarity) flux flows along elongated channels immersed in the negative flux. Moving magnetic features occur around all of the spots.We point out other interesting aspects of this large region: (1) While there is extensive penumbra around the main umbrae, there is also significant penumbra apparently unrelated to any spot. These unusual penumbrae are either due to flux returning to the surface, flux left behind by the moving umbra, or associated with pores that appear and disappear. (2) We observed umbrae to move faster than the accompanying penumbrae, and concluded that penumbrae are not a simple extension of the umbra. (3) We found that combining spots of the same polarity do not completely merge, but are always separated by a thin light bridge. This means that the emerging flux loops are discrete entities.     

Manifestation of pulsation instability in solar radio emission preceding proton flares

The investigation of solar radio emission fluctuations at the wavelength - 3 cm led to the discovery of a visible increase in pulsations with periods of about 30–120 min prior to proton flares. These pulsations were observed before all (seven) proton flares included in our cycle of observations from 1969 to 1974. The phenomenon was not found to occur before non-proton flares. The assumption is made that the observed pulsations are a manifestation of pre-flare instability in coronal structures. Estimations have been made for fluctuations of the gyro-resonance radiation from the regions above spots associated with the magnetic field variations when a groove instability of a coronal condensation is developed. They are in good agreement with the observational data. The discovered manifestation of the pre-flare instability in fluctuations of the solar radio emission open new ways to study the flare development and to predict geo-effective phenomena on the Sun.     

Delta spots and great flares

Using eighteen years of observations at Big Bear, we summarize the development of δ spots and the great flares they produce. We find δ groups to develop in three ways: eruption of a single complex active region formed below the surface, eruption of large satellite spots near (particularly in front of) a large older spot, or collision of spots of opposite polarity from different dipoles. Our sample of twenty-one δ spots shows that once they lock together, they never separate, although rarely an umbra is ejected. The δ spots are already disposed to their final form when they emerge. The driving force for the shear is spot motion, either flux emergence or the forward motion of p spots in an inverted magnetic configuration. We observe the following phenomena preceding great flares:

1. δ spots, preferentially Types 1 and 2.
2. Umbrae obscured by Hα emission.
3. Bright Hα emission marking flux emergence and reconnection.
4. Greatly sheared magnetic configurations, marked by penumbral and Hα fibrils parallel to the inversion line.

We assert that with adequate spatial resolution one may predict the occurrence of great flares with these indicators.     

Note on the characteristics of sunspot groups which produce solar proton flares

Solar proton flares are associated with sunspot groups which show an unusual distribution of magnetic polarities. Furthermore, the gradient of the magnetic field is very large before the onset of these flares. The importance of polar cap absorptions, which is proportional to the integral flux of solar cosmic rays, tends to increase as the gradient of the magnetic field becomes greater. It is shown that the formation of such gradients is associated with the rotating motion of sunspot groups. Hence, the sunspot groups which show a reversed polarity distribution are very effective for the production of solar proton flares.NASA Associate with University of Maryland.     

On long-term forecasts of proton flares

174 proton flares which were observed during the period from 1956 to 1965, occurred in 81 different active regions. It is shown that these active regions formed in complexes of activity, which stayed on the solar surface for many months, and in some cases even for several years. Since the proton-flare regions develop very rapidly and reach the proton-flare active stage within a few days, these complexes of activity represent the areas on the sun, where proton-flare regions can form at any time. Reference is made to contributions by Bumba and Howard, who investigated the birth of active regions and detected some properties of complexes of activity; nevertheless, at the present time, we do not know any method to predict when a proton-flare region begins to develop in such a complex of activity.On the other hand, there is a chance of predicting the dangerous longitudes on the sun, as soon as such a complex of activity has been well recognized or, from the opposite point of view, to predict the safe proton-flare free periods on the sun. If, however, all the complexes on both the hemispheres are taken into account and every complex is considered proton-dangerous from 2 days before to 7 days after the central meridian passage, one can prove that no proton-flare free periods existed for more than 3 years around the maximum of the last solar cycle. Applying this result to the present cycle, one can conclude that no safe forecasts of proton-flare free periods can be made from the beginning of 1968 to the end of 1970. During the remaining 7 or 8 years of the solar cycle, long-term forecasts of proton flares could be made provided that our knowledge of the formation and development of the complexes of activity is improved.It is of interest to notice some properties of the complexes formed in the last solar cycle. While the complexes on the Northern solar hemisphere remained at fairly constant heliographic longitudes for many years, the complexes formed on the Southern hemisphere seemed to travel in two rows around the sun, in the direction opposite to the solar rotation. Another interesting fact is a yearly periodicity in the formation of proton-flare regions in the complexes of activity, with a maximum in the summer period and a deep minimum in the winter season. Such a seasonal variation also appears, if one considers the flare activity, type-IV bursts, PCA's, great magnetic storms, and magnetic crochets. Therefore, one can reasonably believe that this yearly variation, even when similar to the seasonal variation at the earth, is of solar origin.Invited Lecture given at the COSPAR meeting in London, July 1967.     

