The density distribution of flare loops and the mechanisms of their emission in the continuum are still open questions. On September 10, 2017 a prominent loop system appeared during the gradual phase of an X8.2 flare (SOL2017-09-10), visible in all passbands of SDO/AIA and in the white-light continuum of SDO/HMI. We investigate its electron density by taking into account all radiation processes in the flare loops, i.e. the Thomson continuum, hydrogen Paschen and Brackett recombination continua, as well as free-free continuum emission. We derive a quadratic function of the electron density for a given temperature and effective loop thickness. By absolutely calibrating SDO/HMI intensities, we convert the measured intensities into electron density at each pixel in the loops. For a grid of plausible temperatures between cool (6000 K) and hot (10^6 K) structures, the electron density is computed for representative effective thicknesses between 200 and 20 000 km. We obtain a relatively high maximum electron density, about 10^13 cm^-3. At such high electron densities, the Thomson continuum is negligible and therefore one would not expect a significant polarization degree in dense loops. We conclude that the Paschen and Brackett recombination continua are dominant in cool flare loops, while the free-free continuum emission is dominant for warmer and hot loops.
We examined the structure near the solar limb in TRACE images of the continuum and in the 1600 and 171 A bands as well as in SDO images in the continuum (from HMI) and all AIA bands. The images in different wavelength bands were carefully coaligned by using the position of Mercury for TRACE and Venus for SDO during their transit in front of the solar disk in 1999 and 2012 respectively. Chromospheric absorbing structures in the TRACE 171 A band are best visible 7" above the white light limb, very close to the inner limb, defined as the inflection point of the rising part of the center-to-limb i…
We describe here the application of a machine learning method for flare forecasting using vectors of properties extracted from images provided by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager in the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/HMI). We also discuss how the method can be used to quantitatively assess the impact of such properties on the prediction process.
On the nature of off-limb flare continuum sources detected by SDO/HMI
太阳动力学观测站上的日震和磁成像仪提供了对离临边耀斑发射的独特观测。白光（WL）的连续增强被检测到的Fe 6173 A线的“连续”通道在所观察到的耀斑的脉冲阶段。在本文中，我们的目标是确定辐射机制是负责这种增强被视为以上的肢体，在色球高度约1000公里或以下。使用一个简单的分析方法，我们比较了两个候选机制，氢复合连续（Paschen）和汤姆逊连续由于散射的磁盘辐射耀斑电子。这两种机制都依赖于电子密度，而电子密度通常在耀斑的脉冲阶段由于碰撞电离（由于电子束的热电离和非热电离）而增强。我们的结论是，电子密度高于$10^{12}$ cm $^{-3}$，Paschen复合连续显着占主导地位的汤姆逊散射连续，有一些贡献，从氢自由的发射。这进一步支持了详细的辐射流体动力学（RHD）模拟耀斑色球加热的电子束。我们使用RHD程序FLARIX计算了半圆环中耀斑加热的时间演化。临边上方的合成连续体结构类似于HMI检测到的临边外耀斑结构，即它们在临边上方的高度以及辐射强度。这些结果是一致的，最近的研究结果有关的氢巴耳末连续增强，这是清楚地检测到在磁盘耀斑的IRIS近紫外光谱仪。
We present several methods towards construction of precursors, which show great promise towards early predictions, of solar flare events in this paper. A data pre-processing pipeline is built to extract useful data from multiple sources, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), to prepare inputs for machine learning algorithms. Two classification models are presented: classification of flares from quiet times for active regions and classification of strong versus weak flare events. We adopt deep learn…
