Temporal variation of solar flare index during solar cycles 21–24

The present investigation attempts to quantify the temporal variation of Solar Flare Index(SFI)with other activity indices during solar cycles 21-24 by using different techniques such as linear regression,correlation,cross-correlation with phase lag-lead,etc.Different Solar Activity Indices(SAI)considered in this present study are Sunspot Number(SSN),10.7 cm Solar Radio Flux(F10.7),Coronal Index(CI)and MgⅡCore-to-Wing Ratio(MgⅡ).The maximum cycle amplitude of SFI and considered SAI has a decreasing trend from solar cycle 22,and cycle 24 is the weakest solar cycle among all other cycles.The SFI with SSN,F10.7,CI and MgⅡshows hysteresis during all cycles except for solar cycle 22 where both paths for ascending and descending phases are intercepting each other,thereby representing a phase reversal.A positive hysteresis circulation exists between SFI and considered SAI during solar cycles 22 and 23,whereas a negative circulation exists in cycles 21 and 24.SFI has a high positive correlation with coefficient values of 0.92,0.94,0.84 and 0.81 for SSN,F10.7,CI and MgⅡrespectively.According to crosscorrelation analysis,SFI has a phase lag with considered SAI during an odd-number solar cycle(solar cycles21 and 23)but no phase lag/lead during an even-numbered solar cycle(solar cycles 22 and 24).However,the entire smoothed monthly average SFI data indicate an in-phase relationship with SSN,F10.7 and MgⅡ,and a one-month phase lag with CI.The presence of those above characteristics strongly confirms the outcomes of different research work with various solar indices and the highest correlation exists between SFI and SSN as well as F10.7 which establishes that SFI may be considered as one of the prime activity indices to interpret the characteristics of the Sun’s active region as well as for more accurate short-range or long-range forecasting of solar events.     

Some comments on the east-west solar flare distribution during the 1976–1985 period

We present the results of an analysis of the east-west asymmetry in the solar flare distribution, observed during the years from 1976 to 1985. We conclude that flare events, all type of H flares, are not uniformly spread in heliolongitude over the solar disc when considering events with heliolongitudes greater than 60°, or even closer to central meridian for certain periods. This lack of homogeneity, however, does not have an influence on the definition of east-west asymmetries. Simple random distribution of flares over the solar disc can not account for the asymmetries found, but they can be explained in terms of the transit of active regions in front of the observer's position. Nonetheless, this is not the case for the distribution of flares equal or more intense than importance 1F observed during 1979.     

Diagnosing physical conditions near the flare energy-release sites from observations of solar microwave type Ⅲ bursts

In the physics of solar flares, it is crucial to diagnose the physical conditions near the flare energyrelease sites. However, so far it is unclear how to diagnose these physical conditions. A solar microwave type Ⅲ burst is believed to be a sensitive signature of primary energy release and electron accelerations in solar flares. This work takes into account the effect of the magnetic field on the plasma density and develops a set of formulas which can be used to estimate the plasma density, temperature, magnetic field near the magnetic reconnection site and particle acceleration region, and the velocity and energy of electron beams.We apply these formulas to three groups of microwave type Ⅲ pairs in an X-class flare, and obtained some reasonable and interesting results. This method can be applied to other microwave type Ⅲ bursts to diagnose the physical conditions of source regions, and provide some basic information to understand the intrinsic nature and fundamental processes occurring near the flare energy-release sites.     

The north-south distribution of major solar flare events,sunspot magnetic classes and sunspot areas (1955–1974)

The north-south incidence has been studied of 31 white-light flares observed since 1859 and of 1669 events meeting the criteria for major flares of Dodson and Hedeman (1971) for the period 1955–1974. The asymmetry in favor of the northern hemisphere increases strikingly with the importance of the events. Similarly, magnetically complex sunspot groups (Mt. Wilson classes, and) display a more pronounced asymmetry in favor of the north than non-complex groups for 1962–1970. Contrary to the flare asymmetry, the spottedness asymmetry is independent of the size of sunspots.     

