EGRET High Energy Capability and Multiwavelength Flare Studies and Solar Flare Proton Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chupp, Edward L.

1998-01-01

The accomplishments of the participation in the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Guest investigator program is summarized in this report. The work involved the study of Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET)/Total Absorption Shower Counter(TASC) flare data. The specific accomplishments were the use of the accelerator neutron measurements obtained at the University of New Hampshire to verify the TASC response function and to modify the TASC fitting program to include a high energy neutron contribution, and to determine a high energy neutron contribution to the emissions from the 1991 June 11, solar flare. The next step in the analysis of this event was doing fits to the TASC energy-loss spectra as a function of time. A significant hardening of the solar proton spectrum over time was found for the flare. Further data was obtained from the Yohkoh HXT time histories and images for the 1991 October 27 flare. The results to date demonstrate that the TASC spectral analysis contributes crucial information on the particle spectrum interacting at the Sun. The report includes a paper accepted for publication, a draft of a paper to be delivered at the 26th International Cosmic Ray Conference and an abstract of a paper to be presented at the Meeting of the American Physical Society.

Theoretical Model Images and Spectra for Comparison with HESSI and Microwave Observations of Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor); Holman, G. D.; Sui, L.; McTiernan, J. M.; Petrosian, V.

2003-01-01

We have computed bremsstrahlung and gyrosynchrotron images and spectra from a model flare loop. Electrons with a power-law energy distribution are continuously injected at the top of a semi-circular magnetic loop. The Fokker-Planck equation is integrated to obtain the steady-state electron distribution throughout the loop. Coulomb scattering and energy losses and magnetic mirroring are included in the model. The resulting electron distributions are used to compute the radiative emissions. Sample images and spectra are presented. We are developing these models for the interpretation of the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) x-ray/gamma ray data and coordinated microwave observations. The Fokker-Planck and radiation codes are available on the Web at http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/hessi/modelware.htm This work is supported in part by the NASA Sun-Earth Connection Program.

Time-Resolved Properties and Global Trends in dMe Flares from Simultaneous Photometry and Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam F.

We present a homogeneous survey of near-ultraviolet (NUV) /optical line and continuum emission during twenty M dwarf flares with simultaneous, high cadence photometry and spectra. These data were obtained to study the white-light continuum components to the blue and red of the Balmer jump to break the degeneracy with fitting emission mechanisms to broadband colors and to provide constraints for radiative-hydrodynamic flare models that seek to reproduce the white-light flare emission. The main results from the continuum analysis are the following: 1) the detection of Balmer continuum (in emission) that is present during all flares, with a wide range of relative contribution to the continuum flux in the NUV; 2) a blue continuum at the peak of the photometry that is linear with wavelength from λ = 4000 - 4800Å, matched by the spectral shape of hot, blackbody emission with typical temperatures of 10 000 - 12 000 K; 3) a redder continuum apparent at wavelengths longer than Hβ; this continuum becomes relatively more important to the energy budget during the late gradual phase. The hot blackbody component and redder continuum component (which we call "the conundruum") have been detected in previous UBVR colorimetry studies of flares. With spectra, one can compare the properties and detailed timings of all three components. Using time-resolved spectra during the rise phase of three flares, we calculate the speed of an expanding flare region assuming a simple geometry; the speeds are found to be ~5- 10 km s-1 and 50 - 120 km s -1, which are strikingly consistent with the speeds at which two-ribbon flares develop on the Sun. The main results from the emission line analysis are 1) the presentation of the "time-decrement", a relation between the timescales of the Balmer series; 2) a Neupert-like relation between Ca \\pcy K and the blackbody continuum, and 3) the detection of absorption wings in the Hydrogen Balmer lines during times of peak continuum emission, indicative of

INFLUENCE OF STELLAR FLARES ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EXOPLANETS AND SPECTRA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Venot, Olivia; Decin, Leen; Rocchetto, Marco

