Time Lags between the 22 and 37 GHz Bursts of 48 Radio-loud AGNs

Based on the light curves at 22 and 37 GHz from the Metsahovi monitoring pro-gram, we investigate the time lags between the two radio bands for 48 radio-loud AGNs. DCF and ZDCF analyses are applied to the data. Our results show that there is a strong correlation between the two radio frequencies for all the sources, with the variations in the light curvesat 37 GHz leading the ones at 22 GHz in general. There is no obvious differences between different sub-class AGNs as regards the time lag. In two sources, it was found that the bursts at the lower frequency lead the ones at the higher frequency. One possible explanation is that electron acceleration dominates the light curve until the radiation reaches the maximum. Some sources, such as 3C 273, 3C 279, 3C 345 and 3C 454.3, have good enough data, so we can calculate their lags burst-by-burst. Our calculations show that different outbursts have dif- ferent lags. Some bursts have positive lags, most of bursts have no clear lags, and a few have negative lags. This result means that different bursts are triggered by different mechanisms, and the interpretation for the result involves both an intrinsic and a geometric mechanism. The positive lags are well consistent with the shock model, and we use these lags to calculate the typical magnetic field strength of the radiating region.     

Observations of extragalactic radio sources at 36 GHz

The observations of 34 extragalactic radio sources with the 22-m Crimean Astrophysical Observatory radio telescope at 36 GHz in 1985–1994 are presented. Intensity variations were detected in 27 objects, which may result from the appearance of new components in their cores.     

Short-Term Correlation of Solar Activity and Sunspot: Evidence of Lifetime Increase

We perform a nonlinear study of the short-term correlation properties of the solar activity (daily range) in order to reveal their long-life variations. We estimate the lifetime of the high-frequency component of a Markov-type signal when the high-frequency component is modulated by a slowly varying multiplicative factor. This treatment is applied to different series of solar activity: Wolf Sunspot numbers (WSN), Sunspot Group numbers (SGN), and Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) sunspot group series. We obtain that all the lifetime estimates exhibit similar temporal variations that agree with the variations of the sunspot lifetimes directly measured from the RGO data and those of the sunspot areas. An increase of lifetimes by a factor 1.4 is observed from 1915 to 1940. At the same time, a stable ratio is observed between the sunspot group’s maximal area and the lifetime, confirming the Gnevyshev–Waldmeier-type relationship. The analysis identifies also time intervals where the homogeneity of the different time series may be questioned.     

Short-period variability in the Class II methanol maser source G12.89+0.49 (IRAS 18089−1732)

Time series are presented for the Class II methanol maser source G12.89+0.49, which has been monitored for nine years at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory. The 12.2 and 6.7 GHz methanol masers were seen to exhibit rapid, correlated variations on time-scales of less than a month. Daily monitoring has revealed that the variations have a periodic component with a period of 29.5 d. The period seems to be stable over the 110 cycles spanned by the time series. There are variations from cycle to cycle, with the peak of the flare occurring anywhere within an 11 d window, but the minima occur at the same phase of the cycle. Time delays of up to 5.7 d are seen between spectral features at 6.7 GHz and a delay of 1.1 d is seen between the dominant 12.2 GHz spectral feature and its 6.7 GHz counterpart.     