On the initial cluster mass distribution inferred from synthesis models

In this contribution we examine the problem of inferring ages and initial cluster masses from synthesis models at the limit of low-mass clusters (M≤ a few ×10⁴ M_⊙). We show that it is not possible to apply directly synthesis models using standard methods to such clusters, since the basic hypothesis implicit in the models (a fixed proportionality between the number of stars in different evolutionary phases) is not fulfilled due to an insufficient number of stars for a reliable sampling of the stellar initial mass function. The consequence of this incomplete sampling is a non-Gaussian distribution of the mass–luminosity relation for clusters that share the same evolutionary conditions (age, metallicity and stellar initial mass distribution function). We review some tests, that can be performed before the start of the analysis, to estimate if the observed cluster can be analyzed with synthesis models following traditional procedures (like χ ² minimization) or if it is necessary make use of synthesis models in a probabilistic framework. Finally, we show the implications of these results for estimating the low-mass tail in the initial cluster mass distribution function.     

Latitude dependence of auroral frequency in relation to solar — Terrestrial and interplanetary parameters

The auroral frequency of occurrences (A) for the 20th solar cycle and for the geomagnetic latitudes 54–63 N has been investigated in relation to sunspot numbers (R _z), number of flares (F), the solar wind streams derived from the coronal holes (H) and the geomagnetic index (A _p). The relationship between A and the other indices were found to be strongly latitude dependent. At around 57–58 N, a drastic change in this relationship occurs, and an attempt is made qualitatively to evaluate this latitudinal variation.     

Sensitivity of the sub-photospheric flow fields inferred from ring-diagram analysis to the change on the solar model

We study the effect of the change of solar model parameters on the measurements of the horizontal velocity flow components based on the analysis of high-degree modes using the ring-diagram local helioseismic technique. We show that changing the equation of state, opacities, surface heavy-element abundances or the modeling of convection do not affect the sub-photospheric flow field measurements. However, the modeling of outermost layers can affect the measurements if an important amount of high radial order modes (high-frequency modes) are included in the analysis.     

Mid-term periodicities and heliospheric modulation of coronal index and solar flare index during solar cycles 22–23

We applied fast Fourier transform techniques and Morlet wavelet transform on the time series data of coronal index, solar flare index, and galactic cosmic ray, for the period 1986–2008, in order to investigate the long- and mid-term periodicities including the Rieger (\({\sim }130\) to \({\sim }190\) days), quasi-period (\({\sim }200\) to \({\sim }374\) days), and quasi-biennial periodicities (\({\sim }1.20\) to \({\sim }3.27\) years) during the combined solar cycles 22–23. We emphasize the fact that a lesser number of periodicities are found in the range of low frequencies, while the higher frequencies show a greater number of periodicities. The rotation rates at the base of convection zone have periods for coronal index of \({\sim }1.43\) years and for solar flare index of \({\sim }1.41\) year, and galactic cosmic ray, \({\sim }1.35\) year, during combined solar cycles 22–23. In relation to these two solar parameters (coronal index and solar flare index), for the solar cycles 22–23, we found that galactic cosmic ray modulation at mid cut-off rigidity (\(\hbox {Rc} = 2.43\hbox {GV}\)) is anti-correlated with time-lag of few months.     

Frequency drift rate of solar decameter “drift pair” bursts

This paper deals with the detailed analysis of frequency drift rates of solar"drift pair"(DP)bursts observed from 2015 July 10 to 12 during a type Ⅲ burst storm.The observations were conducted by the UTR-2 radio telescope at 9–33 MHz with high frequency and time resolution.DPs were recorded drifting from higher to lower frequencies(forward DPs)as well as from lower to higher ones(reverse DPs).Patterns on their dynamic spectrum had various inclines and occupied different bandwidths.The frequency drift rate versus frequency dependence of these bursts has been studied.The fitting model to describe the peak evolution of these bursts in the frequency-time plane is presented.The relationship between DPs and type Ⅲ solar bursts is discussed.     

