Observational evidence for solar coronal decimetric radio pulsations with very short periods

Using the decimetric (700–1500 MHz) radio spectrometer and the synchronous observational system with high temporal resolution at four frequencies (1420, 2130, 2840 and 4260 MHz) of Yunnan Observatory, two rare events were observed on 2001 June 24 and 1990 July 30. The former was a small radio burst exhibiting pulsations with short periods (about 29, 40 and 100 ms) in the impulsive phase. The latter was a large radio burst, which at 2840 MHz produced radio pulsations with period of about 30 ms. This paper focuses on pulsations with very short periods in the range of 29–40 ms. The mechanism of generation of such pulsations may be modulation of radio radiation by the periodic trains of whistler packets originating in unstable regions of the corona. Alternatively, these pulsations can be attributed to wave-wave non-linear interactions of electrostatic upper hybrid waves driven by beams of precipitating electrons in flaring loops.     

Frequency Dependence of the Relation Between Repetition Rate and Burst Flux in Solar Radio Pulsations

The frequency dependence of the quasi-quantized energy release is reported for the first time in 14 bursts with pulsations of seconds at 1.0, 2.0, 3.75, 9.4, 17, and 35 GHz, observed by the Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters (NoRP). There is a linear correlation between the repetition rate of pulsations and the radio flux during the burst, the so-called R – S relation, at each burst frequency. The slope in the linear fitting, which is equivalent to the energy release in an individual pulse, becomes maximum at a particular frequency around 10 GHz, which can be explained by electrons accelerated in solar flares with maximum energy density around this frequency or coronal height.     

Dual pulsations in solar radio bursts at short centimeter wavelengths

It is well known that the oscillating MHD waves drive periodic variations in the magnetic field. But how the MHD waves can be triggered in the flaring loops is not yet well known. It seems to us that this problem should be connected with the physical processes occurring in the flare loop during a solar flare. A peculiar solar flare event at 04:00–04:51 UT on May 23, 1990 was observed simultaneously with time resolutions 1 s and 10 ms by Nanjing University Observatory and Beijing Normal University Observatory, which are about 1000 km apart, at 3.2 cm and 2 cm wavelengths, respectively. Two kinds of pulsations with quasi-periods 1.5 s and 40 s were found in radio bursts at the two short centimeter waves; however, the shorter quasi-periodic pulsations were superimposed upon the longer ones. From the data analysis of the above-mentioned quasi-periodic pulsations and associated phenomena in radio and soft X-ray emissions during this flare event published in Solar Geophysical Data (SGD), the authors suggest that the sudden increase in plasma pressure inside (or underlying) the flare kernel due to the upward moving chromospheric evaporated gas, which is caused by the explosive collision heating of strong non-thermal electrons injected downwards from the microwave burst source, plays the important role of triggering agents for MHD oscillations (fast magneto-acoustic mode and Alfvén mode) of the flare loop. These physical processes occurring in the flare loop during the impulsive phase of the solar flare may be used to account for the origin and observational characteristics of quasi-periodic pulsations in solar radio bursts at the two short centimeter wavelengths during the flare event of 1990 May 23. In addition, the average physical parameters N, T, B inside or underlying the flare kernel can be also evaluated.     

Pulsating radio emission at decametre wavelengths from the sun

Observations on the pulsation pattern in the time profile of short duration solar radio bursts at decametre wavelengths are presented. The pulsations are found to be present predominantly in the saturation phase of the burst. A tentative physical model based on the non-linear development of the waves interacting in a turbulent medium is invoked to explain the origin of the pulsations.     

Hard x-ray Pulsations in the Initial Phase of Flares

When analyzing light curves of hard X-ray bursts recorded by the Hard X-Ray Spectrometer on board the MTI satellite, we have found three events (all associated with major solar flares, two of them in the same active region) which show pulsations in the very initial phase of the burst. Periods of the pulsations range from 25 to 48 s. We compare them with other observations of pulsations of radio waves and in X-rays and conclude that pulsations of this kind have not been observed before. We mention several possible causes and prefer interactions between current-carrying loops as the most likely interpretation of the observed variations.     

