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.     

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.     

The heating of the solar corona

The heating of the solar corona has been a fundamental astrophysical issue for over sixty years. Over the last decade in particular, space-based solar observatories (Yohkoh, SOHO and TRACE) have revealed the complex and often subtle magnetic-field and plasma interactions throughout the solar atmosphere in unprecedented detail. It is now established that any energy release mechanism is magnetic in origin - the challenge posed is to determine what specific heat input is dominating in a given coronal feature throughout the solar cycle. This review outlines a range of possible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) coronal heating theories, including MHD wave dissipation and MHD reconnection as well as the accumulating observational evidence for quasi-periodic oscillations and small-scale energy bursts occurring in the corona. Also, we describe current attempts to interpret plasma temperature, density and velocity diagnostics in the light of specific localised energy release. The progress in these investigations expected from future solar missions (Solar-B, STEREO, SDO and Solar Orbiter) is also assessed.Received: 6 February 2003, Published online: 14 November 2003 Correspondence to: R. W. Walsh     

Heating of the solar chromosphere and corona

The generalized inhomogeneous wave equation that governs magnetoacoustic, vortical and thermal motions in compressible fluids and that thus is applicable to the problem of the heating of the solar chromosphere and corona is obtained. The effects of kinematic and bulk viscosity, heat conduction, Joule dissipation and magnetic diffusivity are included. Under the usual assumptions, the generalized wave equation reduces to the well-known equations of Lighthill, Kulsrud, Phillips and others. The major problems encountered in applying Lighthill's mechanism to sound generation in turbulent media are reviewed for both the subsonic and supersonic cases.     

Propagation of hydromagnetic disturbances in the solar corona and Moreton's wave phenomenon

Moreton's wave phenomenon, observed to propagate across the solar disk during certain solar flares, may be explained as the intersection line between an expanding coronal wavefront surface and the chromosphere: The propagation of a hydromagnetic disturbance in a spherically symmetric model corona with a radial magnetic field is studied in the WKB-approximation, and the propagation paths of wavepackets, the shape of the wavefronts expanding in time, and the variation of the direction of material oscillation along the paths are discussed for disturbances in hydromagnetic wave modes. It is shown that the wavefront expanding in fast-mode in the corona has a circular intersection line with the chromosphere, which sweeps on the solar surface with a velocity and a direction of material oscillation just favorable for explaining the observed features of the phenomenon.     

Two-dimensional MHD equilibria in the solar corona

Using a combined analytical and numerical Method we have treated the question of two-dimensional MHD equilibriam in an inviscid compressible, perfect conducting plasma with an embedded magnetic field in the spherically symmetric gravitational field of the sun. Two solutions are obtained. (1) A steady, self-consistent plasma flow in a magnetic field with both a closed and an open region. In the open region, beyond a few solar radii, the plasma velocity exceeds the local sound and Alfvén velocities. (2) The plasma velocity is everywhere smaller than the local sound and Alfvén velocities and tends to zero at large radial distances.     

MHD oscillations in the solar spike radiation

In this paper the observed 1.4–1.6 s quasi-periodic oscillations in the spike radiation of the microwave outburst of 1981 May 16 are analysed in teras of MHD waves. We point out that the fast magnetoacoustic waves (“sausage” mode) propagating inside and outside a loop can modulate the magnetic field and the pitch angle distribution of the electron beams in the source region. The growth rate of electron-cyclotron-maser instability is then affected to give rise to the quasi-periodic oscillations. Quantitative estimates of relevant physical parameters are given.     

The problem of phase mixed shear Alfvén waves in the solar corona revisited

The problem of phase mixing of shear Alfvén waves is revisited taking into account dissipative phenomena specific for the solar corona. In regions of space plasmas where the dynamics is controlled by the magnetic field, transport coefficients become anisotropic with transport mechanism having different behavior and magnitude depending on the orientation with respect to the ambient magnetic field. Taking into account realistic values for dissipative coefficients we obtain that the previous results derived in context of torsional Alfvén wave phase mixing are actually heavily underestimated so phase mixing cannot be used to explain the damping of torsional Alfvén waves and heating of open coronal structures. The presented results indicate that in order for phase mixing to still be a viable mechanism to explain heating or wave damping unrealistic assumptions have to be made. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the nature of the transition region between the solar corona and chromosphere

We have calculated an equilibrium temperature distribution over the column depth of plasma in the transition region between the solar corona and chromosphere by assuming the plasma in the transition region and the chromosphere to be heated by the heat flux from the corona and the energy fluxes from the convective zone, respectively. The corona-chromosphere transition region is shown to be actually a stable, very thin layer in which, however, the standard collision approximation is well applicable for describing the heat flux. The solution we found explains well the currently available results of satellite observations of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation from the transition region.     