More than three thousand exoplanets have been detected so far, and more and more spectroscopic observations of exoplanets are performed. Future instruments ( James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ), E-ELT, PLATO, Ariel, etc.,) are eagerly awaited, as they will be able to provide spectroscopic data with greater accuracy and sensitivity than what is currently available. This will allow more accurate conclusions to be drawn regarding the chemistry and dynamics of exoplanetary atmospheres, provided that the observational data are carefully processed. One important aspect to consider is temporal stellar atmospheric disturbances that can influence the planetary composition, and hence spectra,more » and potentially can lead to incorrect assumptions about the steady-state atmospheric composition of the planet. In this paper, we focus on perturbations coming from the host star in the form of flare events that significantly increase photon flux impingement on the exoplanets atmosphere. In some cases, particularly for M stars, this sudden increase may last for several hours. We aim to discover to what extent a stellar flare is able to modify the chemical composition of the planetary atmosphere and, therefore, influence the resulting spectra. We use a one-dimensional thermo-photochemical model to study the neutral atmospheric composition of two hypothetical planets located around the star AD Leo. We place the two planets at different distances from the star, which results in effective atmospheric temperatures of 412 and 1303 K. AD Leo is an active star that has already been observed during a flare. Therefore, we use the spectroscopic data from this flare event to simulate the evolution of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of the two hypothetical planets. We compute synthetic spectra to evaluate the implications for observations. The increase in the incoming photon flux affects the chemical abundances of some important species (such as H and NH{sub 3}), down to

A New Paradigm for Flare Particle Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidoni, Silvina E.; Karpen, Judith T.; DeVore, C. Richard

2017-08-01

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed high-energy impulsive emission and its spectra in solar flares is not well understood. Here, we propose a first-principle-based model of particle acceleration that produces energy spectra that closely resemble those derived from hard X-ray observations. Our mechanism uses contracting magnetic islands formed during fast reconnection in solar flares to accelerate electrons, as first proposed by Drake et al. (2006) for kinetic-scale plasmoids. We apply these ideas to MHD-scale islands formed during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. A simple analytic model based on the particles’ adiabatic invariants is used to calculate the energy gain of particles orbiting field lines in our ultrahigh-resolution, 2.5D, MHD numerical simulation of a solar eruption (flare + coronal mass ejection). Then, we analytically model electrons visiting multiple contracting islands to account for the observed high-energy flare emission. Our acceleration mechanism inherently produces sporadic emission because island formation is intermittent. Moreover, a large number of particles could be accelerated in each macroscopic island, which may explain the inferred rates of energetic-electron production in flares. We conclude that island contraction in the flare current sheet is a promising candidate for electron acceleration in solar eruptions. This work was supported in part by the NASA LWS and H-SR programs..

Identifying Return-Current Losses in Flare Hard X-ray Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2011-01-01

I will report on theoretical studies and a data analysis program aimed at identifying and physically interpreting breaks in hard X-ray spectra resulting from return-current energy losses, as well as heating of the flare plasma resulting from these losses.

Stochastic acceleration of electrons. I - Effects of collisions in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, Russell J.; Petrosian, Vahe

1992-01-01

Stochastic acceleration of thermal electrons to nonrelativistic energies is studied under solar flare conditions. We show that, in turbulent regions, electron-whistler wave interactions can result in the acceleration of electrons in times comparable to or shorter than the Coulomb collision time. The kinetic equation describing the evolution of the electron energy distribution including stochastic acceleration by whistlers and energy loss via Coulomb interactions is solved for an initial thermal electron energy spectrum. In general, the shape of the resulting electron distributions are characterized by the energy E(c) where systematic energy gain by turbulence equals energy loss due to Coulomb collisions. For energies less than E(c), the spectra are steep (quasi-thermal) whereas above E(c), the spectra are power laws. We find that hard X-ray spectra computed using the electron distributions obtained from our numerical simulations are able to explain the complex spectral shapes and variations observed in impulsive hard X-ray bursts. In particular, we show that the gradual steepening observed by Lin et al. (1981) could be due to a systematic increase in the density of the plasma (due to evaporation) and the increasing importance of collisions instead of the appearance of a superhot thermal component.

Millimeter, microwave, hard X-ray, and soft X-ray observations of energetic electron populations in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, M. R.; White, S. M.; Gopalswamy, N.; Lim, J.