日冕分米波射电甚短周期脉动的观测证据

利用国家天文台云南天文台“分米波(700—1500MHz)射电频谱仪”和“四波段太阳射电高时间分辨率同步观测系统”分别于2001年6月24日和1990年7月30日观测到了两个稀少事件，前者是一个小射电爆发，其上升相伴随有短周期(约29、40和100毫秒)的脉动，后者是一个射电大爆发，在2840MHz上产生了周期约30毫秒的射电脉动，还着重讨论其甚短周期(如29—40毫秒)的脉动现象，甚短周期脉动可能是归因于起源在日冕深处不稳定区域的哨声波束周期链对射电辐射的调制，或沉降电子束驱动的静电高混杂波，经由波-波非线性相互作用导致甚短周期的射电脉动。     

Radio signature of magnetic reconnection and bi-directional shock waves in a flare-CME event on April 15, 1998

A flare-CME event on April 15, 1998 is studied with data of Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters (NoRP) and Heliograph (NoRH), the radio spectrometers of Chinese National Astronomical Observatories (1.0–2.0 GHz and 2.6–2.8 GHz), and the Astrophysical Institute of Postdam (200–800 MHz), as well as the data of YOHKOH, SOHO, BATSE, and GOES. There were strong fluctuations superposed on the initial phase of the BATSE hard X-ray burst, and the radio burst at 1.0–2.0 GHz with a group of type III-like positive and negative frequency drift pairs, which may be interpreted as the process of magnetic reconnection or particle acceleration in corona. A type II-like burst with a series of pulsations at 200–800 MHz followed the maximum phase of the radio and hard X-ray burst, and slowly drifted to lower frequencies with typical zebra feature. After 10 min of that, a similar dynamic spectrum was recorded at 2.6–3.8 GHz, where the type II-like signal drifted to higher frequencies with a series of pulsations and zebra structures. The polarization sense was strongly RCP at 2.6–3.8 GHz, and weakly LCP at 1.0–2.0 GHz, which was confirmed by the observations of NoRP. The radiation mechanism of these pulsations may be caused by the electron cyclotron maser instability. The local magnetic field strength and source height are estimated based on the gyro-synchrotron second harmonic emission. The ambient plasma density is calculated from the YOHKOH/SXT data. The ratio between the electron plasma frequency and gyro-frequency is around 1.3, which corresponds to the reversal value from extraordinary mode (LCP) to ordinary mode (RCP). Moreover, both the time scale and the modularity of an individual pulse increase statistically with the increase in the burst flux, which may be explained by the acceleration process of non-thermal electrons in the shock wave-fronts propagated upward and downward. Therefore, the radio observations may provide an important signature that flare and CME are triggered simultaneously by magnetic reconnection and are associated with the formation of bi-directional shock waves.     

Solar radio pulsations at 410 MHz

On 6 September, 1982 very regular, narrow-band radio pulsations of solar origin were observed on the 410 MHz solar radiometer at the Learmonth Solar Observatory. Initial low-amplitude pulsations with a period of about 3 min gave way to large-amplitude pulsations with a period of about 5 min following a 1B solar flare. Position measurements at 327 MHz with the Culgoora Radioheliograph indicated two sources: a strong, extended source located above a unipolar magnetic region near the centre of the disk and a much weaker source near the west limb. Polarisation measurements indicate the burst to be plasma emission.The radio pulsations were unique in their association with both sympathetic radio emission and optical flares at widely different locations. Interpretation of the observations in terms of sausage mode standing oscillations in a coronal flux tube leads to an estimate of the magnetic flux density B = 45 G at the 400 MHz plasma level. Also a 2.8-fold density increase in the loop after the 1B flare is inferred.     

