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

Slow magnetoacoustic oscillations in the microwave emission of solar flares

Analysis of the microwave data, obtained in the 17 GHz channel of the Nobeyama Radioheliograph during the M1.6 flare on 2010 November 4, revealed the presence of 12.6 minute oscillations of the emitting plasma density. The oscillations decayed with the characteristic time of about 15 minutes. Similar oscillations with the period of about 13.8 minutes and the decay time of 25 minutes are also detected in the variation of EUV emission intensity measured in the 335 Å channel of the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. The observed properties of the oscillations are consistent with the oscillations of hot loops observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) in the EUV spectra in the form of periodic Doppler shift. Our analysis presents the first direct observations of the slow magnetoacoustic oscillations in the microwave emission of a solar flare, complementing accepted interpretations of SUMER hot loop oscillations as standing slow magnetoacoustic waves

Period persistence of long period oscillations in sunspots

Long period oscillations in the microwave radiation intensity generated over the sunspot of NOAA AR 10330 are studied with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph as the sunspot passes over the solar disk, over the course of 9 days (06−15 April 2003). Periodogram, Fourier and global wavelet analyses reveal the presence of a significant oscillatory component in the range P ≈ 50−120 min over the course of the observations. The spectral amplitudes of five significant Fourier components in the range P = 50−150 min are also seen to be stable over the observations, when the data are not affected by changes in magnetic configuration in the region. The ground-based nature of the instrument naturally introduces long data gaps in such long duration observations and the presence of the gaps does not allow any conclusion as to the stability of the phases of the oscillations. As a model to explain the persistence of the dominant long periods, a simple oscillator with a nonlinear driving term is proposed. The spectral difference between distinct peaks within, e.g. the 3 min spectral band, is expected to be able to resonate with the long period one hour oscillations

Types of microwave quasi-periodic pulsations in single flaring loops

Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) of microwave emission generated in single flaring loops observed with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) and Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters (NoRP) are studied. Specific features of the time profiles, i.e. the visible presence or absence of QPPs, are not accounted for in the selection. The time evolution of the periods of the QPPs is examined using wavelet and correlation analyses. In ten out of twelve considered events, at least one or more significant spectral components with periods from 5 - 60 s have been found. The quality of the oscillations is rather low: Q = pi N, where N is the number of cycles, mostly varies in the range 12 to 40, with an average of 25. We suggest that the detected QPPs can be classified into four types: i) those with stable mean periods (e. g. of 15 - 20 s or 8 - 9 s, the prevailing type); ii) those with spectral drift to shorter periods (mostly in the rise phase of the microwave emission); iii) those with drift to longer periods (mostly in the decay phase); iv) those with multiple periods showing an X-shaped drift (e. g. in the range from 20 - 40 s in the rise phase)