Late phase gradual enhancements in microwaves and hard X-rays of the 6 November 1980 flare

Solar Physics - We have calculated eigenfrequencies of radial and nonradial p-mode oscillations with low harmonic index l (l = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4) for a standard solar model with normal composition...     

Energetics of a double flare on November 8, 1980

Here we complete an energy balance analysis of a double impulsive hard X-ray flare. From spatial observations, we deduce both flares probably occur in the same loop within the resolution of the data. For the first flare, the energy in the fast electrons (assuming a thick-target model) is comparable to the convective up-flow energy, suggesting that these are related successive modes of energy storage and transfer. The total energy lost through radiation and conduction, 2.0 × 10²⁸ erg, is comparable to the energy in fast electrons 2.5 × 10²⁸ erg. For the second flare, the energy in the fast electrons is more than one order of magnitude greater than the energy of the convective up-flow. Total energy losses are within a factor of two lower than the calculated fast electron energy. We interpret the observations as showing that the first flare occurred in a small loop with fast electrons heating the chromosphere and resulting in chromospheric evaporation increasing the density in the loop. For the second flare most of the heating occurred at the electron acceleration site. The two symmetrical components of the Ca xix resonance line and a high velocity down-flow of 115 km s ^–1 observed at the end of the second hard X-ray burst are consistent with the flare eruption (reconnection) region being high in the flare loop. The estimated altitude of the acceleration site is 5500 km above the photosphere.     

Giant solar arches and coronal mass ejections in November 1980

Using data from the SOLWIND coronagraph and photometers aboard HELIOS-A we examine coronal mass ejections from an active region which produced a series of giant post-flare coronal arches. HXIS X-ray observations reveal that in several cases underlying flares did not disrupt these arch structures, but simply revived them, enhancing their temperature, density and brightness. Thus we are curious to know how these quasi-stationary X-ray structures could survive in the corona in spite of recurrent appearances of powerful dynamic flares below them. We have found reliable evidence that two dynamic flares which clearly revived the preexisting giant arch were not associated with any mass ejection. After two other flares, which were associated with mass ejections, the arch might have been newly formed when the ejection was over. In one of these cases, however, the arch had typical characteristics of a revived structure so that it is likely that it survived a powerful mass ejection nearby. In a magnetic configuration of the arch which results from potential-field modelling (Figure 1(b)) such a survival seems possible.     

Solar flare activity and the structure of the coronal neutral line

In this study we analyse the positions of major flares from 1978 and 1979, with respect to the magnetic structure of the solar corona, as described by a potential field model. We find that major flares exhibit no strong association with the neutral line at the chromospheric level. However, when we calculate the neutral line's position at higher and higher altitudes in the corona, we find that major flares show an increasing tendency to be found close to these high-altitude coronal neutral lines. The correlation between flares and higher-altitude coronal neutral lines reaches a maximum at an altitude of 0.35R , and thereafter decreases as the neutral line is moved out to the source surface at an altitude of 1.50R . This indicates that major flares are strongly associated with coronal structure at the 0.35R level ( 250 000 km) - an altitude surprisingly high in the corona. This reinforces the idea that flares are associated with large-scale coronal magnetic fields and also indicates that the region of coronal magnetic topology important to solar flare processes may be larger than previously thought.     

On the outburst of flare activity of 26 November, 1973

We draw attention of flare build-up observers to a strong 30 hour-long outburst of homologous flare activity and unusual growth and brightening of coronal loops, seen on Skylab. We suggest that these events might have been closely associated with newly emerging magnetic flux, in spite of the fact that the flux effects in H and EUV were first seen only late after the activity had started, and the flux emerged at the opposite end of the coronal loops from where the flares occurred.     

Analysis of the 9th November 1990 flare

In this paper we present complete two-dimensional measurements of the observed brightness of the 9th November 1990Hα flare, using a PDS microdensitometer scanner and image processing software MIDAS. The resulting isophotal contour maps, were used to describe morphological-cum-temporal behaviour of the flare and also the kernels of the flare. Correlation of theHα flare with SXR and MW radiations were also studied.     

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the coronal transient associated with the solar limb flare of 1980, June 29, 18∶21 UT

Soft X-ray data from the XRP experiment on SMM are used to generate the temperature and density in the flaring region of the 1980, June 29 (18∶21 UT) solar flare. The temporal data (T _max ～- 20 × 10⁶ K and n _max ～- 4 × 10¹¹ cm^?3), together with an assumed velocity, are used to simulate mass injection as the input pulse for the MHD model of Wu et al. (1982a, 1983a). The spatial and temporal coronal response is compared with the ground-based, Mark III K-coronameter observations of the subsequent coronal transient. The simulation produces a spatially-wide, large amplitude, temporarily-steepened MHD wave for either of the two ‘canonical’ magnetic topologies (closed and open), but no shock wave. This result appears to be confirmed by the fact that a type II radio event was observed late in the event for only a few minutes, thereby indicating that a steepening wave with temporary, marginal shock formation, was indeed present. The density enhancements produced by the simulation move away from the Sun at the same velocity observed by the K-coronameter. However, the observation of the coronal transient included a rarefaction that does not appear in the simulation. A probable explanation for this discrepancy is the likelihood that the magnitude and temporal profile of the density of the soft X-ray emitting plasma should not have been used as part of the mass injection pulse. We believe that the temperature profile alone, as suggested by earlier simulations, might have been a necessary and sufficient condition to produce both the compression and rarefaction of the ambient corona as indicated by the K-coronameter data. Hence, the dense plasma observed by XRP was probably confined, for the most part, close to the Sun during the ～ 17 min duration of the observations.     

