Size of the hard X-ray source in the Crab Nebula

The size of the hard X-ray source in the Crab Nebula was observed with scintillation counters on board two balloons at a lunar occulatation on 24 January, 1975. The Gaussian width of the source is 34 (+17, –14) and the center thereof is offset from the pulsar by 6±4 at position angle 102°. The observed time profile can also be fitted to an alternative model of two line sources whose intensities are 48% at 11 and 25.5% at 7 on both sides of the pulsar.Paper presented at the COSPAR Symposium on Fast Transients in X- and Gamma-Rays, held at Varna, Bulgaria, 29–31 May, 1975.     

The impulsive and gradual phases of a solar limb flare as observed from the solar maximum mission satellite

Simultaneous observations of a solar limb flare in the X-ray and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum are presented. Temporal and spectral X-ray observations were obtained for the 25–300 keV range while temporal, spectral, and spatial X-ray observations were obtained for the 30–0.3 keV range. The ultraviolet observations were images with a 10 spatial resolution in the lines of O v (T _e 2.5 × 10⁵ K) and Fe xxi (T _e 1.1 × 10⁷ K). The hard X-ray and O v data indicate that the impulsive phase began in the photosphere or chromosphere and continued for several minutes as material was ejected into the corona. Impulsive excitation was observed up to 30 000 km above the solar surface at specific points in the flare loop. The Fe xxi observations indicate a preheating before the impulsive phase and showed the formation of hot post-flare loops. This later formation was confirmed by soft X-ray observations. These observations provide limitations for current flare models and will provide the data needed for initial conditions in modeling the concurrent coronal transient.     

The Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (HXIS)

The HXIS, a joint instrument of the Space Research Laboratory at Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the Department of Space Research of the University of Birmingham, U.K., images the Sun in hard X-rays: Six energy bands in energy range 3.5–30 keV, spatial resolution 8 over Ø 240 and 32 over Ø 624 field of view, and time resolution of 0.5–7 s depending on the mode of operation. By means of a flare flag it alerts all the other SMM instruments when a flare sets in and informs them about the location of the X-ray emission. The experiment should yield information about the position, extension and spectrum of the hard X-ray bursts in flares, their relation to the magnetic field structure and to the quasi-thermal soft X-rays, and about the characteristics and development of type IV electron clouds above flare regions.     

An observational study of the 2B/X2.8 flare of 30 March, 1982 in optical,radio, and X-ray ranges

The 2B/X2.8 double-ribbon flare of 30 March, 1982 is investigated using H, white light, X-rays, and microwaves. The X-ray burst seems to consist of two components, i.e., an impulsive component showing a long chain of peaks and a thermal component (T 2 × 10⁷ K).In the early phase, the source images for the impulsive component were available simultaneously at soft (7–14 keV) and hard (20–40 keV) X-rays. Both sources are elongated along a neutral line. The core of the source for the hard X-rays is located at one end which seems to be a footpoint (or a leg) of a loop or arcade, while the core for the soft X-rays is located at the center of the elongated source which would be the center of the loop. The core for the hard X-rays shifted to this center in the main and later phase, accompanied by decrease in the source size in the later phase.A peak of one-directional intensity distribution at 35 GHz always lies on the core of the hard X-ray source, showing a shift of the position synchronous with the hard X-ray core. This may imply a common source for the radio waves and the hard X-rays.The source of the thermal component observed at the soft X-rays (7–14 keV) after the early phase covers a whole H patches. This may imply a physical relation between the thermal X-ray loops and the H brightening.     

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.     

Vertical velocities and horizontal wave propagation in the solar photosphere

We used the Sacramento Peak Doppler-Zeeman Analyzer to study the velocity and magnetic fields in 60 × 300 areas on the solar disk. We map the steady component of the line-of-sight velocity and longitudinal magnetic fields and compare them with the coarse Ca⁺ network. The collective phase behavior of the 5-min oscillations is studied in detail. We find large scale phase coherence, including waves with typical horizontal phase velocities of 100 km/sec which can be followed up to 50 000 km. The important oscillatory features are interpreted in terms of the properties of modified sound waves. We find no apparent relationship between the steady and oscillatory fields.     

VLA observations of narrow-band decimetric burst emission

The Very Large Array was used to observe a multiply-impulsive solar radio burst at several wavelengths near 20 cm. The observations indicate that the impulsive emission was nearly 100% circularly polarized and originated in small regions of 10–20 in size. For one of the impulsive spikes, we find evidence of narrow-band emission that could be attributed to an electron-cyclotron maser. The radio data are also compared with soft X-ray data and interpreted in light of a model in which the coronal plasma is heated by maser burst emission.     

