Seismic Emissions from a Highly Impulsive M6.7 Solar Flare

On 10 March 2001 the active region NOAA 9368 produced an unusually impulsive solar flare in close proximity to the solar limb. This flare has previously been studied in great detail, with observations classifying it as a type 1 white-light flare with a very hard spectrum in hard X-rays. The flare was also associated with a type II radio burst and coronal mass ejection. The flare emission characteristics appeared to closely correspond with previous instances of seismic emission from acoustically active flares. Using standard local helioseismic methods, we identified the seismic signatures produced by the flare that, to date, is the least energetic (in soft X-rays) of the flares known to have generated a detectable acoustic transient. Holographic analysis of the flare shows a compact acoustic source strongly correlated with the impulsive hard X-ray, visible continuum, and radio emission. Time-distance diagrams of the seismic waves emanating from the flare region also show faint signatures, mainly in the eastern sector of the active region. The strong spatial coincidence between the seismic source and the impulsive visible continuum emission reinforces the theory that a substantial component of the seismic emission seen is a result of sudden heating of the low photosphere associated with the observed visible continuum emission. Furthermore, the low-altitude magnetic loop structure inferred from potential--field extrapolations in the flaring region suggests that there is a significant inverse correlation between the seismicity of a flare and the height of the magnetic loops that conduct the particle beams from the corona.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, Solar Physics Topical Issue: SOHO 19/GONG 2007 "Seismology of Magnetic Activity", Accepte

A statistical correlation of sunquakes based on their seismic and white-light emission

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the transient seismic emission, i.e. “sunquakes,” from some solar flares. Some theories associate high-energy electrons and/or white-light emission with sunquakes. High-energy charged particles and their subsequent heating of the photosphere and/or chromosphere could induce acoustic waves in the solar interior. We carried out a correlative study of solar flares with emission in hard X-rays, enhanced continuum emission at 6173 Å, and transient seismic emission. We selected those flares observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) with a considerable flux above 50 keV between 1 January 2010 and 26 June 2014. We then used data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamic Observatory to search for excess visible-continuum emission and new sunquakes not previously reported. We found a total of 18 sunquakes out of 75 flares investigated. All of the sunquakes were associated with an enhancement of the visible continuum during the flare. Finally, we calculated a coefficient of correlation for a set of dichotomic variables related to these observations. We found a strong correlation between two of the standard helioseismic detection techniques, and between sunquakes and visible-continuum enhancements. We discuss the phenomenological connectivity between these physical quantities and the observational difficulties of detecting seismic signals and excess continuum radiation

Magneto--Acoustic Energetics Study of the Seismically Active Flare of 15 February 2011

Multi--wavelength studies of energetic solar flares with seismic emissions have revealed interesting common features between them. We studied the first GOES X--class flare of the 24th solar cycle, as detected by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). For context, seismic activity from this flare (SOL2011-02-15T01:55-X2.2, in NOAA AR 11158) has been reported in the literature (Kosovichev, 2011; Zharkov et al., 2011). Based on Dopplergram data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), we applied standard methods of local helioseismology in order to identify the seismic sources in this event. RHESSI hard X-ray data are used to check the correlation between the location of the seismic sources and the particle precipitation sites in during the flare. Using HMI magnetogram data, the temporal profile of fluctuations in the photospheric line-of-sight magnetic field is used to estimate the magnetic field change in the region where the seismic signal was observed. This leads to an estimate of the work done by the Lorentz-force transient on the photosphere of the source region. In this instance this is found to be a significant fraction of the acoustic energy in the attendant seismic emission, suggesting that Lorentz forces can contribute significantly to the generation of sunquakes. However, there are regions in which the signature of the Lorentz-force is much stronger, but from which no significant acoustic emission emanates.Comment: Submitted to Solar Physic

Automatic detection of limb prominences in 304 A EUV images

A new algorithm for automatic detection of prominences on the solar limb in 304 A EUV images is presented, and results of its application to SOHO/EIT data discussed. The detection is based on the method of moments combined with a classifier analysis aimed at discriminating between limb prominences, active regions, and the quiet corona. This classifier analysis is based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM). Using a set of 12 moments of the radial intensity profiles, the algorithm performs well in discriminating between the above three categories of limb structures, with a misclassification rate of 7%. Pixels detected as belonging to a prominence are then used as starting point to reconstruct the whole prominence by morphological image processing techniques. It is planned that a catalogue of limb prominences identified in SOHO and STEREO data using this method will be made publicly available to the scientific community

Study of flare energy release using events with numerous type III-like bursts in microwaves

