1,444 research outputs found
Dark filaments observed at 8.3mm and 3.1mm wavelength
Mapping of the sun was made at 3.1mm (98 GHz) and 8.3mm (36 GHz) wavelengths with a 45m dish radio telescope at the Nobeyama Cosmic Radio Observatory. The depressions associated with large H alpha filaments are derived to be -0.2 at 8.3mm and -0.05 at 3.1mm, which are darker than the values inferred by Raoult et al. (1979
Multilevel Analysis of Oscillation Motions in Active Regions of the Sun
We present a new method that combines the results of an oscillation study
made in optical and radio observations. The optical spectral measurements in
photospheric and chromospheric lines of the line-of-sight velocity were carried
out at the Sayan Solar Observatory. The radio maps of the Sun were obtained
with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 1.76 cm. Radio sources associated with the
sunspots were analyzed to study the oscillation processes in the
chromosphere-corona transition region in the layer with magnetic field B=2000
G. A high level of instability of the oscillations in the optical and radio
data was found. We used a wavelet analysis for the spectra. The best
similarities of the spectra of oscillations obtained by the two methods were
detected in the three-minute oscillations inside the sunspot umbra for the
dates when the active regions were situated near the center of the solar disk.
A comparison of the wavelet spectra for optical and radio observations showed a
time delay of about 50 seconds of the radio results with respect to optical
ones. This implies a MHD wave traveling upward inside the umbral magnetic tube
of the sunspot. Besides three-minute and five-minute ones, oscillations with
longer periods (8 and 15 minutes) were detected in optical and radio records.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted to Solar Physics (18 Jan 2011). The
final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co
Solar Sources of Severe Space Weather
Severe space weather is characterized by intense particle radiation from the Sun and severe geomagnetic storm caused by magnetized solar plasma arriving at Earth. Intense particle radiation is almost always caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) traveling from the Sun at super-Alfvenic speeds leading to fast-mode MHD shocks and particle acceleration by the shocks. When a CME arrives at Earth, it can interact with Earth's magnetopause resulting in solar plasma entry into the magnetosphere and a geomagnetic storm depending on the magnetic structure of the CME. Particle radiation starts affecting geospace as soon as the CMEs leave the Sun and the geospace may be immersed in the radiation for several days. On the other hand, the geomagnetic storm happens only upon arrival of the CME at Earth. The requirements for the production of particles and magnetic storms by CMEs are different in a number of respects: solar source location, CME magnetic structure, conditions in the ambient solar wind, and shock-driving ability of CMEs. Occasionally, intense geomagnetic storms are caused by corotating interaction regions (CIRs) that form in the interplanetary space when the fast solar wind from coronal holes overtakes the slow wind from the quiet regions. CIRs also accelerate particles, but when they reach several AU from the Sun, so their impact on Earth's space environment is not significant. In addition to these plasma effects, solar flares that accompany CMEs also produce excess ionization in the ionosphere causing sudden ionospheric disturbances. This paper highlights these space weather effects using space weather events observed by space and ground based instruments during of solar cycles 23 and 24
Spatially resolved microwave pulsations of a flare loop
A microwave burst with quasi-periodic pulsations was studied with high spatial resolution using observations with
the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). We found that the time profiles of the microwave emission at 17 and 34 GHz exhibit
quasi-periodic (with two well defined periods P 1 = 14–17 s and P 2 = 8–11 s) variations of the intensity at different parts of an observed flaring loop. Detailed Fourier analysis shows the P 1 spectral component to be dominant at the top, while the P 2 one near the feet of the loop. The 14–17 s pulsations are synchronous at the top and in both legs of the loop. The 8–11 s pulsations at the legs are well correlated with each other but the correlation is not so obvious with the pulsations at the loop top. For this P 2
spectral component, a definite phase shift, P 2 /4 ≈ 2.2 s, between pulsations in the northern leg and loop top parts of the loop have been found. The length of the flaring loop is estimated as L = 25 Mm (≈34 ) and its average width at half intensity at 34 GHz as about 6 Mm (≈8 ). Microwave diagnostics shows the loop to be filled with a dense plasma with the number density n 0 ≈ 10 11 cm −3, penetrated by the magnetic field changing from B 0 ≈ 100 G near the loop top up to B 0 ≈ 200 G near the north footpoint. A comparative analysis of different MHD modes of the loop demonstrates the possibility of the simultaneous existence of two modes of oscillations in the loop: the global sausage mode, with the period P 1 = 14–17 s and the nodes at the footpoints, and a higher harmonics mode (possibly with the radial wave number l > 1), with P 2 = 8–11 s
Fast Time Structure During Transient Microwave Brightenings: Evidence for Nonthermal Processes
Transient microwave brightenings (TMBs) are small-scale energy releases from
the periphery of sunspot umbrae, with a flux density two orders of magnitude
smaller than that from a typical flare. Gopalswamy et al (1994) first reported
the detection of the TMBs and it was pointed out that the radio emission
implied a region of very high magnetic field so that the emission mechanism has
to be gyroresonance or nonthermal gyrosynchrotron, but not free-free emission.