Multilevel Analysis of Oscillation Motions in Active Regions of the Sun

The nature of the three-minute and five-minute oscillations observed in sunspots is considered to be an effect of propagation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves from the photosphere to the solar corona. However, the real modes of these waves and the nature of the filters that result in rather narrow frequency bands of these modes are still far from being generally accepted, in spite of a large amount of observational material obtained in a wide range of wave bands. The significance of this field of research is based on the hope that local seismology can be used to find the structure of the solar atmosphere in magnetic tubes of sunspots. We expect that substantial progress can be achieved by simultaneous observations of the sunspot oscillations in different layers of the solar atmosphere in order to gain information on propagating waves. In this study we used a new method that combines the results of an oscillation study made in optical and radio observations. The optical spectral measurements in photospheric and chromospheric lines of the line-of-sight velocity were carried out at the Sayan Solar Observatory. The radio maps of the Sun were obtained with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 1.76 cm. Radio sources associated with the sunspots were analyzed to study the oscillation processes in the chromosphere – corona transition region in the layer with magnetic field B=2000 G. A high level of instability of the oscillations in the optical and radio data was found. We used a wavelet analysis for the spectra. The best similarities of the spectra of oscillations obtained by the two methods were detected in the three-minute oscillations inside the sunspot umbra for the dates when the active regions were situated near the center of the solar disk. A comparison of the wavelet spectra for optical and radio observations showed a time delay of about 50 seconds of the radio results with respect to the optical ones. This implies an MHD wave traveling upward inside the umbral magnetic tube of the sunspot. For the five-minute oscillations the similarity in spectral details could be found only for optical oscillations at the chromospheric level in the umbral region or very close to it. The time delays seem to be similar. Besides three-minute and five-minute ones, oscillations with longer periods (8 and 15 minutes) were detected in optical and radio records. Their nature still requires further observational and theoretical study for even a preliminary discussion.     

太阳微波尖峰辐射的高时间、高频率分辨率偏振观测

利用北京天文台 ２．６—３．８ ＧＨｚ频谱仪的观测资料,找到 １１个微波尖峰辐射事件．尖峰一般具有数十毫秒的寿命,数百个ｓｆｕ的流量密度和数十至数百ＭＨｚ的带宽,这与以前的报道类似．尖峰的偏振度各式各样,有的尖峰还有数千ＭＨｚ／ｓ的频率漂移．某些尖峰在二个偏振态之间有８毫秒的时间延迟（最大延迟可达１６毫秒）．另外,还发现了尖峰的偏振度随频率剧烈变化的偏振反转现象．     

Radio, Hard X-Ray, EUV and Optical Study of September 9, 2002 Solar Flare

The multi-wavelength analysis is performed on a flare on September 9, 2002 with data of Owens Valley Solar Arrays (OVSA), Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), and Extreme UV Imager Telescope (EIT), and The Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on board of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The radio sources at 4.8 and 6.2 GHz located in the intersection of two flaring loops at 195 of SOHO/EIT respectively with two dipole magnetic fields of SOHO/MDI, in which one EIT loop was coincident with an X-ray loop of RHESSI at 12–25 keV, and two H_αbright kernels a1 and a2 of BBSO, respectively at the two footpoints of this loop; the second EIT loop connected another two H_αkernels b1 and b2 and radio sources at 7.8 and 8.2 GHz of OVSA. The maximum phase of microwave bursts was evidently later than that of hard X-ray bursts and H_αkernels a1 and a2, but consistent with that of H_αkernels b1 and b2. Moreover, the flare may be triggered by the interaction of the two flaring loops, which is suggested by the cross-correlation of radio, optical, and X-ray light curves of a common quasi-periodic oscillation in the rising phase, as well as two peaks at about 7 and 9 GHz of the microwave spectra at the peak times of the oscillation, while the bi-directional time delays at two reversal frequencies respectively at 7.8 and 9.4 GHz (similar to the peak frequencies of the microwave spectra) may indicate two reconnection sites at different coronal levels. The microwave and hard X-ray footpoint sources located in different EUV and optical loops may be explained by different magnetic field strength and the pitch angle distribution of nonthermal electrons in these two loops.     

Time delays in solar bursts measured in the mm-cm range of wavelengths

Various solar bursts have been analysed with high sensitivity (0.03 sfu, rms) and high-time resolution (1 ms) at two frequencies in the millimeter wave range (22 GHz and 44 GHz), and with moderate time resolution (100 ms) by a patrol telescope at a frequency in the microwave range (7 GHz). It was found that, in most cases, burst maximum emission is not coincident in time at those frequencies. Preceding maximum emission can be either at the higher or at the lower frequency. Time delays ranged from about 3 s to near coincidence, defined within 10 ms. Some complex bursts presented all kinds of delays among different time structures, and sometimes nearly uncorrelated time structures.Large time delays favour the association of the dynamic effects to shock wave speeds. Directional particle acceleration in complex magnetic configuration could be considered to explain the variety of the dynamic effects. Fastest burst rise times observed, less than 50 ms at 44 GHz and at 22 GHz, might be associated to limiting formation times of emission sources combined with various absorption mechanisms at the source and surrounding plasma.In memoriam, 1942–1981.INPE operates Itapetinga Radio Observatory and CRAAM.     