It is generally accepted that densities of quiet sun and active region plasma are sufficiently low to justify the optically thin approximation, and it is commonly used in the analysis of line emissions from plasma in the solar corona. However, densities of solar flare loops are substantially higher, compromising the optically thin approximation. This study begins with a radiative transfer model that uses typical solar flare densities and geometries to show that hot coronal emission lines are not generally optically thin. Further, the model demonstrates that the observed line intensity should e…
Observations of Post-flare Plasma Dynamics during an M1.0 Flare in AR11093 by SDO/AIA
我们使用SDO/AIA 304 μ m和171 μ m滤波器观测了2010年8月7日AR 11093中一个M1.0级双带状耀斑衰变阶段演化的多股耀斑后环系统中冷热等离子体的运动。观察到了多温度下环系统中的运动光强特征及其反射光强特征。所观察到的热等离子体的对应物，可能包围冷约束等离子体，相对较快地移动（$\sim$ 34 km s $^{-1}$）到后者（29 km s $^{-1}$）的形式的扩展强度功能。传播的等离子体和强度从环的另一个足点的区域反射。等离子体运动的亚声速和相关的强度特征很可能是在耀斑后环系统中通过脉冲耀斑加热过程演化出来的。补充我们的意见，移动多温度的强度功能后耀斑环系统及其反射，我们还试图解决二维理想磁流体动力学方程数值模拟使用VAL-IIIC大气作为初始条件来模拟所观察到的等离子体动力学。我们考虑耀斑过程中在环系统的一个足点附近脉冲产生的局部热脉冲，它沿太阳色球层的磁场线发射。脉冲在沿该环系统移动时在较高高度处变陡成缓慢冲击，这触发了密切显示所观察到的等离子体动力学的等离子体扰动。
Flare ribbons are bright manifestations of flare energy dissipation in the lower solar atmosphere. For the first time, we report on high-resolution imaging spectroscopy observations of flare ribbons situated off-limb in the H$β$ and Ca II 8542 Å lines and make a detailed comparison with radiative hydrodynamic simulations. Observations of the X8.2-class solar flare SOL2017-09-10T16:06 UT obtained with the Swedish Solar Telescope reveal bright horizontal emission layers in H$β$ line wing images located near the footpoints of the flare loops. The apparent separation between the ribbon observed in…
Observations of the Sun's off-limb white-light (WL) flares offer rare opportunities to study the energy release and transport mechanisms in flare loops. One of the best such events was SOL2017-09-10, an X8.2 flare that occurred near the Sun's west limb on 2017 September 10 and produced a WL loop system lasting more than 60 minutes and reaching an altitude higher than 30 Mm. The event was well observed by a suite of ground- and space-based instruments, including the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/HMI) that captured its off-limb loops in WL continuum near Fe I 6…
Using the observations from the Optical and Near-infrared Solar Eruption Tracer and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we study an M5.7 flare in AR 11476 on 2012 May 10 and a micro-flare in the quiet Sun on 2017 March 23. Before the onset of each flare, there is a reverse S-shaped filament above the polarity inversion line. Then the filaments become unstable and begin to rise. The rising filaments gain the upper hand over the tension force of the dome-like overlying loops and thus successfully erupt outward. The footpoints of the reconnecting overlying loops successively brighten and are observed…
This study on plasma heating considers the time-dependent ionization process during a large solar flare on September 10, 2017, observed by Hinode/EIS. The observed FeXXIV / FeXXIII ratios increase downstream of the reconnection outflow, and they are consistent with the time-dependent ionization effect at a constant electron temperature Te = 25 MK. Moreover, this study also shows that the non-thermal velocity, which can be related to the turbulent velocity, reduces significantly along the downstream of the reconnection outflow, even when considering the time-dependent ionization process.