The analysis of narrowband drifting of type III-like structures in radio bursts dynamic spectra allows to obtain unique information about primary energy release mechanisms in solar flares. The SSRT spatially resolved images and a high spectral and temporal resolution allow direct determination not only the positions of its sources but also the exciter velocities along the flare loop. Practically, such measurements are possible during some special time intervals when the SSRT (about 5.7 GHz) is observing the flare region in two high-order fringes; thus, two 1D scans are recorded simultaneously at two frequency bands. The analysis of type III-like bursts recorded during the flare 14 Apr 2002 is presented. Using-muliwavelength radio observations recorded by SSRT, SBRS, NoRP, RSTN we study an event with series of several tens of drifting microwave pulses with drift rates in the range from -7 to 13 GHz/s. The sources of the fast-drifting bursts were located near the top of the flare loop in a volume of a few Mm in size. The slow drift of the exciters along the flare loop suggests a high pitch-anisotropy of the emitting electrons.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, Solar Physics, in press, 201

Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares

We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations (e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

High-Energy Aspects of Solar Flares: Overview of the Volume

In this introductory chapter, we provide a brief summary of the successes and remaining challenges in understanding the solar flare phenomenon and its attendant implications for particle acceleration mechanisms in astrophysical plasmas. We also provide a brief overview of the contents of the other chapters in this volume, with particular reference to the well-observed flare of 2002 July 23Comment: This is the introductory article for a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

Interpreting Helioseismic Structure Inversion Results of Solar Active Regions

Helioseismic techniques such as ring-diagram analysis have often been used to determine the subsurface structural differences between solar active and quiet regions. Results obtained by inverting the frequency differences between the regions are usually interpreted as the sound-speed differences between them. These in turn are used as a measure of temperature and magnetic-field strength differences between the two regions. In this paper we first show that the "sound-speed" difference obtained from inversions is actually a combination of sound-speed difference and a magnetic component. Hence, the inversion result is not directly related to the thermal structure. Next, using solar models that include magnetic fields, we develop a formulation to use the inversion results to infer the differences in the magnetic and thermal structures between active and quiet regions. We then apply our technique to existing structure inversion results for different pairs of active and quiet regions. We find that the effect of magnetic fields is strongest in a shallow region above 0.985R_sun and that the strengths of magnetic-field effects at the surface and in the deeper (r < 0.98R_sun) layers are inversely related, i.e., the stronger the surface magnetic field the smaller the magnetic effects in the deeper layers, and vice versa. We also find that the magnetic effects in the deeper layers are the strongest in the quiet regions, consistent with the fact that these are basically regions with weakest magnetic fields at the surface. Because the quiet regions were selected to precede or follow their companion active regions, the results could have implications about the evolution of magnetic fields under active regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Transient Magnetic and Doppler Features Related to the White-light Flares in NOAA 10486

Rapidly moving transient features have been detected in magnetic and Doppler images of super-active region NOAA 10486 during the X17/4B flare of 28 October 2003 and the X10/2B flare of 29 October 2003. Both these flares were extremely energetic white-light events. The transient features appeared during impulsive phases of the flares and moved with speeds ranging from 30 to 50 km s$^{-1}$. These features were located near the previously reported compact acoustic \cite{Donea05} and seismic sources \cite{Zharkova07}. We examine the origin of these features and their relationship with various aspects of the flares, {\it viz.}, hard X-ray emission sources and flare kernels observed at different layers - (i) photosphere (white-light continuum), (ii) chromosphere (H$\alpha$ 6563\AA), (iii) temperature minimum region (UV 1600\AA), and (iv) transition region (UV 284\AA).Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

A Statistical Survey of Hard X-ray Spectral Characteristics of Solar Flares with Two Footpoints

Using RHESSI data, we have analyzed some 172 hard X-ray peaks during 53 solar flares which exhibited a double-footpoint structure. Fitting both footpoints with power-laws, we find that spectral index differences range mostly between 0 to 0.6, and only rarely go beyond. Asymmetries between footpoints were not observed to be significantly dependent on their mean heliographic position, their relative position with respect to each other, nor their orientation with respect to the solar equator. Assuming a symmetric acceleration process, it is also clear that differences in footpoint spectral indices and footpoint flux ratios can seldom be attributed to a difference in column densities between the two legs of a coronal loop. Our results corroborate better the magnetic mirror trap scenario. Moreover, footpoint asymmetries are more marked during times of peak HXR flux than when averaging over the whole HXR burst, suggesting that the magnetic configuration evolves during individual HXR bursts. We observed also a linear correlation between the peak 50-keV flux and the peak GOES 1-8A channel flux, and that HXR burst duration seem correlated with loop length.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures. Published in Solar Physic