The EUV continuum emission (1400–1960 Å) in a solar flare observed from Skylab

The total radiative output in the EUV continuum (1400–1960 Å) from the 5 September 1973 flare has been obtained from the EUV spectra of the flare observed with the NRL slit spectrograph (SO82B) on Skylab. The radiative energy in the EUV continuum is of the order of 10²⁹ ergs, which is more than a factor of 2 greater than those radiated in soft X-rays (8–20 Å) and in H for the flare. Thus, the EUV continuum emission is an important radiative energy loss, and should be included in the consideration of the energy balance of the flare.Ball Corporation.Now at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.     

A ‘magnetospheric’ scenario of the solar flare in a quadrupole magnetic configuration

An attempt is made to impart a constructive character to the concept of the solar flaremagnetospheric substorm analogy. An idealized scheme for a two-ribbon solar flare in the originally closed magnetosphere of the active region is discussed. The basis is formed by a terrestrial substorm scenario with two active phases (Mishin et al., 1992). While a quadrupole magnetic configuration turns out to be a solar analog of the Earth's magnetosphere. A physical mechanism that sustains the preflare storage phase, is provided by an instability like a stretching instability of the closed geomagnetotail. The storage process is attributed to the emergence into the corona of closed magnetic flux lines in adjacent (to the location of the would-be flare) regions. The flare flash-phase is determined by the change-over of the stretching instability to a disruption instability of a nonstationary (not neutral) current sheet inside the storage zone. The final recovery phase corresponds to the wellknown Pneuman-Kopp model.     

The structure and evolution of a solar flare as observed in 3.5–30 keV X-rays

On July 5, 1980 the Hard X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer on board the Solar Maximum Mission observed a complex flare event starting at 22 : 32 UT from AR 2559 (Hale 16955), then at N 28 W 29, which developed finally into a 2-ribbon flare. In this paper we compare the X-ray images with Hα photographs taken at the Big Bear Solar Observatory and identify the site of the most energetic flare phenomena. During the early phases of the event the hard X-rays (>16 keV) came from a compact source located near one of the two bright Hα kernels; we believe the latter are at the footpoints of a compact magnetic loop. The kernel identified with the X-ray source is immediately adjacent to one of the principal sunspots and in fact appears to ‘rotate’ around the sunspot over 90° in the early phase of the flare. Two intense X-ray bursts occur at the site of the rotating kernel, and following each burst the loop fills with hot, X-ray emitting plasma. If the first burst is interpreted as bremsstrahlung from a beam of electrons impinging on a collisionally dominated medium, the energy in such electrons, >16 keV, is ～ 5 × 10³⁰ erg. The altitude of the looptop is 7–10 × 10³ km. The temperature structure of the flare is extremely non-homogeneous, and the highest temperatures are found in the top of the loop. A few minutes after the hard X-ray bursts the configuration of the region changes; some of the flare energy is transferred along a system of larger loops that now become the defining structure for a 2-ribbon flare, which is how the flare develops as seen in Hα. In the late, cooling phase of the flare 15 min after maximum, we find a significant component of the plasma at temperatures between 25 and 30 × 10⁶ K.     

Structure and physical conditions in the Hα loops of an M7.7 solar flare

The M7.7 solar flare on July 19, 2012, is the most dramatic example of a “Masuda” flare with a well-defined second X-ray above-the-loop-top source. The behavior of the system of loops accompanying this flare has been studied comprehensively by Liu et al. based on Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) data. We have performed spectroscopic and filter observations of the Hα loops in this flare with the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope. The basic physical parameters in the loops of this peculiar flare generally coincide with the known data in Hα loops. However, the electron density, 10¹¹ cm_?3, and the integrated disk-center continuum intensity, 12%, are quite high, given that the observations were obtained almost 3 h after the flare onset.We have estimated the ascending velocity of the loop arcade (~3.5 km s^?1) and the height difference between the Hα and 94 Å loops (~2 × 10⁴ km).     