1994-01-01

We present comparisons of multiwavelength data for a number of solar flares observed during the major campaign of 1991 June. The different wavelengths are diagnostics of energetic electrons in different energy ranges: soft X-rays are produced by electrons with energies typically below 10 keV, hard X-rays by electrons with energies in the range 10-200 keV, microwaves by electrons in the range 100 keV-1 MeV, and millimeter-wavelength emission by electrons with energies of 0.5 MeV and above. The flares in the 1991 June active period were remarkable in two ways: all have very high turnover frequencies in their microwave spectra, and very soft hard X-ray spectra. The sensitivity of the microwave and millimeter data permit us to study the more energetic (greater than 0.3 MeV) electrons even in small flares, where their high-energy bremsstrahlung is too weak for present detectors. The millimeter data show delays in the onset of emission with respect to the emissions associated with lower energy electrons and differences in time profiles, energy spectral indices incompatible with those implied by the hard X-ray data, and a range of variability of the peak flux in the impulsive phase when compared with the peak hard X-ray flux which is two orders of magnitude larger than the corresponding variability in the peak microwave flux. All these results suggest that the hard X-ray-emitting electrons and those at higher energies which produce millimeter emission must be regarded as separate populations. This has implications for the well-known 'number problem' found previously when comparing the numbers of non thermal electrons required to produce the hard X-ray and radio emissions.

Ultrarelativistic electrons and solar flare gamma-radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Semukhin, P. E.; Kovaltsov, G. A.

1985-01-01

Ten solar flares with gamma radiation in excess of 10 MeV were observed. Almost all took place within a heliolatitude greater than 60 deg, close to the solar limb, an indication of the essential anisotropy of high-energy gamma radiation. This high-energy solar flare gamma radiation can be explained by the specific features of the bremsstrahlung of ultrarelativistic electrons trapped within the magnetic arc of the solar atmosphere, even if the acceleration of the electrons is anisotropic.

The flares of August 1972

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zirin, H.; Tanaka, K.

1972-01-01

Analysis is made of observations of the August, 1972 flares at Big Bear and Tel Aviv, involving monochromatic movies, magnetograms, and spectra. In each flare the observations fit a model of particle acceleration in the chromosphere with emission produced by impart and by heating by the energetic electrons and protons. The region showed twisted flux and high gradients from birth, and flares appear due to strong magnetic shears and gradients across the neutral line produced by sunspot motions. Post flare loops show a strong change from sheared, force-free fields parallel to potential-field-like loops, perpendicular to the neutral line above the surface.

Time Variations of Observed H α Line Profiles and Precipitation Depths of Nonthermal Electrons in a Solar Flare

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Falewicz, Robert; Radziszewski, Krzysztof; Rudawy, Paweł

2017-10-01

We compare time variations of the H α and X-ray emissions observed during the pre-impulsive and impulsive phases of the C1.1-class solar flare on 2013 June 21 with those of plasma parameters and synthesized X-ray emission from a 1D hydrodynamic numerical model of the flare. The numerical model was calculated assuming that the external energy is delivered to the flaring loop by nonthermal electrons (NTEs). The H α spectra and images were obtained using the Multi-channel Subtractive Double Pass spectrograph with a time resolution of 50 ms. The X-ray fluxes and spectra were recorded by RHESSI . Pre-flare geometric andmore » thermodynamic parameters of the model and the delivered energy were estimated using RHESSI data. The time variations of the X-ray light curves in various energy bands and those of the H α intensities and line profiles were well correlated. The timescales of the observed variations agree with the calculated variations of the plasma parameters in the flaring loop footpoints, reflecting the time variations of the vertical extent of the energy deposition layer. Our result shows that the fast time variations of the H α emission of the flaring kernels can be explained by momentary changes of the deposited energy flux and the variations of the penetration depths of the NTEs.« less

Analysis of X-Ray Line Spectra from a Transient Plasma Under Solar Flare Conditions - Part Three - Diagnostics for Measuring Electron Temperature and Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylwester, J.; Mewe, R.; Schrijver, J.

1980-06-01

In this paper, the third in a series dealing with plasmas out of equilibrium we present quantitative methods of analysis of non-stationary flare plasma parameters. The method is designed to be used for the interpretation of the SMM XRP Bent Crystal Spectrometer spectra. Our analysis is based on measurements of 11 specific lines in the 1.77-3.3 Å range. Using the proposed method we are able to derive information about temperature, density, emission measure, and other related parameters of the flare plasma. It is shown that the measurements, to be made by XRP can give detailed information on these parameters and their time evolution. The method is then tested on some artificial flares, and proves to be useful and accurate.

Electron cyclotron wave acceleration outside a flaring loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sprangle, P.; Vlahos, L.