MULTISPECTRAL OBSERVATIONS OF AN ERUPTIVE FLARE

We analyze the pre-flare and impulsive phase of an eruptive (two-ribbon) flare at several wavelengths. The total energy (mechanical plus radiative) released by the flare is 8 x 10³⁰ erg, about a factor 6 higher than the free magnetic energy (1.3 10³⁰ erg) estimated from the non-potentiality of the magnetic field configuration in the flare area. During the impulsive phase, we find a very good time coincidence between the hard X-ray light curve and the light curves for 2 small areas ( 4 in size) in the red wing of the H line and in the He-D₃ line center. This temporal coincidence is compatible with the interpretation that hard X-ray emission is produced by bremsstrahlung of accelerated electron beams striking these dense areas. For the other regions of the H ribbons we find more gradual light curves, suggesting a different energy transport mechanism such as conduction.     

Measurements and variations of the solar diameter

As a consequence of an astrometry program, conducted since 1975 on a solar astrolabe at the Calern Observatory (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur), we have obtained a data set of apparent solar diameters which encompasses periods greater than one solar cycle. From a set of more than 5000 visual observations, made by the same observer between 1975 and 1994, the mean value of the semidiameter was measured at 959.42 ± 0.01. Also, a set of CCD measurements made with the same instrument between 1989 and 1994 yields the mean value 959.40 ± 0.01. Both results obtained by raw measurements are consistent but significantly differ from values obtained by other methods and on other instruments. We discuss some systematic effects that can affect our visual measurements and their precision. Taking account of a zenith distance effect provides for the semi-diameter a mean value closer to the value of the ephemeris. Our observations also reveal deviations around the mean diameter in the royal zones and for high heliographic latitudes; their amplitudes reaching as much as 0.08. Finally, semi-diameter variations appear in our series; their origin is unknown but they may possibly be related to observed variations of magnetic activity or other solar parameters.     

Location of type I radio continuum and bursts on Yohkoh soft X-ray maps

A solar type I noise storm was observed on 30 July, 1992 with the radio spectrometer Phoenix of ETH Zürich, the Very Large Array (VLA) and the soft X-ray (SXR) telescope on board theYohkoh satellite. The spectrogram was used to identify the type I noise storm. In the VLA images at 333 MHz a fully left circular polarized (100% LCP) continuum source and several highly polarized (70% to 100% LCP) burst sources have been located. The continuum and the bursts are spatially separated by about 100 and apparently lie on different loops as outlined by the SXR. Continuum and bursts are separated in the perpendicular direction to the magnetic field configuration. Between the periods of strong burst activities, burst-like emissions are also superimposed on the continuum source. There is no obvious correlation between the flux density of the continuum and the bursts. The burst sources have no systematic motion, whereas the the continuum source shows a small drift of 0.2 min^–1 along the X-ray loop in the long-time evolution. The VLA maps at higher frequency (1446 MHz) show no source corresponding to the type I event. The soft X-ray emission measure and temperature were calculated. The type I continuum source is located (in projection) in a region with enhanced SXR emission, a loop having a mean density of n _e = (1.5 ± 0.4) × 10⁹ cm^–3 and a temperature ofT = (2.1 ± 0.1) × 10⁶ K. The centroid positions of the left and right circularly polarized components of the burst sources are separated by 15–50 and seem to be on different loops. These observations contradict the predictions of existing type I theories.Presented at the CESRA-Workshop on Coronal Magnetic Energy Release at Caputh near Potsdam in May 1994.     

Location of the electron acceleration region in solar flares

Observations of impulsive solar flare X-rays 10 keV by the OGO-5 satellite and the measurements of energetic solar electrons made with the Explorer-35 and Explorer-41 (IMP-5) satellites during the period March 1968–September 1969 have been analyzed in order to determine the ion density in the X-ray source region as well as the location of the electron acceleration region in the solar atmosphere. If we assume that the efficiency of escape of the accelerated electrons into interplanetary space is 10^–3, the observations are found to be consistent with the following interpretation: (i) the ion density in the X-ray source region varies from event to event and lies between 10⁹ and 10¹¹ ions cm^–3 for those events in which the impulsive X-ray emission could be detected; (ii) for those events in which no impulsive emission was detected above threshold, the ion density in the X-ray source was < 10⁹ ions cm^–3; (iii) at least in some small solar flares the region where the electrons are accelerated during the flash phase is located in the lower corona.     