Changes of solar magnetic asymmetry

The results of an analysis of the north–south asymmetry in solar activity and solar magnetic fields are reported. The analysis is based on solar mean magnetic field and solar polar magnetic field time series, 1975–2015 (http://wso.stanford.edu), and the Greenwich sunspot data, 1875–2015 (http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/greenwch.shtml). A long-term cycle (small-scale magnetic fields, toroidal component) of ~140 years is identified in the north–south asymmetry in solar activity by analyzing the cumulative sum of the time series for the north–south asymmetry in the area of sunspots. A comparative analysis of the variations in the cumulative sums of the time series composed of the daily values of the sun’s global magnetic field and in the asymmetry of the daily sunspot data over the time interval 1975–2015 shows that the photospheric large-scale magnetic fields may also have a similar long-term cycle. The variations in the asymmetry of large-scale and small-scale solar magnetic fields (sunspot area) are in sync until 2005.5 and in antiphase since then.     

Multiple-loop structure of a solar flare from Microwave,EUV and X-ray Imaging Data

We present the results of an analysis of a flare event of importance M2.8 that occurred at 00:56 UT 28 August 1999. The analysis is based upon observations made with the Nobeyama radioheliograph (NoRH) and polarimeters (NoRP), TRACE, SOHO/MDI, EIT, and Yohkoh/SXT. The images show a very complex flaring region. Pre-flare TRACE and EIT images at 00:24 UT show a small brightening in the region before the flare occurred. The active region in which the flare occurred had evolving magnetic fields, and new magnetic flux seems to have emerged. The X-ray and radio time profiles for this event show a double-peaked structure. The polarimeter data showed that the maximum radio emission (1200 s.f.u.) occurred at 9.4 GHz. At 17 GHz the NoRH images appear to show four different radio sources including the main spot and the main flare loop. Most of the microwave emission seems to originate from the main flare loop. Comparison of BATSE and microwave time profiles at 17 and 34 GHz from the main sunspot source shows that these profiles have similar structures and they coincide with the hard X-ray peaks. The maximum of the flare loop emission was delayed by 10 s relative to the second maximum of the sunspot associated flare emission. Analysis of SXT images during the post-flare phase shows a complex morphology – several intersecting loops and changes in the shape of the main flare loop.     

Multi-Site Spectrographic and Heliographic Observations of Radio Fine Structure on April 10, 2001

We present results of the first simultaneous observations of zebra patterns (ZPs) with super-fine spiky structure in the microwave range made at two observatories ～1000 km apart (Beijing and Nanjing, China). The fine structure was recorded by a spectra polarimeter in the 5.2 – 7.6 and 2.8 – 3.6 GHz ranges at the Huairou station and by the spectrometer in the 4.5 – 7.5 GHz range at the Purple Mountain Observatory. Simultaneously, the locations of radio sources were observed by the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope (SSRT) at 5.7 GHz. For a general analysis of the April 10, 2001 event, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Michelson Doppler Imager (SOHO/MDI) data and Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) images in EUV 171 Å line were used. The circular polarization degree was very weak for the burst background radio emission and moderate to strong for the fine structure. The polarization sign in all the cases probably corresponds to the extraordinary wave mode. Estimations of the magnetic field values in the whistler model for fine structure agree well with the extrapolated values from magnetic maps. Given the possibility of wave transformation in the perpendicular magnetic field and the spiky structure of the ZP, the whistler wave model appears to be the most appropriate explanation for the zebra stripe phenomenon.     