1983-01-01

A model for the secondary acceleration of electrons outside a flaring loop is proposed. The results suggest that the narrow bandwidth radiation emitted by the unstable electron distribution inside a flaring loop can become the driver for secondary electron acceleration outside the loop. It is shown that a system of electrons gyrating about and streaming along an adiabatically spatially varying, static magnetic field can be efficiently accelerated to high energies by an electromagnetic wave propagating along and polarized transverse to the static magnetic field. The predictions from our model appear to be in general agreement with existing observations.

Non-thermal recombination - a neglected source of flare hard X-rays and fast electron diagnostics (Corrigendum)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, J. C.; Mallik, P. C. V.; Badnell, N. R.

2010-06-01

Brown and Mallik (BM) recently claimed that non-thermal recombination (NTR) can be a dominant source of flare hard X-rays (HXRs) from hot coronal and chromospheric sources. However, major discrepancies between the thermal continua predicted by BM and by the Chianti database as well as RHESSI flare data, led us to discover substantial errors in the heuristic expression used by BM to extend the Kramers expressions beyond the hydrogenic case. Here we present the relevant corrected expressions and show the key modified results. We conclude that, in most cases, NTR emission was overestimated by a factor of 1-8 by BM but is typically still large enough (as much as 20-30% of the total emission) to be very important for electron spectral inference and detection of electron spectral features such as low energy cut-offs since the recombination spectra contain sharp edges. For extreme temperature regimes and/or if the Fe abundance were as high as some values claimed, NTR could even be the dominant source of flare HXRs, reducing the electron number and energy budget, problems such as in the extreme coronal HXR source cases reported by e.g. Krucker et al.

Flare parameters inferred from a 3D loop model data base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuambe, Valente A.; Costa, J. E. R.; Simões, P. J. A.

2018-06-01

We developed a data base of pre-calculated flare images and spectra exploring a set of parameters which describe the physical characteristics of coronal loops and accelerated electron distribution. Due to the large number of parameters involved in describing the geometry and the flaring atmosphere in the model used, we built a large data base of models (˜250 000) to facilitate the flare analysis. The geometry and characteristics of non-thermal electrons are defined on a discrete grid with spatial resolution greater than 4 arcsec. The data base was constructed based on general properties of known solar flares and convolved with instrumental resolution to replicate the observations from the Nobeyama radio polarimeter spectra and Nobeyama radioheliograph (NoRH) brightness maps. Observed spectra and brightness distribution maps are easily compared with the modelled spectra and images in the data base, indicating a possible range of solutions. The parameter search efficiency in this finite data base is discussed. 8 out of 10 parameters analysed for 1000 simulated flare searches were recovered with a relative error of less than 20 per cent on average. In addition, from the analysis of the observed correlation between NoRH flare sizes and intensities at 17 GHz, some statistical properties were derived. From these statistics, the energy spectral index was found to be δ ˜ 3, with non-thermal electron densities showing a peak distribution ⪅107 cm-3, and Bphotosphere ⪆ 2000 G. Some bias for larger loops with heights as great as ˜2.6 × 109 cm, and looptop events were noted. An excellent match of the spectrum and the brightness distribution at 17 and 34 GHz of the 2002 May 31 flare is presented as well.

RELATIVISTIC ELECTRONS PRODUCED BY RECONNECTING ELECTRIC FIELDS IN A LASER-DRIVEN BENCH-TOP SOLAR FLARE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhong, J. Y.; Zhang, K.; Yuan, D. W.

2016-08-01

Laboratory experiments have been carried out to model the magnetic reconnection process in a solar flare with powerful lasers. Relativistic electrons with energy up to megaelectronvolts are detected along the magnetic separatrices bounding the reconnection outflow, which exhibit a kappa-like distribution with an effective temperature of ∼10{sup 9} K. The acceleration of non-thermal electrons is found to be more efficient in the case with a guide magnetic field (a component of a magnetic field along the reconnection-induced electric field) than in the case without a guide field. Hardening of the spectrum at energies ≥500 keV is observed in both cases, which remarkably resembles themore » hardening of hard X-ray and γ -ray spectra observed in many solar flares. This supports a recent proposal that the hardening in the hard X-ray and γ -ray emissions of solar flares is due to a hardening of the source-electron spectrum. We also performed numerical simulations that help examine behaviors of electrons in the reconnection process with the electromagnetic field configurations occurring in the experiments. The trajectories of non-thermal electrons observed in the experiments were well duplicated in the simulations. Our numerical simulations generally reproduce the electron energy spectrum as well, except for the hardening of the electron spectrum. This suggests that other mechanisms such as shock or turbulence may play an important role in the production of the observed energetic electrons.« less