Solar astrometry by photolithography

Observed temporal variations of shape and size of the solar disk as viewed from Earth may act as constraints for theories of the interior of the Sun. In addition to existing programs of solar diameter measurements we investigate a ground-based photographic method.The solar limb profile is recorded on a photoresist-coated substrate over a 20 radial length simultaneously all along the circonference as a three-dimensional 21 mm diameter, 0.0015mm thick permanent object available for inspection by interferometric methods. The exposure time is long enough for filtering much of the atmospheric turbulence, whereas the slope of the observed solar limb should help to locate a standard solar limb. The first results of February 1989 at large zenith distance and low altitude are a set of differential measurements of the position of a solar limb around a circle with, after taking into account the 3.7 atmospheric differential refraction, a 0.34r.m.s. dispersion of the residuals for a fit to a circular solar disk.We estimate that this method of accuracy comparable to other ground-based methods, with potentially more than 600 independent simultaneous measurements along the circonference, could help to discriminate between terrestrial and solar causes for variations of shape and size of the solar disk.We note that operation outside the Earth's atmosphere would provide access not only to undisturbed images but also to UV wavelengths, i.e., to a better definition of the solar limb.     

The quantitative properties of three soft X-ray flare kernels observed with the AS&E X-ray telescope on Skylab

The physical parameters for the kernels of three solar X-ray flare events have been deduced using photographic data from the S-054 X-ray telescope on Skylab as the primary data source and 1–8 and 8–20 Å fluxes from Solrad 9 as the secondary data source. The kernels had diameters of 5–7 and in two cases electron densities at least as high as 3 × 10¹¹ cm^–3. The lifetimes of the kernels were 5–10 min. The presence of thermal conduction during the decay phases is used to argue: (1) that kernels are entire, not small portions of, coronal loop structures, and (2) that flare heating must continue during the decay phase.We suggest a simple geometric model to explain the role of kernels in flares in which kernels are identified with emerging flux regions. The flare is triggered at the neutral sheet between the EFR and a larger loop structure. We associate the X-ray kernels with H kernels, which previously associated (incorrectly, we believe) with the nonthermal impulsive phases of flares.Most of this work was completed while the author was a Visiting Scientist at the Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.     

Automatic solar image motion measurements

The solar seeing image motion has been monitored electronically and absolutely with a 25 cm telescope at three sites along the ridge at the southern end of the Magdalena Mountains west of Socorro, New Mexico. The uncorrelated component of the variations of the optical flux from two points at opposite limbs of the solar disk was continually monitored in 3 frequencies centred at 0.3, 3 and 30 Hz. The frequency band of maximum signal centred at 3 Hz showed the average absolute value of image motion to be somewhat less than 2 although wide variations from 20 to an extraordinarily quiet day of less than the measurement limit of 1/2 were observed. The observer estimates of combined blurring and image motion were well correlated with electronically measured image motion, but the observer estimates gave a larger value × 2 presumable because the electronic measurement gave only the uncorrelated motion of opposite limbs. Approximately 30% of the total solar time would allow spatial position measurements of solar features to a precision 2 and, from the visual estimates, blurring limited measurements to a precision 4.     

Tests of 4 single-stage image intensifier tubes for solar spectroscopy

Atmospheric image degradation can be reduced by shortening the exposure time. Therefore, four single-stage electrostatically focused image intensifier tubes with fiber optic output were tested in the laboratory for their suitability in solar spectroscopy. Under the premise that the spatial and spectral image scales (Capri: 5.9 mm^–1 and 9 mm Å^–1, resp.) should not be changed by a premagnification, the RCA tube 8605/V1 in combination with Copex Pan Rapid film turns out as the best choice. It yields a resolution of 55 line-pairs mm^–1 and a gain of exposure time by a factor of 14 over Kodak IV-E in the red, with only little increase of photometric noise but appreciable pin-cushion distortion.Mitteilung aus dem Fraunhofer Institut, Nr. 129.     

Spatial positions of fast-time structures of a solar burst observed at 48 GHz

The impulsive solar burst of October 28, 1992 showed temporal and spatial fine structures that were observed at 48 GHz with the multi-beam antenna of the Itapetinga Radio Observatory. The relative positions of burst centroids were determined with a spatial accuracy of 2, with a temporal resolution of 1 millisecond. The burst intensity time profile shows fast pulses of about one second duration, superimposed by subsecond time structures. The spatial analysis of the fast pulses suggests that the emission originated from distinct locations, separated by about 5. Our results favour the idea that impulsive solar bursts are a superposition of small elementary events spread both in time and space, probably resulting from discontinuous energy release processes.     