Unusual Emissions at Various Energies Prior to the Impulsive Phase of the Large Solar Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection of 4 November 2003

The GOES X28 flare of 4 November 2003 was the largest ever recorded in its class. It produced the first evidence for two spectrally separated emission components, one at microwaves and the other in the THz range of frequencies. We analyzed the pre-flare phase of this large flare, twenty?minutes before the onset of the major impulsive burst. This period is characterized by unusual activity in X-rays, sub-THz frequencies, H??, and microwaves. The CME onset occurred before the onset of the large burst by about 6?min. It was preceded by pulsations of 3??C?5?s periods at sub-THz frequencies together with X-ray and microwave enhancements. The sub-THz pulsations faded out as impulsive bursts were detected at 100??C?300?keV and 7?GHz, close to the time of the first H?? brightening and the CME onset. The activities detected prior to and at the CME onset were located nearly 2?arcmin south of the following large flare, suggesting they were separate events. This unusual activity brings new clues to understanding the complex energy buildup mechanisms prior to the CME onset, occurring at a distinct location and well before the major flare that exploded afterwards.     

Radio observations of the solar neutron flare of 3 June, 1982

In this paper the solar neutron and white-light flare is studied on the basis of radioastronomical observations. It is shown that the 3 June, 1982 flare had an impulsive character. A strong shock wave (M _A 2.9) was observed unusually soon after the impulsive phase of the flare. The radio spectrum of this event shows that the primary acceleration process probably occurred in the region with an electron density of n _e = 4.4 × 10¹⁵ m^–3. The pulsations of the type IV radio burst, observed 15 min after the mass ejection process, manifest the reconnection process in the post-flare stage.Proceedings of the Workshop on Radio Continua during Solar Flares, held at Duino (Trieste), Italy, 27–31 May, 1985.     

Correlations between ground observations of Pi 2 geomagnetic pulsations and satellite plasma density observations

Ground observations of Pi 2 geomagnetic pulsations are correlated with satellite measurements of plasma density for three time intervals. The pulsations were recorded using the IGS network of magnetometer stations and the plasma density measurements were made on board GEOS-1 and ISEE-1. Using the technique of complex demodulation, the amplitude, phase and polarisation characteristics of the Pi 2 pulsations are observed along two meridional profiles; one from Eidar, Iceland (L = 6.7) to Cambridge, U.K. (L = 2.5) and the other from Tromso, Norway (tL = 6.2) to Nurmijarvi, Finland (L = 3.3). The observed characteristics of the Pi 2 pulsations are then compared with the plasma density measurements. Close relationships between the plasmapause position and the position of an ellipticity reversal and a variation in H component phase are observed. A small, secondary amplitude maximum is observed on the U.K./Iceland meridian well inside the position of the projection of the equatorial plasmapause. The primary maxima on the two meridians, in general occur close to the estimated position of the equatorward edge of a westward electrojet. Using the plasma density measurements, the periods of surface waves at the plasmapause for two intervals are estimated and found to be in good agreement with the dominant spectral peaks observed at the ground stations near the plasmapause latitude and within the plasmasphere. The polarisation reversal, together with phase characteristics, spectral evidence and the agreement between the theoretical and observed periods leads to the suggestion that on occasions a surface wave is excited on the plasmapause as an intermediate stage in the propagation of Pi 2 pulsations from the auroral zone to lower latitudes.     

