An Atypical Plateau-like Extreme-ultraviolet Late-phase Solar Flare Driven by the Non-radial Eruption of a Magnetic Flux Rope

Recent observations in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths reveal an EUV late phase in some solar flares, which is characterized by a second peak in the warm coronal emissions (about 3 MK) occurring several tens of minutes to a few hours after the corresponding main flare peak. We aim to clarify the physical origin of an atypical plateau-like EUV late phase in an X1.8-class solar flare occurring on 2011 September 7 from active region (AR) 11283. We first characterize the plateau-like late phase using EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) full-disk integrated irradiance observations and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) spatially-resolved imaging observations on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Then we perform a nonlinear force-free-field (NLFFF) extrapolation, from which a filament-hosting magnetic flux rope (MFR) is revealed. The eruption of the MFR is tracked both in the plane of the sky (POS) and along the line of sight (LOS) through visual inspection and spectral fitting, respectively. Finally, we carry out differential emission measure (DEM) analysis to explore the thermodynamics of the late-phase loops. The MFR shows a non-radial eruption from a fan-spine magnetic structure. The eruption of the MFR and its interaction with overlying arcades invoke multiple magnetic reconnections, which are responsible for the production of different groups of late-phase loops. Afterwards, the late-phase loops enter a long-lasting cooling stage, appearing sequentially in AIA passbands of decreasing response temperatures. Due to their different lengths, the different groups of late-phase loops cool down at different cooling rates, which makes their warm coronal emission peaks temporally separated from each other. Combing the emissions from all late-phase loops together, an elongated plateau-like late phase is formed.Comment: Accepted by A&

Radiative Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of the Confined Eruption of a Magnetic Flux Rope: Magnetic Structure and Plasma Thermodynamics

It is widely believed that magnetic flux ropes are the key structure of solar eruptions; however, their observable counterparts are not clear yet. We study a flare associated with flux rope eruption in a comprehensive radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation of flare-productive active regions, especially focusing on the thermodynamic properties of the plasma involved in the eruption and their relation to the magnetic flux rope. The pre-existing flux rope, which carries cold and dense plasma, rises quasi-statically before the eruption onsets. During this stage, the flux rope does not show obvious signatures in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission. After the flare onset, a thin `current shell' is generated around the erupting flux rope. Moreover, a current sheet is formed under the flux rope, where two groups of magnetic arcades reconnect and create a group of post-flare loops. The plasma within the `current shell', current sheet, and post-flare loops are heated to more than 10 MK. The post-flare loops give rise to abundant soft X-ray emission. Meanwhile a majority of the plasma hosted in the flux rope is heated to around 1 MK, and the main body of the flux rope is manifested as a bright arch in cooler EUV passbands such as AIA 171 \AA~channel.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

A Model for Confined Solar Eruptions Including External Reconnection

The violent disruption of the coronal magnetic field is often observed to be restricted to the low corona, appearing as a confined eruption. The possible causes of the confinement remain elusive. Here, we model the eruption of a magnetic flux rope in a quadrupolar active region, with the parameters set such that magnetic X-lines exist both below and above the rope. This facilitates the onset of magnetic reconnection in either place but with partly opposing effects on the eruption. The lower reconnection initially adds poloidal flux to the rope, increasing the upward hoop force and supporting the rise of the rope. However, when the flux of the magnetic side lobes enters the lower reconnection, the flux rope is found to separate from the reconnection site and the flux accumulation ceases. At the same time, the upper reconnection begins to reduce the poloidal flux of the rope, decreasing its hoop force; eventually this cuts the rope completely. The relative weight of the two reconnection processes is varied in the model, and it is found that their combined effect and the tension force of the overlying field confine the eruption if the flux ratio of the outer to the inner polarities exceeds a threshold, which is about 1.3 for our Cartesian box and chosen parameters. We hence propose that external reconnection between an erupting flux rope and overlying flux can play a vital role in confining eruptions.Comment: submitted to ApJ Letters that has addressed the referee repor

Simulation of a Solar Jet Formed from an Untwisting Flux Rope Interacting with a Null Point

Coronal jets are eruptions identified by a collimated, sometimes twisted spire. They are small-scale energetic events compared with flares. Using multi-wavelength observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and a magnetogram from Hinode/Spectro-Polarimeter (Hinode/SP), we study the formation and evolution of a jet occurring on 2019 March 22 in the active region NOAA 12736. A zero-$\beta$ magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is conducted to probe the initiation mechanisms and appearance of helical motion during this jet event. As the simulation reveals, there are two pairs of field lines at the jet base, indicating two distinct magnetic structures. One structure outlines a flux rope lying low above the photosphere in the north of a bald patch region and the other structure shows a null point high in the corona in the south. The untwisting motions of the observed flux rope was recovered by adding an anomalous (artificial) resistivity in the simulation. A reconnection occurs at the bald patch in the flux rope structure, which is moving upwards and simultaneously encounters the field lines of the null point structure. The interaction of the two structures results in the jet while the twist of the flux rope is transferred to the jet by the reconnected field lines. The rotational motion of the flux rope is proposed to be an underlying trigger of this process and responsible for helical motions in the jet spire.Comment: 17pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Radiative Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of the Confined Eruption of a Magnetic Flux Rope: Unveiling the Driving and Constraining Forces

We analyse the forces that control the dynamic evolution of a flux rope eruption in a three-dimensional (3D) radiative magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) simulation. The confined eruption of the flux rope gives rise to a C8.5 flare. The flux rope rises slowly with an almost constant velocity of a few km/s in the early stage, when the gravity and Lorentz force are nearly counterbalanced. After the flux rope rises to the height at which the decay index of the external poloidal field satisfies the torus instability criterion, the significantly enhanced Lorentz force breaks the force balance and drives rapid acceleration of the flux rope. Fast magnetic reconnection is immediately induced within the current sheet under the erupting flux rope, which provides a strong positive feedback to the eruption. The eruption is eventually confined due to the tension force from the strong external toroidal field. Our results suggest that the gravity of plasma plays an important role in sustaining the quasi-static evolution of the pre-eruptive flux rope. The Lorentz force, which is contributed from both the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability and magnetic reconnection, dominates the dynamic evolution during the eruption process.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Observations of a Failed Solar Filament Eruption Involving External Reconnection

We report a failed solar filament eruption that involves external magnetic reconnection in a quadrupolar magnetic configuration. The evolution exhibits three kinematic evolution phases: a slow-rise phase, an acceleration phase, and a deceleration phase. In the early slow rise, extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) brightenings appear at the expected null point above the filament and are connected to the outer polarities by the hot loops, indicating the occurrence of a breakout reconnection. Subsequently, the filament is accelerated outward, accompanied by the formation of low-lying high-temperature post-flare loops ($>$ 15 MK), complying with the standard flare model. However, after 2--3 minutes, the erupting filament starts to decelerate and is finally confined in the corona. The important finding is that the confinement is closely related to an external reconnection as evidenced by the formation of high-lying large-scale hot loops ($>$ 10 MK) with their brightened footpoints at the outer polarities, the filament fragmentation and subsequent falling along the newly formed large-scale loops, as well as a hard X-ray source close to one of the outer footpoint brightenings. We propose that, even though the initial breakout reconnection and subsequent flare reconnection commence and accelerate the filament eruption, the following external reconnection between the erupting flux rope and overlying field, as driven by the upward filament eruption, makes the eruption finally failed, as validated by the numerical simulation of a failed flux rope eruption.Comment: Accepted by Ap