Mass motions in a flare spray

High velocity H ejections were observed in association with an important solar flare on March 12, 1969, and simultaneously with Type II followed by Type IV radio emission detectable to 3–4 solar radii (R ) from the center of the Sun. From a sequence of H coronagraph photographs, trajectories and velocity determinations were made for fragments of the flare spray which was visible to a distance of 2 R . The temporal and spatial relationship between the optical and radio events is discussed. The mass motions appear to be controlled by the gravitational field while the fragments move in the direction of the open magnetic field lines.     

The twisting of filament that resulted in a solar flare

Based mainly on filtergrams ofH line center and various offbands and supplemented with measurements of the CIV 1548 line, we analyzed the evolution of a filament during a period of 15 minutes prior to the eruption of the flare of 1980 June 25 in the active region AR 2522. The filament underwent three spasmodic twistings of increasing size which finally led to its disruption and the flare eruption. We simulated the twisting motion of the filament by a force-free magnetic rope, estimated the variation of the force-free factor and the increase in the axial electric current, discussed the stability of the filament and attempted to give a theoretical explanation of the collapse of the filament and the eruption of the flare.     

X-rays,filament activity and flare prediction

127 hr of high-resolution H movies of young active regions have been compared with simultaneous 1.5–15 keV X-ray measurements from the Mapping X-Ray Heliometer experiment on OSO-8, with particular attention to preflare periods and to the possibility of X-ray emission associated with filament activity during that time. The period studied included 8 confirmed flares or subflares, 16 unreported events of comparable magnitude, and numerous examples of filament activity. We found no evidence for X-ray emission from areas of enhanced filament activity unless simultaneous brightenings were present in H. In addition, we detected no peculiar behavior of either filaments or X-rays during the period of approximately 20 min preceding these small flares which, even in retrospect, would have allowed them to be predicted.     

EUV emission,filament activation and magnetic fields in a slow-rise flare

The evolution of coronal and chromospheric structures is examined together with magnetograms for the 1B flare of January 19, 1972. Soft X-ray and EUV studies are based on the OSO-7 data. The H filtergrams and magnetograms came from the Sacramento Peak Observatory. Theoretical force-free magnetic field configurations are compared with structures seen in the soft X-ray, EUV and H images. Until the flare, two prominent spots were connected by a continuous dark filament and their overlying coronal structure underwent an expansion at the sunspot separation rate of 0.1 km s^–1. On January 19, the flare occurred as new magnetic fields emerged at 10¹⁹ Mx h^–1 beneath the filament, which untwisted and erupted as the flare began. The pre-flare coronal emissions remained unchanged during the flare except for the temporary addition of a localized enhancement that started 5 min after flare onset. EUV lines normally emitted in the upper transition region displayed a sudden enhancement coinciding in time and location with a bright H point, which is believed to be near the flare trigger or onset point. The EUV flash and the initial H brightening, both of which occurred near the center of the activated filament, were followed by a second EUV enhancement at the end of the filament. The complete disruption of the filament was accompanied by a third EUV enhancement and a rapid rise in the soft X-ray emission spatially coincident with the disappearing filament. From the change of magnetic field inferred from H filtergrams and from force-free field calculations, the energy available for the flare is estimated at approximately 10³¹ erg. Apparently, changes in the overlying coronal magnetic field were not required to provide the flare energy. Rather, it is suggested that the flare actually started in the twisted filament where it was compressed by emerging fields. Clearly, the flare started below the corona, and it appears that it derived its energy from the magnetic fields in or near the filament.NCAR is sponsored by NSF.     

A rope-shaped solar filament and a IIIb flare

On September 14–18, 2000, a medium-small solar active region was observed at Ganyu Station of Purple Mountain Observatory. Its spots were not large, but it had a peculiar active filament. On Sep.16, a flare of importance III_b with rather intense geophysical effects was produced. Our computation of the magnetic structure of the active region reveals that the rope-shaped filament was concerned with a low magnetic arc close to magnetic neutral line. An intense shear of magnetic field occurred near magnetic rope. The QSL analysis shows that a 3-D magnetic reconnection might appear in the vicinity of filament, and this can be used to interpret the formation of a large flare.     

