Emergence of sheared magnetic flux tubes in an active region observed with the SVST and TRACE

The active region NOAA AR 8331 was a target of an international ground-based observational campaign in the Canaries and coordinated with space instruments (TRACE and Yohkoh). We focus our study on observations obtained with the SVST at LaPalma, and with TRACE. On 10 September 1998, arch-filament systems were observed with high spatial and temporal resolution, from the lower to the upper atmosphere of the Sun, during five hours. Flux tubes emerged with increasing shear, which apparently led to energy release and heating in the overlying corona. A model for filament formation by the emergence of U-shaped loops from the subphotosphere, as proposed by Rust and Kumar (1994), is supported by the present observations. The coronal response to these events is visualized by rising, medium-scale loop brightenings. The low-lying X-ray loops show short-lived, bright knots which are thought to result from interaction between different loop systems.     

Statistical study of EUV and X-ray transient brightenings

Using the visual inspection and base difference method and data from the X-ray Telescope(XRT)onboard Hinode and TRACE with improved spatial and temporal resolution,we selected 48 X-ray transient brightenings(XTBs)and 237 EUV transient brightenings(ETBs)to study the connection between these two types of transient brightenings(TBs).These ETBs and XTBs have smaller areas(8.42 Mm2 and 36.3 Mm2,respectively,on average)and shorter durations(9.0 rain and 6.9 min,respectively,on average)than previous studies.These XTBs show three types of morphological structure: point-like,single-loop and multiple-loop.We find only 20% of the ETBs have corresponding XTBs while the other 80% have no X-ray signatures at all.This is presumably due to the small amount of released energy,which is not enough to heat the plasma to coronal temperatures which produce X-ray emission rather than being due to the limitation of spatial resolution and temperature sensitivity of the X-ray instrument.These small ETBs may significantly contribute to the coronal heating.     

Counter-streaming Mass Flow and Transient Brightening in Active Region Loops

An active region loop system was observed in a decaying active region for three hours by TRACE and BBSO in a joint campaign on September 27, 1998. Continuous mass motion was seen in Hα offband filtergrams throughout the three hours, and some UV loops were exhibited transient brightenings. We find that: (1) cool material was flowing along the loops at a speed of at least 20 km s^?1. Further, in Hα red and blue wings, we see mass motion along different loops in opposite directions. This is the first report of a counter-streaming pattern of mass motion in an Hα loop system. (2) Transient brightenings of different UV loops at different times were observed at C?iv 1550 Å. These brightened UV loops were located in the same region and at the same altitudes as the Hα loops. The observations show a clear correlation between the transient brightenings of UV loops and mass motion in Hα loops. (3) Both footpoints of the loop system were located in regions of mixed magnetic polarities. Frequent micro-flares at one footpoint of the loops with small-scale brightenings spreading along the loop leg were observed before the brightening and rising of one C?iv loop. Similar to the case of a filament, the continuous mass motion along the loops seems important for maintaining the cool Hα loop system at coronal height. There may be an indication that the mass motion in cool Hα loops and the correlated transient brightening of the active region loops were due to the small-scale chromospheric magnetic reconnection at the footpoint regions of the loop system.

     

What is Moss?

TRACE observations of active regions show a peculiar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission over certain plage areas. Termed `moss' for its spongy, low-lying, appearance, observations and modeling imply that the phenomenon is caused by thermal conduction from 3–5 MKcoronal loops overlying the plage: moss is the upper transition region emission of hot coronal loops. The spongy appearance is due to the presence of chromospheric jets or `spicules' interspersed with the EUV emission elements. High cadence TRACE observations show that the moss EUV elements interact with the chromospheric jets on 10 s time scales. The location of EUV emission in the moss does not correlate well to the locations of underlying magnetic elements in the chromosphere and photosphere, implying a complex magnetic topology for coronal loop footpoint regions. We summarize here the key observations leading to these conclusions and discuss new implications for understanding the structuring of the outer solar atmosphere. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1005286503963     

A new view of the solar outer atmosphere by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer

The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) – described in the companion paper by Handy et al. (1999) – provides an unprecedented view of the solar outer atmosphere. In this overview, we discuss the initial impressions gained from, and interpretations of, the first million images taken with TRACE. We address, among other topics, the fine structure of the corona, the larger-scale thermal trends, the evolution of the corona over quiet and active regions, the high incidence of chromospheric material dynamically embedded in the coronal environment, the dynamics and structure of the conductively dominated transition region between chromosphere and corona, loop oscillations and flows, and sunspot coronal loops. With TRACE we observe a corona that is extremely dynamic and full of flows and wave phenomena, in which loops evolve rapidly in temperature, with associated changes in density. This dynamic nature points to a high degree of spatio-temporal variability even under conditions that traditionally have been referred to as quiescent. This variability requires that coronal heating can turn on and off on a time scale of minutes or less along field-line bundles with cross sections at or below the instrumental resolution of 700 km. Loops seen at 171 Å (～1 MK) appear to meander through the coronal volume, but it is unclear whether this is caused by the evolution of the field or by the weaving of the heating through the coronal volume, shifting around for periods of up to a few tens of minutes and lighting up subsequent field lines. We discuss evidence that the heating occurs predominantly within the first 10 to 20 Mm from the loop footpoints. This causes the inner parts of active-region coronae to have a higher average temperature than the outer domains.     

First Observations of Coronal Hole Structure and Evolution Using Soho-Cds

We report on initial observations of coronal holestructure and evolution by the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The data show that there is coronal activity on time scales of tens of minutes, manifested as brightenings at chromospheric network cell junctions in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths. There are also significant differences in structure seen in different wavelengths in coronal holes. Finally, we show coronal hole EUV spectra and compare them to quiet-Sun spectra, also taken by CDS.     

Time Variability of EUV Brightenings in Coronal Loops Observed with TRACE

Solar Physics - We analyze coronal loops in active region 8272, observed with TRACE on 23 July 1998 during a 70-min interval with a cadence of 1.5&;nbsp;min, in the temperature range of...     

Calibrated H I Lyman α Observations with TRACE

Since shortly after launch in April 1998, the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) observatory has amassed a collection of H?i Lα (1216 Å) observations of the Sun that have been not only of high spatial and temporal resolution, but also span a duration in time never before achieved. The Lα images produced by TRACE are, however, composed of not only the desired line emission, but also local ultraviolet continuum and longer wavelength contamination. This contamination has frustrated attempts to interpret TRACE observations in H?i Lα. The Very Advanced Ultraviolet Telescope (VAULT) sounding rocket payload was launched from White Sands Missile range 7 May 1999 at 20:00 UT. The VAULT telescope for this flight was a dedicated H?i Lα imaging spectroheliograph. We use TRACE observations in the 1216 Å and 1600 Å channels along with observations from the VAULT flight to develop a method for removing UV continuum and longer wavelength contamination from TRACE Lα images.

     

Short-term temporal variations of X-ray bright points

Skylab S-054 data have been used to examine the flux from X-ray bright points with 90 s time resolution. There is evidence of a steady heating input, similar to one reported for active region loops. Also observed are impulsive brightenings of bright points and rapid decays which are consistent with a sudden turn-off of the steady heating.     

TRACE and Yohkoh Observations of High-Temperature Plasma in a Two-Ribbon Limb Flare

The ability of the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) to image solar plasma over a wide range of temperatures (Te approximately 104-107 K) at high spatial resolution (0&farcs;5 pixels) makes it a unique instrument for observing solar flares. We present TRACE and Yohkoh observations of an M2.4 two-ribbon flare that began on 1999 July 25 at about 13:08 UT. We observe impulsive footpoint brightenings that are followed by the formation of high-temperature plasma (Te greater, similar10 MK) in the corona. After an interval of about 1300 s, cooler loops (Te<2 MK) form below the hot plasma. Thus, the evolution of the event supports the qualitative aspects of the standard reconnection model of solar flares. The TRACE and Yohkoh data show that the bulk of the flare emission is at or below 10 MK. The TRACE data are also consistent with the Yohkoh observations of hotter plasma (Te approximately 15-20 MK) existing at the top of the arcade. The cooling time inferred from these observations is consistent with a hybrid cooling time based on thermal conduction and radiative cooling.     