Lifetime of solar flare particles in coronal storage regions

Most discussions of lifetime of flare particles in the solar corona have assumed that collision loss is the dominant means of slowing and stopping these particles. The customary formulas used to estimate the rate of collision loss assume individual fast particles interacting with relatively cold matter. However, it is quite possible that the solar cosmic rays are not imbedded in 10⁶ K coronal material but rather all particles in the storage region are energetic. Collision times are sufficiently short so that the energy spectrum may approach a maxwellian distribution with kT on the order of 30 keV. If this is the case, the rate of collision loss will be greatly reduced. Bremsstrahlung and magnetobremsstrahlung then will be the important energy losses. To account for the presence of appreciable numbers of MeV particles, it is probably necessary to postulate the existence of a non-thermal tail in the stored particle distribution.     

Formation and cooling of the giant HXIS arches of November 6–7, 1980

Giant arches, first detected by the HXIS instrument aboard SMM, are still a poorly understood component of the flare scenario. Their origin remains uncertain and their behavior, quite different in separate events, has not yet been satisfactorily explained. The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the giant arches imaged on November 6–7, 1980, which, in contrast to that observed on May 21, 1980, were not stationary and had shorter cooling times. In particular, we use a procedure, already applied to the May 21 case, to compute the three-dimensional topology of the magnetic field which forms by reconnection over the active region containing the November arches. This technique allows us to verify that the observed structures are aligned with the computed field lines, lending support to the hypothesis that they originate through a reconnection process which occurs at progressively larger altitudes. Moreover, a calculation of the magnetic energy liberated by reconnection shows that enough energy may be thereby released to account for the observed thermal energy enhancement of the HXIS arches. Finally, the lifetime of the features is shown to be consistent with that predicted by cooling via radiation and field-aligned conduction to the underlying chromosphere.     

Cooling of a coronal flare loop through radiation and conduction

A simple method is proposed for a computation of the cooling of coronal flare loops by radiation and conduction, for various temperatures, densities, and lengths of the loops. The relative importance of conductive and radiative losses is briefly discussed.     

X-ray observations of limb flare loops and post-flare coronal arch

We present observations of another post-flare arch following an eruptive flare, detected in X-ray lines above the western solar limb on 2 May 1985.     

Multiwavelength observations of the impulsive flare of November 19, 1990

We present the observation and interpretation of a solar radio burst whose evolution of the source position at 48 GHz has been correlated with microwave spectral observations from 3.1 to 19.6 GHz and H imaging spectrograms. The event of November 19, 1990 showed 4 impulsive peaks in microwaves and 2 H kernels. There exists strong evidence that the impulsive emission has originated from nonthermal electrons including an electron beam during the rising phase of the third microwave peak. The complex evolution of the source position at 48 GHz is attributed to two inhomogeneous and spatially separated sources with changing relative brightness.     

Oscillations of optical emission from flare stars and coronal loop diagnostics

Based on an analogy between stellar and solar flares, we investigate the ten-second oscillations detected in the U and B bands on the star EV Lac. The emission pulsations are associated with fast magnetoacoustic oscillations in coronal loops. We have estimated the magnetic field, B ≈ 320 G; the temperature, T ≈ 3.7 × 10⁷ K; and the plasma density, n ≈ 1.6 × 10¹¹ cm^?3, in the region of energy release. We provide evidence suggesting that the optical emission source is localized at the loop footpoints.     

Direct observations of a flare related coronal and solar wind disturbance

Numerous mass ejections from the Sun have been detected with orbiting coronagraphs. Here for the first time we document and discuss the direct association of a coronagraph observed mass ejection, which followed a 2B flare, with a large interplanetary shock wave disturbance observed at 1 AU. Estimates of the mass (2.4 × 10¹⁶ g) and energy content (1.1 × 10³² erg) of the coronal disturbance are in reasonably good agreement with estimates of the mass and energy content of the solar wind disturbance at 1 AU. The energy estimates as well as the transit time of the disturbance are also in good agreement with numerical models of shock wave propagation in the solar wind.     