Mise En évidence De La Granulation Solaire à 2000 Å

Résumé Huit photographies monochromatiques (=2000 Å) au bord du soleil sont analysées en vue de mettre en évidence la granulation dans le domaine ultra-violet lointain. La fenêtre spectrale est définie par deux filtres interférentiels qui donnent une bande passante à mi-hauteur de 125 Å. Ces clichés de haute résolution ont été obtenus en ballon stratosphérique à une altitude de 30 500 m en profitant d'une fenêtre de transparence atmosphérique et en utilisant un télescope Cassegrain de 20 cm d'ouverture dont la résolution atteint 1. Ce télescope était porté par un dispositif pointeur de soleil dont la stabilité à court terme était meilleure que 2. Les clichés ont été pris à intervalles de 210 secondes avec un temps de pose de 0.25 seconde. On observe d'une part des variations de brillance grossières de largeur comprise entre 10 et 20 qui sont interprétées comme microfacules chromosphériques de durée de vie supérieure à 1/2 heure. On observe d'autre part une granulation dont la distribution densitométrique pour laquelle on a calculé les fonctions de corrélation et de structure présente une corrélation limitée à une distance angulaire de 4.

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Summary Eight ultra-violet monochromatic pictures at the limb of the sun are analyzed for evidence of granulation in this spectral range ( = 2000 Å). The spectral window (125 Å) is defined by two interference filters. These high-resolution pictures were obtained with a 20 cm Cassegrain telescope carried at 30 500 m of altitude by a stratospheric balloon. The resolution of the telescope is 1. The instrument is mounted on a sunpointing control of excellent short time stability (2). The pictures were taken at intervals of 210 seconds with a 0.25 second exposure. Large brilliant irregularities 10 to 20 in diameter are interpreted as chromospheric microfaculae with a half-hour lifetime. On the other hand, the smaller irregularities are interpreted as ultra-violet granulation. Using the correlation and structure functions, the analysis of the density distribution shows that spatial correlation of these irregularities is limited to a 4 range.

     

A two-component model of impulsive microwave burst emission consistent with soft and hard X-rays

A two-component (core-halo) emission model has been applied reconciling hard and soft X-ray burst emissions with the microwave burst radiation. The core region is represented by a nonthermal energy distribution (Maxwellian+power law tail) and assumed to be surrounded by a thermal halo. Parameters characterizing the energy distribution and emission measures have been derived numerically from soft and hard X-ray measurements. Using an artificial magnetic field model the microwave flux spectrum has been calculated on the basis of gyro-synchrotron emission and absorption by solving the equation of radiation transfer along the ray trajectories. Open parameters were used to adapt the spectrum to the radio measurements.Thus probable informations about the most appropriate magnetic field parameters as well as about the time- and frequency- dependent source diameters (yielding growth velocities of the core region during the impulsive phase) are deduced for the burst of 1972 May 18 as an example. A fit of the observed spectrum at the burst maximum is consistent with a magnetic field of 150O G at the core centre decreasing up to about 40 G at the top of the halo at a height of 50 000 km above the centre, a core density of 10¹⁰ cm^–3 decreasing to 10⁹ cm^–3 at the outer halo boundary, and a core diameter of 15 000 km (]20).Due to the simple geometry and emission process adopted,- the model refers primarily to special impulsive bursts. For the representation of broad band microwave bursts, e.g. type IV , events, a more complex source geometry and/or other variants of the emission mechanism must be invoked.     

Structure investigations of 3C 196 and 3C 280 in the decameter waveband

Observational results are presented concerning the structure of the quasar 3C 196 and the radio galaxy 3C 280 at 20 and 25 MHz, obtained by the scintillation method with the URAN-1 interferometer. Angular dimensions of the scintillating components and extended regions of the sources have been evaluated. In the case of the quasar 3C 196, the effective angular size of the scintillating component equals 2±1 _. 5 and that of the extended region 18×25.The contribution of the compact component into the total radiation flux is 0.46±0.20. Spectra of the structural formations in 3C 196 have been obtained in the range 20–5000 MHz.For the radio galaxy 3C 280 the effective angular size of the scintillating component equals 1 _. 5±1 _. 2. and that of the extended region exceeds 10 _. The contribution into the total flux due to the scintillating part is 0.35±0.20.The data obtained are analyzed together with the results measured at higher frequencies. It is pointed out that in a wide frequency range, the effect of wave scattering in the interstellar medium does not exceed measurement errors,hence bringing about no increase in the compact component sizes of the sources observed.     

Dependence of the correlation of small scale photospheric structures upon resolution

Correlations between continuum intensity, velocity, and equivalent widths of two Mn i lines as observed with two different entrance apertures tend to deteriorate with improvement in spatial resolution. The KPNO multichannel magnetograph was used to make area scans at the center of the disk with entrance apertures 3.5×2.5 arc and 1×1 arc. A coherence analysis shows that this effect is caused by marked differences of fluctuations in temperature and temperature gradients as well as in the velocity structure of photospheric elements of various sizes.