The surge-like eruption of a miniature filament associated with circular flare ribbon

We present a study of a mini-filament erupting in association with a circular ribbon flare observed by NVST and SDO/AIA on 2014 March 17. The filament was located at one footpoint region of a large loops. The potential field extrapolation shows that it was embedded under a magnetic null point configuration. First, we observed a brightening of the filament at the corresponding EUV images, close to one end of the filament. With time evolution, a circular flare ribbon was observed around the filament at the onset of the eruption, which is regarded as a signature of reconnection at the null point. After the filament activation, its eruption took the form of a surge, which ejected along one end of a large-scale closed coronal loops with a curtain-like shape. We conjecture that the null point reconnection may facilitate the eruption of the filament.     

Models for the motions of flare loops and ribbons

We have found a conformal mapping which is valid for any magnetic boundary condition at the photosphere and which can be used to determine the evolution of an open, two-dimensional magnetic field configuration as it relaxes to a closed one. Solutions obtained with this mapping are in quasi-static equilibrium, and they contain a vertical current sheet and have line-tied boundary conditions. As a specific example, we determine the solution for a boundary condition corresponding to a submerged, two-dimensional dipole below the photosphere. We assume that the outer edges of the hottest X-ray loops correspond to field lines mapping from the outer edges of the H ribbon to the lower tip of the current sheet where field lines reconnect at aY-type neutral line which rises with time. The cooler H loops are assumed to lie along the field lines mapping to the inner edges of the flare ribbons. With this correspondence between the plasma structures and the magnetic field we determine the shrinkage that field lines are observed to undergo as they are disconnected from the neutral line. During the early phase of the flare, we predict that shrinkage inferred from the height of the H and X-ray loops is close to 100% of the loop height. However, the shrinkage should rapidly decrease with time to values on the order of 20% by the late phase. We also predict that the shrinkage in very large loops obeys a universal scaling law which is independent of the boundary condition, provided that the field becomes self-similar (i.e., all field lines have the same shape) at large distances. Specifically, for any self-similar field containing aY-type neutral line, the observed shrinkage at large distances should decrease as (X/X _R)^–2/3, where X is the ribbon width andX _Ris the ribbon separation. Finally, we discuss the relation between the electric field at the neutral line and the motions of the flare loops and ribbons.     

Mass motions in active region filaments

Mass motions in active region filaments of regions NOAA 4171 and McMath 16208 are analyzed. Both regions were continuously observed with the Zeiss Lyot filter for about a week at the Hida Observatory. As for NOAA 4171, Dopplergrams are made from the H filtergrams of 7 wavelengths for the qualitative study of the velocity fields in the filament, and Beckers' cloud model analysis is employed for a quantitative study of them. Dopplergrams of McMath 16208 are also constructed for qualitative analyses to determine whether the results derived from the analysis of NOAA 4171 are applicable to this region.The following results are obtained. Matter in the long-lived filaments, which lie along the magnetic neutral lines, flows generally horizontally and along the axes of the filaments. Since the matter in the filaments is considered to flow along the magnetic field, the magnetic fields in the filaments must be highly sheared. The same patterns of mass flow are found in the same filaments on successive days; some of them last for at least several days. Some filaments show long-lived symmetrical downflows to both of their ends in which the velocity is about 30 km s^-1. Such flows are seen both in NOAA 4171 and McMath 16208. We show a morphological model of such flows.Contributions from the Kwasan and Hida Observatory, Kyoto University, No. 295.     

Mass motions in the transition region

Following previous order of magnitude estimates (Poletto, 1980), the possibility that hot downflowing motions in the solar transition region could be ascribed to spicular matter returning to the chromosphere after being heated by compression, is more thoroughly investigated. The equations describing the one-dimensional non stationary motion of the spicular plasma during the heating process are analytically solved, and the temporal profiles of temperature, density and velocity are given for a set of representative situations. The results are finally compared with available data.     

X-ray observations of filament eruption in the 1980 May 21 flare

X-ray and H observations of an erupting filament, discussed herein, and other observations of the associated flare on 1980 May 21, suggest that an erupting filament played a major role in the X-ray flare. While Antonucci et al. (1985) analyzed the May 21 flare as one of the best cases of chromospheric evaporation, the possible contribution from X-ray emitting erupting plasma has been ignored. We show that pre-heated plasma existed and may have contributed part of the blue-shifted X-ray emission observed in the Caxix line, which was formerly attributed solely to chromospheric evaporation. Thus it remains an open question - in two-ribbon flares in particular - just how important chromospheric evaporation is in flare dynamics.     