X-ray observations of filament eruption in the 1980 May 21 flare

X-ray and H observations of an erupting filament, discussed herein, and other observations of the associated flare on 1980 May 21, suggest that an erupting filament played a major role in the X-ray flare. While Antonucci et al. (1985) analyzed the May 21 flare as one of the best cases of chromospheric evaporation, the possible contribution from X-ray emitting erupting plasma has been ignored. We show that pre-heated plasma existed and may have contributed part of the blue-shifted X-ray emission observed in the Caxix line, which was formerly attributed solely to chromospheric evaporation. Thus it remains an open question - in two-ribbon flares in particular - just how important chromospheric evaporation is in flare dynamics.     

Magnetic measurements of coronal holes during 1975–1980

Photospheric magnetic fluxes and average field strengths have been measured beneath 33 coronal holes observed on 63 occasions during 1975–1980. The principal result is that low-latitude holes contained 3 times more flux near sunspot maximum than near minimum despite the fact that their sizes were essentially the same. Average magnetic field strengths ranged from 3–36 G near sunspot maximum compared to 1–7 G near minimum. Evidently the low-latitude coronal holes received a proportion of the extra flux that was available at low latitudes near sunspot maximum.Visiting Astronomer, KPNO.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Unusual spectral absorption observed in the 16 August 1989 limb flare

A relative complete set of He I 10830 Å profiles and their coincident slit-jaw Hα images of the large limb flare (2N/X20) of 16 August 1989 were observed by the solar spectrograph at Purple Mountain Observatory. In addition to the unusually broadened spectral profiles observed in the impulsive phase, more than half of the observed He I 10830 Å profiles are characterized by central reversals, which were detected not only in the impulsive phase but also in the late decaying phase. The central-reversed profiles may exist at different heights, ranging from the solar limb to (3–4) × 10⁴ km above. The absorption varies with time and position, with a typical lifetime and size of several minutes and 5–6 arc sec, respectively. Depths of the absorption profiles also change clearly. The absorptions are usually deeper at the loop footpoint near the solar limb and shallower at loop-top. However, the most unusual feature is that all the line-center wavelengths of them show no shift relative to that of the quiet chromosphere near the limb, implying the apparent velocities are zero while the associated emission profiles have different apparent velocities. Theoretical simulations demonstrate that the Doppler widths of the absorptions are in the range of (0.35–0.5)Å and increase with height, and the source functions are (0.11–0.3) times the disk center intensity. However, the absorptions have a relative large range of optical thickness (0.1–1.3) in the I ₃ component of the He I 10830 Å triplet. We have not observed such absorption in other limb flares, including the SB/X2.9 flare of 17 August 1989 that occurred in the same active region as the studied one (NOAA 5629). Our studies show that the absorption could not result from he scattering by the telluric atmosphere or from normal chromospheric absorption. This unique phenomenon may be related to extra intense X-ray flux and caused by diffuse and non uniform materials dissociated from the flare instead of self-absorption of the flare.     

The Hα flare as a secondary product of a coronal instability

The assumption that the flare originates in the corona or transition layer, is confronted with the known properties of chromospheric flares. It is concluded that the basic mode of the energy transport into chromosphere is heat conduction. Only in some flares non-thermal particles contribute to the brightening in lower atmospheric layers: electrons with energy close to 100 keV produce chromospheric bright patches, and protons above 20 MeV cause the photospheric enhancements. The particle-produced brightenings are superposed on the basic quasi-thermal flare and involve only small areas as compared with the extensive regions heated through conduction.The most probable height of the flare origin appears to be close to the transition layer, between some 4000 and 7000 km above the photosphere. The non-thermal acceleration (when present) occurs probably higher than where the flare originates. There is no obvious reason why the high electron density in chromospheric flares could not be explained as simply due to increased ionization in the existing plasma, without any flare-induced mass condensations.Though there are several facts supporting the flare origin in the corona (or transition layer), one cannot exclude the alternative that the flare instability involves simultaneously a wide (and in different cases different) range of altitudes. Energy considerations give some support to such a supposition.Mitteilungen aus dem Fraunhofer Institut Nr. 121.Visiting scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute, grant of Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.     

Multi-wavelength observations of an X-class flare without a coronal mass ejection.

Developments in our knowledge of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have shown that many of these transients occur in association with solar flares. On the occasions when there is a common occurrence of the eruption and the flare, it is most likely that the flare is of high intensity and/or long-duration (Burkepile, Hundhausen, and Webb, 1994; Munro et al., 1979; Webb and Hundhausen, 1987). A model for the relationship between the long-duration event and eruption has been developed (Carmichael, 1964; Sturrock, 1966; Hirayama, 1974; Kopp and Pneuman, 1976), but not so for the high-intensity flares and eruptions. This work investigates the magnetic topology changes that occur for a X1.2 GOES classification flare which has no associated CME. It is found that the flare is likely to result from the interaction between two pre-existing loops low in the corona, producing a confined flare. Slightly higher in the corona, a loop is observed which exhibits an outward motion as a result of the reconfiguration during reconnection. The objective of this work is to gain insight on the magnetic topology of the event which is critical in order to determine whether a high-intensity flare is likely to be related to a CME or not.