Magnetic field of the solar wind

Relationship between the geoefficiency of the solar flares as well as of the active regions passing the central meridian of the Sun and the configuration of the large scale solar magnetic field is studied.It is shown that if the tangential component of the large scale magnetic field at the active region or at the flare region is directed southwards, that region and that flare produce geomagnetic storm. In case when the tangential magnetic field is directed northward, the active region and the flares occurring at that region do not cause any geomagnetic disturbance.An index of the geoefficiency of the solar flares and of the active regions is proposed.     

Rates of Flaring in Individual Active Regions

Rates of flaring in individual active regions on the Sun during the period 1981–1999 are examined using United States Air Force/Mount Wilson (USAF/MWL) active-region observations together with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) soft X-ray flare catalog. Of the flares in the catalog above C1 class, 61.5% are identified with an active region. Evidence is presented for obscuration, i.e. that the increase in soft X-ray flux during a large flare decreases the likelihood of detection of soft X-ray events immediately following the large flare. This effect means that many events are missing from the GOES catalog. It is estimated that in the absence of obscuration the number of flares above C1 class would be higher by (75±23)%. A second observational selection effect – an increased tendency for larger flares to be identified with an active region – is also identified. The distributions of numbers of flares produced by individual active regions and of mean flaring rate among active regions are shown to be approximately exponential, although there are excess numbers of active regions with low flare numbers and low flaring rates. A Bayesian procedure is used to analyze the time history of the flaring rate in the individual active regions. A substantial number of active regions appear to exhibit variation in flaring rate during their transit of the solar disk. Examples are shown of regions with and without rate variation, illustrating the different distributions of times between events (waiting-time distributions) that are observed. A piecewise constant Poisson process is found to provide a good model for the observed waiting-time distributions. Finally, applications of analysis of the rate of flaring to understanding the flare mechanism and to flare prediction are discussed.     

Why does the radio activity accompanying the flares in the two large active regions of June 1982 differ so much?

An attempt is presented to explain the large difference in the intensity, frequency range and number of radio-activity events following the large flares in the two complex active regions of June 1982 (NOAA 3763 and NOAA 3776). The topology of their local magnetic fields in relation to the global solar field is discussed as one of the main factors causing this effect. The development of a specific, magnetically bipolar super-region is described.     

Flares and changing magnetic fields

An observational study of maps of the longitudinal component of the photospheric fields in flaring active regions leads to the following conclusions:

1. The broad-wing Hα kernels characteristic of the impulsive phase of flares occur within 10″ of neutral lines encircling features of isolated magnetic polarity (‘satellite sunspots’).
2. Photospheric field changes intimately associated with several importance 1 flares and one importance 2B flare are confined to satellite sunspots, which are small (10″ diam). They often correspond to spot pores in white-light photographs.
3. The field at these features appears to strengthen in the half hour just before the flares. During the flares the growth is reversed, the field drops and then recovers to its previous level.
4. The magnetic flux through flare-associated features changes by about 4 × 10¹⁹ Mx in a day. The features are the same as the ‘Structures Magnétiques Evolutives’ of Martres et al. (1968a).
5. An upper limit of 10²¹ Mx is set for the total flux change through McMath Regions 10381 and 10385 as the result of the 2B flare of 24 October, 1969.
6. Large spots in the regions investigated did not evince flux changes or large proper motions at flare time.
7. The results are taken to imply that the initial instability of a flare occurs at a neutral point, but the magnetic energy lost cannot yet be related to the total energy of the subsequent flare.
8. No unusual velocities are observed in the photosphere at flare time.