It was not possible to decide between gyroresonance and gyrosynchrotron
processes because of the low time resolution (30 s) used in the data analysis.
We have since performed a detailed analysis of the Very Large Array data with
full time resolution (3.3 s) at two wavelengths (2 and 3.6 cm) and we can now
adequately address the question of the emission mechanism of the TMBs. We find
that nonthermal processes indeed take place during the TMBs. We present
evidence for nonthermal emission in the form of temporal and spatial structure
of the TMBs. The fast time structure cannot be explained by a thermodynamic
cooling time and therefore requires a nonthermal process. Using the physical
parameters obtained from X-ray and radio observations, we determine the
magnetic field parameters of the loop and estimate the energy released during
the TMBs. The impulsive components of TMBs imply an energy release rate of 1.3
x 10^22 erg/s so that the thermal energy content of the TMBs could be less than
10^24 erg.Comment: 15 pages (Latex), 4 figures (eps). ApJ Letters in press (1997
Three-minute oscillations above sunspot umbra observed with SDO/AIA and NoRH
Three-minute oscillations over sunspot's umbra in AR 11131 were observed
simultaneously in UV/EUV emission by SDO/AIA and in radio emission by Nobeyama
Radioheliograph (NoRH). We use 24-hours series of SDO and 8-hours series of
NoRH observations to study spectral, spatial and temporal variations of
pulsations in the 5-9 mHz frequency range at different layers of the solar
atmosphere. High spatial and temporal resolution of SDO/AIA in combination with
long-duration observations allowed us to trace the variations of the cut-off
frequency and spectrum of oscillations across the umbra. We found that higher
frequency oscillations are more pronounced closer to the umbra's center, while
the lower frequencies concentrate to the peripheral parts. We interpreted this
discovery as a manifestation of variation of the magnetic field inclination
across the umbra at the level of temperature-minimum. Possible implications of
this interpretation for the diagnostics of sunspot atmospheres is discussed.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, in press ApJ, 201
First-principles study on the origin of large thermopower in hole-doped LaRhO3 and CuRhO2
Based on first-principles calculations, we study the origin of the large
thermopower in Ni-doped LaRhO3 and Mg-doped CuRhO2. We calculate the band
structure and construct the maximally localized Wannier functions from which a
tight binding Hamiltonian is obtained. The Seebeck coefficient is calculated
within the Boltzmann's equation approach using this effective Hamiltonian. For
LaRhO3, we find that the Seebeck coefficient remains nearly constant within a
large hole concentration range, which is consistent with the experimental
observation. For CuRhO2, the overall temperature dependence of the calculated
Seebeck coefficient is in excellent agreement with the experiment. The origin
of the large thermopower is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, to be published J. Phys.: Cond. Matt., Proc. QSD 200
Multi-mode quasi-periodic pulsations in a solar flare
Context.
Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) of the electromagnetic radiation emitted in solar and stellar flares are often detected in microwave, white light, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands. Mechanisms for QPP are intensively debated in the literature. Previous studies revealed that QPP may manifest non-linear, non-stationary and, perhaps, multi-modal processes operating in flares.
Aims.
We study QPP of the microwave emission generated in an X3.2-class solar flare on 14 May, 2013, observed with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH), aiming to reveal signatures of the non-linear, non-stationary, and multi-modal processes in the signal.
Methods. The NoRH correlation signal obtained at the 17 GHz intensity has a clear QPP pattern. The signal was analysed with the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) that allows one to determine its instant amplitude and frequency, and their time variation.
Results.
It was established that the QPP consists of at least three well-defined intrinsic modes, with the mean periods of 15, 45, and 100 s. All the modes have quasi-harmonic behaviour with different modulation patterns. The 100 s intrinsic mode is a decaying oscillation, with the decay time of 250 s. The 15 s intrinsic mode shows a similar behaviour, with the decay time of 90 s. The 45 s mode has a wave-train behaviour.
Conclusions.
Dynamical properties of detected intrinsic modes indicate that the 100 s and 15 s modes are likely to be associated with fundamental kink and sausage modes of the flaring loop, respectively. The 100 s oscillation could also be caused by the fundamental longitudinal mode, while this interpretation requires the plasma temperature of about 30 million K and hence is not likely. The 45 s mode could be the second standing harmonics of the kink mode
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