The energy dependence of burst oscillations from the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1814−338

The nature of the asymmetry that gives rise to Type I X-ray burst oscillations on accreting neutron stars remains a matter of debate. Of particular interest is whether the burst oscillation mechanism differs between the bursting millisecond pulsars and the non-pulsing systems. One means to diagnose this is to study the energy dependence of the burst oscillations: here we present an analysis of oscillations from 28 bursts observed during the 2003 outburst of the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1814−338. We find that the fractional amplitude of the burst oscillations falls with energy, in contrast to the behaviour found by Muno et al. in the burst oscillations from a set of non-pulsing systems. The drop with energy mirrors that seen in the accretion-powered pulsations; in this respect XTE J1814−338 behaves like the other accreting millisecond pulsars. The burst oscillations show no evidence for either hard or soft lags, in contrast to the persistent pulsations, which show soft lags of up to 50 μs. The fall in amplitude with energy is inconsistent with current surface-mode and simple hotspot models of burst oscillations. We discuss improvements to the models and uncertainties in the physics that might resolve these issues.     

The solar outburst on August 7, 1972 at 17 GHz and 35 GHz

The radio-burst on August 7, 1972, is discussed. On 17 GHz the peak flux was about 25000 SFU. Considering the decreasing phase of the burst, it was found that an exponential decrease as well as a power-law decrease can be used. The magnetic field in the origin of the burst should be of the order of 1000 G, while the exponent g due to a power-law of the energy distribution is estimated to be about g 3. The degree of circular polarisation shows an increase to about 25% during the ascending phase of the burst, while in the phase of maximal radiation and during the decrease the polarisation degree was small.     

Pulsations of the sun and a beat period of 399 days

Measurements of the Doppler effect of the solar photosphere have been carried out at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory for 37 years, beginning in 1974 (in total, 2188 days or 13 247 h). The measurements use the differential center-to-limb method of registration of line-of-sight velocity with a solar magnetograph (in the iron absorption line λ512.4 nm). As a result of the experiment, two global pulsations of the sun with periods P ₀ = 9600.606(12) and P ₁ = 9597.936(16) s have been discovered. The nature of the periods is unknown. The first pulsation was detected in 1974–1982; the second, during nearly all the 37 years. The 2008–2010 data confirm the stability of the initial phase of the P ₁ pulsation with a mean (differential) amplitude of 0.25 m/s. The fact that the beat period of the two pulsations coincides with the synodic period of Jupiter’s orbital revolution, i.e., 399 days, raises a new, complex problem for solar physics and cosmogony.     

The role of the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory in geomagnetic field research

Geomagnetic field research carried out at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory over the past decade is reviewed. An important aspect of this research has been the study of geomagnetic field variations, with particular emphasis on ULF geomagnetic pulsations. Features of geomagnetic pulsations which are unique to low latitude locations have been investigated, such as the cavity mode nature of low latitude Pi 2 pulsations and the role played by ionosphericO ⁺ ions in the field line resonances responsible for Pc 3 pulsations. A theoretical model has been developed which is able to account for the observed relationships between geomagnetic pulsations and oscillations in the frequency of HF radio waves traversing ionospheric paths. Other facets of the research have been geomagnetic field modelling, aimed at improving the accuracy and resolution of regional geomagnetic field models, and the development of improved geomagnetic activity indices.     

The effect of damping on geomagnetic pulsation amplitude and phase at ground observatories

We present some results from a model of forced oscillations of the magnetosphere. The purpose of this work is to examine the effects and consequences of damping on geomagnetic pulsations as observed on the ground. The aim of the current work is to quantify the amount of damping applicable to geomagnetic pulsation waveforms. Ionospheric conductivities vary with latitude and time of day and this variation will effect the damping of geomagnetic pulsations. The variations in ionospheric conductivities are taken into account to predict the changes in amplitude and phase of geomagnetic pulsations over an extended latitudinal array of ground observatories. Three situations are modelled where the damping factor γ/ω_n, which is related to the amplitude loss per cycle, is different: (i) γ/ω_n approximately equal to 0.01, this corresponds to the ionospheric Joule damping of Newton et al. (1978); (ii) λ/ω_n equal to 0.1, this value is consistent with the empirically determined day-time damping factors from the observed latitude-dependent transient decays of the pulsation single effect events discussed by Siebert (1964). The value of 0.1 as the damping factor is taken as typical of day-time conditions and its effect on amplitude and phase for continuous pulsations is considered; and (iii) λ/ω_n is latitude-dependent; three different levels of damping are used appropriate for the night-time conditions associated with the auroral electrojet, plasmatrough and plasmasphere.The results from the model suggest that observationally determined damping factors are greater than those computed from ionospheric Joule damping alone. The model also illustrates the broadening of the latitudinal resonance width with increasing damping and the reducing of the phase change across resonance to less than 180°. The model also successfully reproduces features of pulsation single effect events and Pi2 pulsations.     