Spatial and Temporal Scales of Coronal Magnetic Restructuring in the Development of Coronal Mass Ejections

It has been commonly accepted that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) result from the restructuring or reconfiguring of large-scale coronal magnetic fields. In this paper, we analyzed four CME events using Nançay Radioheliograph (NRH) images and the experiments onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft to understand the coronal restructuring leading to CME initiation. We investigated the onset, duration, and position of the radio emissions in relation to EUV dimming and the inferred CME onset. It has been identified that the early CME development on the solar disk is characterized by a series of distinct radio bursts. These nonthermal radio sources appeared in phase with coronal dimming shown by SOHO-EIT images and are located within the EUV dimming or ongoing dimming regions. Three time scales are identified: the duration, the separation of individual radio bursts, and the overall time scale of all of the nonthermal sources. They fall in the ranges of approximately tens of seconds to three minutes, one to three minutes, and 15 – 20 minutes, respectively. The individual radio emission seems to shift and expand at the speed of the fast magnetoacoustic waves in the corona; while the nonthermal radio emissions as a whole appear episodically to correspond to the successive coronal restructuring. If we define the triggering speed by dividing the overall spatial scale by the temporal scale of all the radio bursts, then the triggering speed falls in the range of 300 – 400 km s^?1. This implies that the general process of coronal restructuring and reconfiguring takes place at a speed slower than either the Alvfenic or acoustic speed in the corona. This is a type of speed of “topology waves,” i.e., the speed of successive topology changes from closed to open field configuration.     

Time – Distance Analysis of the Emerging Active Region NOAA 10790

We investigate the emergence of Active Region NOAA 10790 by means of time?–?distance helioseismology. Shallow regions of increased sound speed at the location of increased magnetic activity are observed, with regions becoming deeper at the locations of sunspot pores. We also see a long-lasting region of decreased sound speed located underneath the region of the flux emergence, possibly relating to a temperature perturbation due to magnetic quenching of eddy diffusivity, or to a dense flux tube. We detect and track an object in the subsurface layers of the Sun characterised by increased sound speed which could be related to emerging magnetic-flux and thus obtain a provisional estimate of the speed of emergence of around 1 km?s^?1.     

Reconstruction of Wolf Sunspot Numbers on the Basis of Spectral Characteristics and Estimates of Associated Radio Flux and Solar Wind Parameters for the Last Millennium

A reconstruction of sunspot numbers for the last 1000 years was obtained using a sum of sine waves derived from spectral analysis of the time series of sunspot number R _z for the period 1700–1999. The time series was decomposed in frequency levels using the wavelet transform, and an iterative regression model (ARIST) was used to identify the amplitude and phase of the main periodicities. The 1000-year reconstructed sunspot number reproduces well the great maximums and minimums in solar activity, identified in cosmonuclides variation records, and, specifically, the epochs of the Oort, Wolf, Spörer, Maunder, and Dalton Minimums as well the Medieval and Modern Maximums. The average sunspot number activity in each anomalous period was used in linear equations to obtain estimates of the solar radio flux F _10.7, solar wind velocity, and the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field.     

Magnetic fields of sunspots based on combined optical and radio observations

In the present paper we present the results of measurement of magnetic fields in some sunspots at different heights in the solar atmosphere, based on simultaneous optical and radio measurements. The optical measurements were made by traditional photographic spectral observations of Zeeman splitting in a number of spectral lines originating at different heights in the solar photosphere and chromosphere. Radio observations of the spectra and polarization of the sunspot - associated sources were made in the wavelength range of 2–4 cm using large reflector-type radio telescope RATAN-600. The magnetic field penetrating the hot regions of the solar atmosphere were found from the shortest wavelength of generation of thermal cyclotron emission (presumably in the third harmonic of electron gyrofrequency). For all the eight cases under consideration we have found that magnetic field first drops with height, increases from the photosphere to lower chromosphere, and then decreases again as we proceed to higher chromosphere and chromosphere-corona transition region. Radio measurements were found to be well correlated with optical measurements of magnetic fields for the same sunspot. An alternative interpretation implies that different lines used for magnetic field measurements refer to different locations on the solar surface. If this is the case, then the inversion in vertical gradients of magnetic fields may not exist above the sunspots. Possible sources of systematic and random errors are also discussed.     