Mass motions associated with solar flares

Mass motions are a principal means by which components of solar flares can be distinguished. Typical patterns of mass motions in H are described for chromospheric flare ribbons, remote chromospheric flare patches, flare loops, flaring arches, surges, erupting filaments and some expanding coronal features. Interrelationships between these phenomena are discussed and illustrations of each are presented.     

Reconnection driven by an erupting filament in the May 14, 1981 flare

We present observations of the flare of May 14, 1981, which can be classified as a three-ribbon flare. After a detailed analysis in metric, decimetric, microwave, optical, and X-ray ranges we propose that the event was caused by a reconnection process driven by erupting filament. The energy was liberated in the current sheet above the filament in the region between the erupting flux and the overlying field. It is shown that plasma microinstabilities develop as the plasma enters the current sheet. The observations indicate that during the precursor phase a certain low-frequency turbulence, such as ion-accoustic turbulence had to be present.The reconnection rate was growing due to the increasing tension of the stretched overlying field. It is shown that the reconnection proceeded in the Sonnerup-Petschek regime during the precursor, and changed to the pile-up regime in the fast reconnection phase, when the maximal lateral expansion (50 km s^–1) of the H ribbons was observed. The proposed process of reconnection driven by an erupting filament can be applied to three- and four-ribbon flares.     

Plasma motions in the flare of 1982 June 6 (X12)

This paper analyzes soft X-ray spectra obtained from the Hinotori spacecraft for the investigation of plasma motions during the initial phase of the great flare, 1982 June 6. The wavelength calibration of the scanning spectrometers is determined from information on the spacecraft attitude and from the position of the Fexxv resonance line during the decay phase. Hard X-ray bursts, nonthermal line broadenings and blueshifted components in X-ray lines are temporally correlated with time differences of 0–30 s. The possible contribution of the blueshifted component to the line width decreases more rapidly than the nonthermal broadening, which suggests dominant plasma motions are taking place at higher and higher altitude in the corona, because of the increase of electron density in flaring loops. The evolution of the input kinetic energy content to the thermal plasma inferred from line broadenings in the impulsive phase resembles that of the thermal energy content in the source of the Fexxvi emission, which is different from that deduced for Fexxv source. This suggests that the origins of the nonthermal line broadening and Fexxvi source are closely coupled.     

Description of mass motions and brightenings in a class 2b flare,August 8, 1968

Filtergrams spanning Hα ± 4.1 Å, supplemented with observations at 2.8 and 3 GHz, are used variously to describe the onset, dormancy, and flash phase of this 2b flare. Among the phenomena observed are 17- and 23-sec periodic pulsations in the microwave data early in the flare and formation of perpendicular, overlapping threads of red-shifted and blue-shifted material late in the flare.     

Model for flare loops,fast motions,and opening of magnetic field in the corona

A model is presented for the penetration into the corona of a new magnetic field of a developing bipolar region and for its interaction with an old large-scale coronal field. An important feature of the model is a reconnection of the old and new fields inside the current sheet arising along the zero line of the total magnetic field calculated in the potential approximation. The magnetic reconnection and accumulation of plasma inside the current sheet can explain the appearance of dense coronal loops and the energy source at their tops. The plasma together with the magnetic lines is flowed into the sheet from both its sides. This fact explains the appearance of coronal cavities above the loops. If the large-scale field gradually decreases with the height, the loop motion is slowed down. The account of the dipolar structure of the magnetic field at large heights explains the possibility of a rapid break of the new field through the corona and the appearance of transients and open field regions - the coronal holes. In this case a fast rising current sheet can be a source of accelerated particles and of type II radio burst, instead of the shock wave considered usually.     

The stability of line tied force-free cylindrical arcades: Is an active region filament a requirement for a two-ribbon flare?

The MHD stability of force-free, cylindrical arcades is investigated, including the stabilising effect of photospheric line tying. It is found that a wide variety of fields are stable. This suggests that either a departure from a force free equilibrium or suppression of line tying is necessary if a two-ribbon flare is to be triggered. It is postulated that in both circumstances, the existence of an active region filament is an essential preflare requirement for a two-ribbon flare.     

