Revisiting the Frequency Drift Rates of Decameter Type III Solar Bursts Observed in July – August 2002

Estimating for the frequency drift rates of type III solar bursts is crucial for characterizing their source development in the solar corona. According to Melnik et al. (Solar Phys.269, 335, 2011), the analysis of powerful decameter type III solar bursts, observed in July?–?August 2002, found a linear approximation for the drift rate versus frequency. The conclusion contradicts reliable results of many other well-known solar observations. In this paper we report on the reanalysis of the solar data with a more advanced method. Our study shows that the decameter type III solar bursts of July?–?August 2002, as standard type III bursts, follow a power law in frequency drift rates. We explain the possible reasons for this discrepancy.     

An Investigation of the Role of Propagation Effects in the Formation of Drifting Narrowband Type II Fiber Bursts on the Dynamic Spectrum

This paper investigates one of the kinds of fine structure of solar decametric type II radio bursts in the form of drifting narrowband fibers. The appearance of such a structure is customarily explained by the features of the radio emission mechanism in the source, which is formed when the shock wave catches up the previously-generated coronal mass ejection. On the other hand, the characteristics of radio emission in the process of its propagation from the source to the observation point are affected by inhomogeneities in the corona. Hence it is of considerable interest to estimate the role of the propagation effects on the formation of fiber structures in radio bursts. Our calculations show that strong refraction effects (caustics) can give rise to narrowband structures in the dynamic spectrum, resembling in their characteristics the fibers observed.     

Spectral Flattening During Solar Radio Bursts At Cm–mm Wavelengths and the Dynamics of Energetic Electrons in a Flare Loop

Until recently, most of the information on particle acceleration processes in solar flares has been obtained from hard X-ray and cm-microwave observations. As a rule they provide information on electrons with energies below 300 keV. During recent years it became possible to measure the gamma-ray and millimeter radio emission with improved sensitivities. These spectral ranges carry information on much higher energy electrons. We studied the temporal and spectral behaviour of the radio burst emission at centimeter-millimeter wavelengths (8–50 GHz) by using the data from the patrol instruments of IAP (Bern University). We have analyzed more than 20 impulsive and long duration radio bursts (of 10 s to several 100 s duration).The main finding of the data analysis is the presence of spectral flattening throughout the bursts, which occurs always during the decay phase of flux peaks, at frequencies well above the spectral peak frequency and independently of burst duration. Furthermore, for some of the bursts, the flux maxima at higher frequencies are delayed. These findings can serve as evidence of the hardening of the electron spectrum at energies above some hundreds of keV during the decay phase of cm–mm flux peaks. As a most likely reason for such a hardening we consider Coulomb collisions of energetic electrons continuously injected and trapped in a flaring loop.     

Modeling of Solar Wind in the Coronal Funnel with Mass and Energy Supplied at 5 Mm

The origin of the solar wind is a long-standing issue in both observational and theoretical studies. To understand how and where in the solar atmosphere the mass and energy of the solar wind are supplied is very important. Previous observation suggests a scenario in which the fast solar wind originates at heights above 5 Mm in the magnetically open funnel, a process that is accompanied by downward flow below 5 Mm, whereby the mass and energy are supplied through reconnection between the open funnel and adjacent closed loops. Based on this scenario, we develop a fluid model to study the solar wind generation under the assumption that mass and energy are deposited in the open funnel at 5 Mm. The mass supply rate is estimated from the mass loss rate as given by the emptying of the side loops as a result of their assumed reconnection with the open funnel. Similarly, the energy input rate is consistent with the energy release rate as estimated from the energy flux associated with the reconnection between the open magnetic funnel and the closed magnetic loops. Following the observations, we not only simulate the plasma flowing upward to form the solar wind but also calculate the downward flow back to the lower atmosphere. This model is a first attempt to study physically the proposed scenario of solar wind origin and gives a new physical illustration of the possible initial deposition and consequent transportation of mass and energy in the coronal funnel.