The height distribution of the kinetic temperature and turbulent velocity of solar Hα spicules

The height distribution of the kinetic temperature of solar H spicules is determined using the widths of optically thin hydrogen and metallic lines obtained at the total solar eclipse of 1966: the temperature was found to be 8600 K at the height of 2200 km measured from the radial optical depth of unity at 5000 Å, and to decrease to a minimum of 5000 K ± 180 K at 3200 km, and to increase again to 8200 K at 6000 km.The height distribution of the non-thermal turbulent velocity is also determined and is shown to be consistent with the neutral helium line widths emitted at the kinetic temperature of 5000–8000 K.     

Exploring the characteristics of the flare from PMN J0218–2307 by Fermi-LAT

PMN J0218-2307(4 FGL J0218.9-2305) is classified as a blazar candidate with unknown type(BCU) in the fourth source catalog from the Fermi Large Area Telescope(Fermi-LAT).With the updated Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data,the γ-ray flaring activity toward PMN J0218-2307 is detected.The test statistic(TS) value of PMN J0218-2307 in energy band of 100 MeV-500 GeV is 133.893 with a significance level of 10.96σ.The maximum-likelihood photon flux is(8.131 ± 1.359) × 10~(-9) ph cm~(-2) s~(-1).A significantγ-ray flare in the period from 2008 August 4 to 2019 August 25 is found from the source.The spectral characteristics of GeV energy band of PMN J0218-2307 is similar to that of flat-spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) in the local Universe.     

Observations of 1000 km s −1 Doppler shifts in 107 K solar flare supra-arcade

An X1.5 flare on the west limb of the Sun on 21 April 2002 developed a large supra-arcade about 30 min after flare onset. The growth of the supra-arcade can be followed in both TRACE 195 Å images and SUMER spectra. Its growth seems to be associated with dark (in TRACE images), sunward moving channels that descend onto the arcade from above. SUMER recorded Doppler shifts of 800–1000 km s^–1 in Fexxi 1354 Å from positions where this sunward flow interacts with the arcade tops. We describe the observations, focusing on the relationship of the high Fexxi line shifts to the sunward moving dark flows.     

Improved data of solar spectral irradiance from 0.33 to 1.25μ

The conversion of our centre of disk intensities published in 1968/70 into mean disk intensities has been repeated, using more accurate data for the centre-to-limb variation of both continuous radiation and strong absorption lines.The random observational mean error of the new irradiance data very likely is not larger than 1.5% in the UV and not larger than 1% in the visible and infrared. Comparison with the fluxes of Sun-like stars observed by Hardorp (1980) confirms these errors and seems to exclude the possibility of a systematic, wavelength-dependent scale error which would correspond to a temperature difference larger than 50 K.The resulting integral value of the irradiance between 0.33 and 1.25 is 1.060, the corresponding value of the solar constant lies between 1.368 and 1.377 kWm^-2.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.     

Determination of constant α force-free solar magnetic fields from magnetograph data

At first it is shown that a magnetic field being force-free, i.e. satisfying × B = B, with = constant ( 0) in the whole exterior of the Sun cannot have a finite energy content and cannot be determined uniquely from only one magnetic field component given at the photosphere. Then the boundary value problem for a semi-infinite column of arbitrary cross section is solved by a Green's function method.     

Radial dependence of solar wind parameters in the ecliptic (1.1 R ⊙−61 AU)

The radial dependencies of four solar wind parameters (plasma density N, velocity V, temperature T, and magnitude of the interplanetary magnetic field B) are derived from remote sensing data of the solar corona and from in situ measurements in the heliosphere (Helios-1, 2, Pioneer-10, 11, and Voyager-1, 2). Using doubly logarithmic scaling (solar wind parameter vs radial distance from the Sun) one finds two distinct intervals in the ecliptic, i.e., an exponential section within, approximately, the inner heliosphere and a linear section - up to at least 61 AU - in the outer heliosphere.