Large-Scale Structure of the Sunspot Activity and the Background Magnetic Field Formation

Large-scale distribution of the sunspot activity of the Sun has been analyzed by using a technique worked out previously (Erofeev, 1997) to study long-lived, non-axisymmetric magnetic structures with different periods of rotation. Results of the analysis have been compared with those obtained by analyzing both the solar large-scale magnetic field and large-scale magnetic field simulated by means of the well-known flux transport equation using the sunspot groups as a sole source of new magnetic flux in the photosphere. A 21-year period (1964–1985) has been examined.The rotation spectra calculated for the total time interval of two 11-year cycles indicate that sunspot activity consists of a series of discrete components (modes) with different periods of rotation. The largest-scale component of the sunspot activity reveals modes with 27-day and 28-day periods of rotation situated, correspondingly, in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun, and two modes with rotation periods of about 29.7 days situated in both hemispheres. Such a modal structure of the sunspot activity agrees well with that of the large-scale solar magnetic field. Moreover, the magnetic field distribution simulated with the flux transport equation also reveals the same modal structure. However, such an agreement between the large-scale solar magnetic field and both the sunspot activity and simulated magnetic field is unstable in time; so, it is absent in the northern hemisphere of the Sun during solar cycle No. 20. Thus the sources of magnetic flux responsible for formation of the large-scale, rigidly rotating magnetic patterns appear to be closely connected, but are not identical with the discrete modes of the sunspot activity.     

1998年9月23 日复杂太阳爆发射电联合观测的初步分析

利用北京天文台1998.09.23日1-2GHz和2.6-3.8GHz频谱仪观测到的一个Ⅲ-Ⅳ型复杂大爆发，结合俄罗斯SSRT和德国分米-米波动态频谱仪的观测资料，进行了初步的比对分析，拓展了关于日冕电子加速和日冕磁结构方面的一些研究内容，简单地注释了一些可研究的现象和运动Ⅳ型爆发及多重脉动的辐射机制。     

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.     

Cyclic and Long-Term Variation of Sunspot Magnetic Fields

Measurements from the Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) were used to study the long-term variations of sunspot field strengths from 1920 to 1958. Following a modified approach similar to that presented in Pevtsov et al. (Astrophys. J. Lett. 742, L36, 2011), we selected the sunspot with the strongest measured field strength for each observing week and computed monthly averages of these weekly maximum field strengths. The data show the solar cycle variation of the peak field strengths with an amplitude of about 500?–?700 gauss (G), but no statistically significant long-term trends. Next, we used the sunspot observations from the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) to establish a relationship between the sunspot areas and the sunspot field strengths for cycles 15?–?19. This relationship was used to create a proxy of the peak magnetic field strength based on sunspot areas from the RGO and the USAF/NOAA network for the period from 1874 to early 2012. Over this interval, the magnetic field proxy shows a clear solar cycle variation with an amplitude of 500?–?700 G and a weaker long-term trend. From 1874 to around 1920, the mean value of magnetic field proxy increases by about 300?–?350 G, and, following a broad maximum in 1920?–?1960, it decreases by about 300 G. Using the proxy for the magnetic field strength as the reference, we scaled the MWO field measurements to the measurements of the magnetic fields in Pevtsov et al. (2011) to construct a combined data set of maximum sunspot field strengths extending from 1920 to early 2012. This combined data set shows strong solar cycle variations and no significant long-term trend (the linear fit to the data yields a slope of ??0.2±0.8 G?year^?1). On the other hand, the peak sunspot field strengths observed at the minimum of the solar cycle show a gradual decline over the last three minima (corresponding to cycles 21?–?23) with a mean downward trend of ≈?15 G?year^?1.     

The wavelet analysis of the period of solar activity

Using the wavelet technique, we analyzed the time series of solar radio fluxes at 2800 MHz as well as sunspot numbers and areas. The results are as follows: (1) These three data sets demonstrate that the most prominent period is 10.69 years and that all other periods are not obvious. (2) The wavelet power spectrum displays the changes of the power spectrum over the entire time-period range and shows the variations in the local power of a given period in a given time interval. Our analysis shows that periods shorter than one year are distinct only around solar activity maximum. (3) The time curves of the wavelet power at three periods (10.69 years, 5.11 years and 155.5 days) for the three times series are rather alike, with the same times of peaks and similar undulations. The shorter the period, the more frequent the fluctuations.