A comparison between magnetic shear and flare shear in a well-observed M-class flare

We give an extensive multi-wavelength analysis of an eruptive M1.0/1N class solar flare, which occurred in the active region NOAA 10044 on 2002 July 26. Our empha-sis is on the relationship between magnetic shear and flare shear. Flare shear is defined as the angle formed between the line connecting the centroids of the two ribbons of the flare and the line perpendicular to the magnetic neutral line. The magnetic shear is computed from vector magnetograms observed at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), while the flare shear is computed from Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) 1700A images. By a detailed comparison, we find that: 1) The magnetic shear and the flare shear of this event are basically consistent, as judged from the directions of the transverse mag-netic field and the line connecting the two ribbons' centroids. 2) During the period of the enhancement of magnetic shear, flare shear had a fast increase followed by a fluctuated decrease. 3) When the magnetic shear stopped its enhancement, the fluctuated decreasing behavior of the flare shear became very smooth. 4) Hard X-ray (HXR) spikes are well correlated with the unshearing peaks on the time profile of the rate of change of the flare shear. We give a discussion of the above phenomena.     

Second-stage acceleration in a limb-occulted flare

We analyze hard and soft X-ray, microwave and meter wave radio, interplanetary particle, and optical data for the complex energetic solar event of 22 July 1972. The flare responsible for the observed phenomena most likely occurred 20° beyond the NW limb of the Sun, corresponding to an occultation height of 45 000 km. A group of type III radio bursts at meter wavelengths appeared to mark the impulsive phase of the flare, but no impulsive hard X-ray or microwave burst was observed. These impulsive-phase phenomena were apparently occulted by the solar disk as was the soft X-ray source that invariably accompanies an H flare. Nevertheless essentially all of the characteristic phenomena associated with second-stage acceleration in flares - type II radio burst, gradual second stage hard X-ray burst, meter wave flare continuum (FC II), extended microwave continuum, energetic electrons and ions in the interplanetary medium - were observed. The spectrum of the escaping electrons observed near Earth was approximately the same as that of the solar population and extended to well above 1 MeV.Our analysis of the data leads to the following results: (1) All characteristics are consistent with a hard X-ray source density n _i 10⁸ cm^–3 and magnetic field strength 10 G. (2) The second-stage acceleration was a physically distinct phenomenon which occurred for tens of minutes following the impulsive phase. (3) The acceleration occurred continuously throughout the event and was spatially widespread. (4) The accelerating agent was very likely the shock wave associated with the type II burst. (5) The emission mechanism for the meter-wave flare continuum source may have been plasma-wave conversion, rather than gyrosynchrotron emission.     

Decrease of 2800 MHz solar radio emission associated with a moving dark filament before the flare of May 19, 1969

A decrease in the total flux at 2800 MHz, or a negative burst was observed 15 min before the onset of the short duration, impulsive burst of May 19, 1969 at 14:30 UT and continued for another 16 min. It had been recognized originally in the records from the Algonquin Radio Observatory only as a fluctuation in a long enduring, gradual rise and fall event which had commenced at 12:40 UT. A detailed account of the radio flux variations in relation to the optical activity as described by Vorpahl (1973) is given and indicates that the onset of the negative burst and the southward motion of a dark filament are associated.Presented at 140th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, June 1973, Columbus, Ohio.     

Rotating eruption of an untwisting filament triggered by the 3B flare of 25 April, 1984

A great 3B flare, whose X-ray class was X13, occurred over a delta-sunspot at 00: 01 UT on April 25, 1984. Before the flare, a strong magnetic shear was found to be formed along the neutral line in the delta-sunspot with shear motions of umbrae. The shear motions of the umbrae were caused by the successive emergence of a magnetic flux rope.Before the flare, several groups of sheared H threads and filaments were found to merge into an elongated filament along the neutral line through the delta-sunspot. In the merging process the helical twists were formed in the filament by the reconnection as in the Pneuman's (1983) model.At the post-maximum phase of the flare, the helically twisted filament spouted out with an untwisting rotation. Examining the morphological and dynamical features of the filament eruption, we concluded that it has some typical features of the flare spray and that it seems to be accelerated by the sweeping-magnetictwist mechanism proposed by Shibata and Uchida (1986).Contributions from the Kwasan and Hida Observatories, University of Kyoto, No. 276.