Propagation of magnetically guided acoustic shocks in the solar chromosphere

We study the propagation of a train of acoustic shocks guided by diverging magnetic fields through a static model of the solar chromospheric network and transition region. Our results show that for initial flux densities of the order 10⁶ ergs cm^–2 s^–1 in the lower chromosphere, the local efficiency of acoustic transmission into the corona can be much higher than calculated for a plane parallel atmosphere. Thus acoustic energy will tend to be deposited at higher chromospheric levels in diverging magnetic fields, and magnetic guiding may well influence the temperature profile of the network and plages. But the total flux that can be transmitted into the corona along such diverging fields is severely limited, since the magnetic elements occupy a small fractional area of the photosphere, and the transmission efficiency is a rapidly decreasing function of initial acoustic flux density. We conclude that diverging magnetic fields and a varying ratio of specific heats are not likely to allow high frequency shocks to dissipate high enough in a static atmosphere, to contribute significantly to the coronal energy balance. This result strengthens the view that acoustic waves do not heat the solar corona. However, the conclusion may be sensitive to the influence of observed mass motions, such as spicules.     

日冕中无衰减振荡的研究进展

日冕中冕环的无衰减横向振荡(简称无衰减振荡)自2012年被发现以来,受到了广泛的关注.无衰减振荡具有在日冕中广泛存在以及振幅无明显变小的特性,使之在解释日冕加热和冕震学诊断上都具有相当的潜力.总结了日冕中无衰减振荡的研究进展,包括观测研究得到的一系列结果、提出的理论和数值模型以及基于无衰减振荡进行冕震学诊断的一些尝试,并且展望了未来可以进一步开展的研究.     

Solar rotation in the chromosphere and corona

Extreme ultraviolet spectroheliograms in Mg x (625 Å) and the Lyman continuum (897 Å) obtained from OSO-6 are used to determine the differential rotation rate in the solar chromosphere and corona. The equatorial rotation rate agrees with spectroscopic measurements of the photospheric plasma velocity; the variation of rate with latitude is less pronounced than in most other determinations. We cannot discern a variation in the rotation rate between the chromosphere and corona.     

Nanoflares and heating of the solar corona

Coronal heating by nanoflares is presented by using observational, analytical, numerical simulation and statistical results. Numerical simulations show the formation of numerous current sheets if the magnetic field is sheared and bipoles have unequal pole strengths. This fact supports the generation of nanoflares and heating by them. The occurrence frequency of transients such as flares, nano/microflares, on the Sun exhibits a power-law distribution with exponent α varying between 1.4 and 3.3. For nanoflares heating α must be greater than 2. It is likely that the nanoflare heating can be reproduced by dissipating Alfven waves. Only observations from future space missions such as Solar-B, to be launched in 2006, can shed further light on whether Alfven waves or nanoflares, heat the solar corona.     

Catastrophe of coronal magnetic rope in partly open multipolar magnetic field

Catastrophe of coronal magnetic rope embedded in a partly open multipolar background magnetic field is studied by using a 2-dimensional, 3-component ideal MHD model in spherical coordinates. The background field is composed of three closed bipolar fields of a coronal streamer and an open field with an equatorial current sheet. The magnetic rope lies below the central bipolar field, and it is characterized by its annular and axial magnetic fluxes. For a given annual flux, there is a critical value of the axial flux, and for a given axial flux, there is a critical value of annual flux such that, below the critical value, the magnetic rope is attached to the solar surface and the system stays in equilibrium, but when the critical value is exceeded, the magnetic rope breaks free and erupts upward. This implies that catastrophe can occur in a coronal magnetic rope embedded in a partly open multipolar background magnetic field. Our computation gives a threshold value of magnetic energy that is about 15% greater than the energy of the partly open magnetic field (the central bipolar field open and the fields on either side closed). The excess energy may serve as source for solar explosions such as coronal mass ejections.     

Observation of a type of sporadic solar mass ejection and its physical interpretation with numerical simulation

Seven mediated and small ejective events on the sun observed at Ganyu Observing Station of Purple Mountain Observatory in 2000 are investigated. It is found that they were not accompanied by brightening. Their lengths were in the range 1–2.5×10⁴ km, their widths, 3–5×10³ km, and their lifetimes, 3–7 minutes. They were produced at places of weak magnetic fields and far away from large sunspots. These ejections are interpreted by numerical simulation with 1-D hydrodynamic equations of flow along magnetic arcs. As demonstrated by the results, they are different from the spicules and surges simulated by Suematsu et al. and Shibata et al. They are not matter with photospheric or chromospheric densities pushed by shock waves or rebound shock waves toward the solar corona, rather, they are ejections formed by continuous matter flows after magnetic reconnection. After evolving for about 5 minutes, they can attain a stationary hydrodynamic state.