短分米波段上的长周期脉动现象

在１９９０年７月３０日观测到的太阳射电大爆发中，在１４２０ＭＨｚ和２０００ＭＨｚ两个波段上发现了长周期（数＋秒）的脉冲现象。经数据处理分析，发现了几个特点：（１）脉冲的宽带大于６００ＭＨｚ。（２）１４２０ＭＨｚ上的脉动的周期较２０００ＭＨｚ上脉动的周期大，相对强度也是前者较大。（３）脉冲的相对强度随脉冲周期的增大而增大，呈较好的线性关系     

Polarization characteristics of Pi 2 pulsations and implications for their source mechanisms: Location of source regions with respect to the auroral electrojets

Substorm onsets and intensifications are accompanied on a one-to-one basis by a Pi 2 magnetic pulsation burst. The source region for these pulsations is generally thought to lie in the region of substorm disturbance in the auroral oval. In this paper we outline the characteristics of Pi 2 pulsations in regions near the substorm enhanced electrojet but removed from the locale of the westward travelling surge. We show that a resonance region for the pulsations lies at the equatorwad edge of the westward electrojet, which in the evening sector marks the locus of the Harang discontinuity. Finally we show examples where the maximum amplitude of the Pi 2 is located at or equatorward of the southern border of the eastward electrojet or at the southern border of the westward electrojet. This is clear evidence for the coupling of wave energy into the L-shells far distant from the source of the energy. Mechanisms for Pi 2 generation are discussed in the context of the results presented in this paper.     

A model for solar radio pulsations at short centimetric band

In this paper, the observed solar radio pulsations during the bursts at 9.375 GHz are considered to be excited by some plasma instability. Under the condition of the conservation of energy in the wave-particle interaction, the saturation time of plasma instabilities is inversely proportional to the initial radiation intensity, which may explain why the repetition rate of the pulsations is directly proportional to the radio burst flux at 9.375 GHz as well as 15 GHz and 22 GHz. It is also predicted that the energy released in an individual pulse increases with increasing the flux of radio bursts, the modularity of the pulsations decreases with increasing the flux of radio bursts, these predictions are consistent with the statistical results at 9.375 GHz in different events. The energy density of the non-thermal particles in these events is estimated from the properties of pulsation. For the typical values of the ambient plasma density (10⁹ cm^–3) and the ratio between the nonthermal and ambient electrons (10^–4), the order of magnitude of the energy density and the average energy of the nonthermal electrons is 10^–4 erg/cm³ and 10 kev, respectively. It is interesting that there are two branches in a statistical relation between the repetition rate and the radio burst flux in a special event on March 11–17, 1989, which just corresponds to two different orders of magnitude for the quasi-quantized energy released in these five bursts. This result may be explained by the different ratios between the thermal and the nonthermal radiations.     

An analysis of fine structures in a solar radio burst at 10 cm and a coexisting hard X-ray flare

The solar burst event of 1992-06-07 is analyzed in this paper using HXR material of the Yohkoh satellite and radio data at 2840 MHz observed at Beijing Astronomical Observatory. The results show that during the impulsive phase, the pulsational component had two time scales, a longer one of about 30 s, and a shorter one of 1–4 s. The pulsations on the longer scale are found to be correlated with a series of variations in the HXR images of the source region. A physical picture comprising loop-loop interaction and MHD oscillation modulation is presented.