We present an analysis of off-limb cool flare loops observed by SDO/AIA during the gradual phase of SOL2017-09-10T16:06 X8.2-class flare. In the EUV channels starting from the 335 Å one, cool loops appear as dark structures against the bright loop arcade. These dark structures were precisely coaligned (spatially and temporally) with loops observed by SST in emission lines of hydrogen and ionized calcium. Recently published semi-empirical model of cool loops based on SST observations serves us to predict the level of hydrogen and helium recombination continua. The continua were synthesized usin…
Spectroscopic observations made by the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) during the 2012 March 7 X5.4-class flare (SOL2012-03-07T00:07) are analyzed for signatures of the non-Maxwellian kappa-distributions. Observed spectra were averaged over 1 minute to increase photon statistics in weaker lines and the pre-flare spectrum was subtracted. Synthetic line intensities for the kappa-distributions are calculated using the KAPPA database. We find strong departures (kappa < 2) during the early and impulsive phases of the flare, with subsequ…
Classic solar models put the Chromosphere-Corona Transition Region (CCTR} at $\sim2$Mm above the $τ_{5000} = 1$ level, whereas rMHD models place it in a wider range of heights. Observational verification is scarce. We review and discuss recent results from various instruments and spectral domains. In SDO and TRACE images spicules appear in emission in the 1600, 1700 and 304 A bands and in absorption in the EUV bands; the latter is due to photo-ionization of H and He I. At the shortest available AIA wavelength and taking into account that the photospheric limb is $\sim0.34$Mm above the $τ_{5000…
Irreversible Rapid Changes of Magnetic Field Associated with the 2012 October 23 Circular Near-limb X1.8 Flare
人们发现，光球磁场可以随着太阳爆发后的三维磁场重构而变化。以往的研究主要使用的矢量磁场数据采取的事件附近的磁盘中心。本文利用太阳动力学观测站日震磁成像仪（Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamic Observatory）的45 s和12 min两个周期的观测数据，分析了2012年10月23日NOAA AR 11598中X1.8耀斑的磁场演化。这个耀斑被归类为一个具有脊扇型磁拓扑结构的圆带状耀斑，其中包含一个零点。在视向磁图中，存在两条视极性反转线（PIL）。靠近肢体的PIL受投射效应的影响更大。在这两个PIL之间存在正极性磁场，其被PIL外部的负极性场包围。我们发现，耀斑发生后，向盘缘和向盘缘的视负通量均减小，而两者之间的视正通量增大。我们还发现，水平磁场沿盘向PIL有一个显着的增加，而在周围地区，他们减少。综合观测到的磁场变化，我们得出结论，磁场崩溃对表面以上的盘向PIL所描绘的日冕内爆的情况下，而周边领域转向一个更垂直的配置后，耀斑。我们还认为这次事件是一次不对称的圆带状耀斑：朝向磁盘的PIL上方可能存在通量绳。它的爆发导致整个扇脊结构的不稳定和PIL附近的内爆。
Since their discovery by SDO/AIA in EUV, rapid (phase speeds of 1000 km/s), quasi-periodic, fast-mode propagating wave trains (QFPs) have been observed accompanying many solar flares. They typically propagate in funnel-like structures associated with the expanding magnetic field topology of the active regions (ARs). The waves provide information on the associated flare pulsations and the magnetic structure through coronal seismology. The reported waves usually originate from a single localized source associated with the flare. Here, we report the first detection of counter-propagating QFPs ass…
Revealing Flare Energetics and Dynamics with SDO EVE Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Observations
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado（科罗拉多大学大气与空间物理实验室）；Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学应用物理实验室）；High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research（美国国家大气研究中心高空观测站）；Naval Research Laboratory（海军研究实验室）
The Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment was designed to observe the Sun-as-a-star in the extreme ultraviolet; a wavelength range that has remained spectrally unresolved for many years. It has provided a wealth of data on solar flares, perhaps most uniquely, on the Lyman spectrum of hydrogen at high cadence and moderate spectral resolution. In this paper we concentrate on the analysis of Lyman continuum (LyC) observations and its temporal evolution in a sample of six major solar flares. By fitting both the pre-flare and flare excess spectra with a blackbody function we show that the colo…
Mercury mission MESSENGER's %(MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging Solar Assembly for X-rays (SAX) observed almost 700 solar flares between May 28, 2007 and August 19, 2013, as cataloged by \citet{dennisSOLARFLAREELEMENT2015}. The SAX instrument, part of the X-ray Spectrometer (XRS), operated at 1 -- 10 keV, partially overlapping the energy range of the GOES X-ray spectrometers. SAX provides viewing angles different from the Earth-Sun line and can therefore be used as a GOES proxy for partially or fully occulted flares as seen from Earth. For flares with GOES classes a…
We report the first science results from the newly completed Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA), which obtained excellent microwave imaging spectroscopy observations of SOL2017-09-10, a classic partially-occulted solar limb flare associated with an erupting flux rope. This event is also well-covered by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) in hard X-rays (HXRs). We present an overview of this event focusing on microwave and HXR data, both associated with high-energy nonthermal electrons, and discuss them within the context of the flare geometry and evolution …