Damping of slow magnetoacoustic waves in an inhomogeneous coronal plasma

We study the propagation and dissipation of slow magnetoacoustic waves in an inhomogeneous viscous coronal loop plasma permeated by uniform magnetic field. Only viscosity and thermal conductivity are taken into account as dissipative processes in the coronal loop. The damping length of slow-mode waves exhibit varying behaviour depending upon the physical parameters of the loop in an active region AR8270 observed by TRACE. The wave energy flux associated with slow magnetoacoustic waves turns out to be of the order of 10⁶ erg cm^?2 s^?1 which is high enough to replace the energy lost through optically thin coronal emission and the thermal conduction below to the transition region. It is also found that only those slow-mode waves which have periods more than 240s provide the required heating rate to balance the energy losses in the solar corona. Our calculated wave periods for slow-mode waves nearly match with the oscillation periods of loop observed by TRACE.     

Active region EUV transient brightenings – First Results by EIT of SOHO JOP 80

On 13 May 1998, the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT, on board SOHO) has produced a unique image sequence operating in 'shutterless mode' (SOHO JOP 80). In JOP 80, EIT is the lead instrument, followed by several space-born instruments (SXT, TRACE, MDI, CDS, SUMER), as well as two observatories on the ground (in La Palma and Sac Peak). The target of the campaign was a relatively small but rapidly evolving active region (AR 8218). For the EIT contribution, a 15 s cadence was achieved in the Fexii bandpass at 195 Å by leaving EIT's shutter open for 1 h and operating the CCD in frame-transfer mode. In this paper, we start the analysis of the huge data set, by making an inventory of the transients observed in the EIT image sequence. Besides scatter plots of duration, size and radiative output of the detected EUV brightenings, we discuss in full detail the morphology and evolution of several typical events. These transients range from a B3.5 flare producing a large plasma flow along pre-existing loops, to EUV versions of active region transient brightenings as previously observed by SXT on board Yohkoh. In addition, a new class of weaker footpoint brightenings is discussed that produce wave-like disturbances propagating along quasi-open field lines. This new class of propagating disturbances extends the wide variety of transient phenomena that we discovered in the EIT data, and makes the potential for inter-instrumental studies of the JOP 80 data all the more exciting. We stress the necessity of such forthcoming studies to reach an instrument-independent classification of small-scale solar transients.     

Large-scale Structure of the Chromospheric Doppler Velocities on the Solar Disk from 2D-spectroscopy within the He I 10830 Å Line

A distribution map of the large-scale chromospheric Doppler velocities on the solar disk for 5 June 2002 is presented. The map was obtained using a 2D-spectroscopy technique within the He?i 10830 Å line. The spatial resolution of the map is about 30 arc sec. The map demonstrates a downflow in the chromosphere over active regions, especially significant around the spots and inside the plages. Positive Doppler velocities correspond to strong magnetic field areas, regardless of the field sign. Three major chromospheric outflow zones are observed: an equatorial and two polar ones. Each area of substantial negative Doppler velocities matches a zone of weak intensity of inner corona observed within the Fe?ix-x 171 Å line by the SOHO spacecraft. A Doppler velocity histogram and the dependence of the Doppler velocities on the cosine of the heliocentric angle for the solar disk are calculated. The total mass outflow from the upper chromosphere is estimated as 2×10¹³ g s^?1. Four percent of this amount is sufficient to produce the fast solar wind.

     

Clear Detection of Chromospheric Evaporation Upflows with High Spatial/Temporal Resolution by Hinode XRT

We find clear evidence for typical chromospheric evaporation associated with small transient brightenings, using the data from the X-ray Telescope (XRT) onboard Hinode. We found 13 events, each having a pair of evaporation upflows arising almost symmetrically from both foot points of a magnetic loop. These facts strongly support the standard flare model based on the magnetic reconnection. The apparent upflow velocities of three of the events are ≈?500?km?s^?1, while those of the other events are ≈?100?km?s^?1. This is the first clear direct detection of evaporating upflow motion in soft X-ray images from Hinode/XRT; such images were obtained with high cadence (≈?60?s) and high spatial resolution (1?arcsec).     

X-Ray Jet Dynamics in a Polar Coronal Hole Region

New X-ray observations of the north polar region taken from the X-ray Telescope (XRT) of the Hinode spacecraft are used to analyze several time sequences showing small loop brightenings with a long ray above. We focus on the formation of the jet and discuss scenarios to explain the main features of the events: the relationship with the expected surface magnetism, the rapid and sudden radial motion, and possibly the heating, based on the assumption that the jet occurs above a null point of the coronal magnetic field. We conclude that 2-D reconnection models should be complemented in order to explain the observational details of these events and suggest that alternative scenarios may exist.     