     

The Clustering Properties of Active Regions During the First Part of Solar Cycle 23

In this paper we study the longitudinal distribution of solar magnetic regions, using the synoptic magnetic maps from Kitt Peak National Observatory, the active region data from Solar Geophysical Data and the Hobservations from Prairie View Solar Observatory. The clusters of activity were identified by comparing the positions of sunspot groups between successive Carrington rotations. We have found that a large percentage of active regions was involved in the clustering process (40–50%, if we only take into account clusters with a minimum lifetime of 4 rotations). The nests followed the differential rotation of the solar surface, within an intrinsic spread. A remarkable feature of sunspot nests detected in our study is their high degree of complexity, with a large number of nests being organized in diverging, converging, or parallel structures. Of the flares which occurred during the time interval of interest, the great majority originated from the sunspot nests; the distribution of the flares between these nests was not uniform, revealing active and quiet nests. A high flaring rate was recorded at the intersection points of diverging or converging nests, suggesting that these points represent violent interactions of magnetic fluxes. The complexes were in continuous interaction, which impacts their properties and future evolution. The behavior of the nests indicate that they are maintained by repeated injection of magnetic flux rather than by the evolution of the surface magnetic fields.     

Polarity Reversal Time of the Magnetic Dipole Component of the Sun in Solar Cycle 24

The Sun’s general magnetic field has shown polarity reversal three times during the last three solar cycles. We attempt to estimate the upcoming polarity reversal time of the solar magnetic dipole by using the coronal field model and synoptic data of the photospheric magnetic field. The scalar magnetic potential of the coronal magnetic field is expanded into a spherical harmonic series. The long-term variations of the dipole component ( $g^{0}_{1}$ ) calculated from the data of National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak and Wilcox Solar Observatory are compared with each other. It is found that the two $g^{0}_{1}$ values show a similar tendency and an approximately linear increase between the Carrington rotation periods CR 2070 and CR 2118. The next polarity reversal is estimated by linear extrapolation to be between CR 2132.2 (December 2012) and CR2134.8 (March 2013).     

The homologous flare events in solar active regions

This paper consists of two parts. We first discuss recent general results on the study of properties of flare homology, and their relevance to the physical interpretation of the flare phenomenon at large. We devote particular attention to the discovery of homologous flares which occur in rapid succession, within a few minutes of each other in many cases. We name these kind of flares rafales. These flares signal the existence of several episodes of energy release within the same magnetic configuration. We also show the existence of particular sites in the solar atmosphere which have peculiar characteristics in terms of solar rotation, and where recurrent flaring may take place over and over again in different solar rotations. This indicates that the disturbance causing the emergence of activity is deep seated, below the solar photosphere. Finally, in the second part, we discuss an extensive set of observations of two homologous flares of a rafale, stressing the dynamic aspects of the observations, particularly the presence of peaks in the vertical component of the velocity field. These results are shown to be in agreement with studies of filament activations and the surging arches which are observed before the flash phase of solar flares.     

X-ray observations of recurrence of eruptive flares and active regions

In a study of soft X-ray coronal images obtained with the Yohkoh spacecraft, two eruptive flares with remarkably similar X-ray structures were noted – most remarkably because the flares occurred at the same solar location (approximately 10 deg north latitude on the east limb) yet separated in time by three solar rotations. Between the times of the eruptions, the active region responsible for the first flare disappeared from Yohkoh images. An extremely similar X-ray active region replaced it by the third solar rotation. The recurring X-ray active region appearance and recurring flare activity after 86 days suggest that persistent subsurface flux emergence patterns might be responsible, and support previous arguments that active longitudes exist.