The onset of flares at the meter wavelengths

The onset of most flares at the meter wavelengths consists of type III bursts and their variants. These bursts usually occur during the explosive phase of flare events and in close association with similar impulsive bursts at other wavelengths. Pre-burst brightenings, corresponding to the preexplosive-phase heating observed at microwave and shorter wavelengths, have so far not been reported from observations with the Culgoora meterwave heliograph. At the same time, if substantial pre-heating occurred in the coronal source regions of meterwave radiation, then, on theoretical grounds, significant, but not spectacular, pre-burst brightenings would be expected at short meter wavelengths. A search for such pre-burst brightenings will become possible when the Culgoora heliograph begins to operate in a new mode which will allow all incoming data (rather than selected segments, as at present) to be kept for further analysis.On leave from the CSIRO-Division of Radiophysics, Sydney, Australia.Visiting Scientist, High Altitude Observatory, national Center for Atmospheric Research. The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Catastrophic cooling and high-speed downflow in quiescent solar coronal loops observed with TRACE

Observations with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer, TRACE, show frequent catastrophic cooling and evacuation of quiescent solar coronal loops over active regions. We analyze this process using image sequences taken in passbands showing plasma from a few million degrees down to less than 100 000 K, taken at a cadence of 90 s. The loop evacuation often occurs after plasma high in the corona has cooled to transition-region or even chromospheric temperatures. The cooling loops frequently show Lyman-α and C iv emission developing initially near the loop tops; later, that cool plasma usually slides down on both sides of the loop. The relatively cool material often forms clumps that move at speeds of up to 100 km s⁻¹. The downward acceleration is no more than 80 m s⁻², less than of the surface gravity. Cooling appears to progress with delays of the order of up to 10³ s between thin, neighboring strands within flux bundles with cross-sections of at least 1–2 Mm, so that hot and cool loops are transiently outlined at essentially the same location. The falling material at temperatures of ≲ 0.1 MK shows no evidence of loop braiding on scales above the resolution of ∼1 Mm; loop cross-sections appear independent of height. Existing numerical models suggest that the observed catastrophic loop-top cooling in non-flaring conditions can occur if the loop heating precipitously drops by 1.5 orders of magnitude or more, first and most strongly high in the corona. Using order-of-magnitude geometrical arguments, we estimate that loop bundles in the interior of an active region undergo catastrophic cooling on average once every 2 days, while in a decayed bipolar region that time interval is approximately a week. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1005211925515     

Our New View of the Solar Corona from Yohkoh and Soho

The Yohkoh satellite has now been orbiting the Earth for about 6 years and during this time it has revealed a number of new features in the solar corona. These include the discovery of X-ray jets and active region transient brightenings, as well as observations of hard X-ray sources above and at the feet of soft X-ray flare loops. SOHO, the newest solar space mission, is not orbiting the Earth, but is in fact orbiting the Sun and has been at the Earth's L1 point for about 2 years. During this time it too has identified some new and interesting characteristics of both the solar corona, the photosphere and the solar interior. For example, studies of high resolution MDI/SOHO magnetograms indicate that the magnetic carpet may play an important role in the heating of the coronal. Also polar plume studies from EIT/SOHO data suggest that they may be a possible source for the fast solar wind. Together these two missions have dominated solar research throughout the 90s and are expected to continue to do so during the rise from solar minimum to the next solar maximum. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coronal transients in radio and X-rays

We present a summary of several studies of transient coronal phenomena based upon high spatial resolution radio imaging data along with Yohkoh SXT and HXT observations. In addition to normal flares the studies also involve such exotic events as active region transient brightenings (ARTB) and coronal jets and bright points. We provide evidence of nonthermal processes in flaring X-ray bright points from spatially resolved meter-wave data, existence and propagation of type II burst emitting electrons in coronal jets, radio signatures of ARTB's, and beaming of electrons producing microwave and hard X-rays. The implications of these observations are discussed.     

Width Variations along Coronal Loops Observed by TRACE

We have measured width variations along coronal loops observed by TRACE in the 171, 195, and 284 Å bandpasses. The loops are not significantly thicker in the middle compared to near the footpoints, and there is no correlation between the footpoint-to-midpoint expansion and the loop length. This applies to both post-flare and non-flare loops. The observations conflict with our present understanding of active region magnetic fields, and they have important implications for the structure and heating of the corona.