Nonthermal X-ray Spectral Flattening toward Low Energies in Early Impulsive Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2007-01-01

The determination of the low-energy cutoff to nonthermal electron distributions is critical to the calculation of the nonthermal energy in solar flares. The most direct evidence for low-energy cutoffs is flattening of the power-law, nontherma1 X-ray spectra at low energies. However, because of the plasma preheating often seen in flares, the thermal emissions at low energies may hide such spectral flattening of the nonthermal component. We select a category of flares, which we call "early impulsive flares", in which the > 25 keV hard X-ray (HXR) flux increase is delayed by less than 30 s after the flux increase at lower energies. Thus, the plasma preheating in these flares is minimal, so the nonthermal spectrum can be determined to lower energies than in flares with significant preheating. Out of a sample of 33 early impulsive flares observed by the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopy Imager (RHESSI), 9 showed spectral flattening toward low energies. In these events, the break energy of the double power-law fit to the HXR spectra lies in the range of 10-50 keV, significantly lower than the value we have seen for other flares that do not show such early impulsive emissions. In particular, it correlates with the HXR flux. After correcting the spatially-integrated spectra for albedo from isotropically emitted X-rays and using RHESSI imaging spectroscopy to exclude the extended albedo halo, we find that albedo associated with isotropic or nearly isotropic electrons can only account for the spectral flattening in 3 flares near Sun center. The spectral flattening in the remaining 6 flares is found to be consistent with the existence of a low-energy cutoff in the electron spectrum, falling in the range of 15-50 keV, which also correlates with the HXR flux.

Energetic electrons in impulsive solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batchelor, D. A.

1984-01-01

A new analysis was made of a thermal flare model proposed by Brown, Melrose, and Spicer (1979) and Smith and Lilliequist (1979). They assumed the source of impulsive hard X-rays to be a plasma at a temperature of order 10 to the 8th power K, initially located at the apex of a coronal arch, and confined by ion-acoustic turbulence in a collisionless conduction front. Such a source would expand at approximately the ion-sound speed, C sub S = square root of (k T sub e/m sub i), until it filled the arch. Brown, Melrose, and Spicer and Smith and Brown (1980) argued that the source assumed in this model would not explain the simultaneous impulsive microwave emission. In contrast, the new results presented herein suggest that this model leads to the development of a quasi-Maxwellian distribution of electrons that explains both the hard X-ray and microwave emissions. This implies that the source sizes can be determined from observations of the optically-thick portions of microwave spectra and the temperatures obtained from associated hard X-ray observations. In this model, the burst emission would rise to a maximum in a time, t sub r, approximately equal to L/c sub s, where L is the half-length of the arch. New observations of these impulsive flare emissions were analyzed herein to test this prediction of the model. Observations made with the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft and the Bern Radio Observatory are in good agreement with the model.

QUASI-PERIODIC PULSATIONS IN SOLAR AND STELLAR FLARES: RE-EVALUATING THEIR NATURE IN THE CONTEXT OF POWER-LAW FLARE FOURIER SPECTRA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inglis, A. R.; Ireland, J.; Dominique, M.

The nature of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar and stellar flares remains debated. Recent work has shown that power-law-like Fourier power spectra are an intrinsic property of solar and stellar flare signals, a property that many previous studies of this phenomenon have not accounted for. Hence a re-evaluation of the existing interpretations and assumptions regarding QPPs is needed. We adopt a Bayesian method for investigating this phenomenon, fully considering the Fourier power-law properties of flare signals. Using data from the PROBA2/Large Yield Radiometer, Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, Nobeyama Radioheliograph, and Yohkoh/HXT instruments, we study a selection of flares from the literaturemore » identified as QPP events. Additionally, we examine optical data from a recent stellar flare that appears to exhibit oscillatory properties. We find that, for all but one event tested, an explicit oscillation is not required to explain the observations. Instead, the flare signals are adequately described as a manifestation of a power law in the Fourier power spectrum. However, for the flare of 1998 May 8, strong evidence for an explicit oscillation with P ≈ 14-16 s is found in the 17 GHz radio data and the 13-23 keV Yohkoh/HXT data. We conclude that, most likely, many previously analyzed events in the literature may be similarly described by power laws in the flare Fourier power spectrum, without invoking a narrowband, oscillatory component. Hence the prevalence of oscillatory signatures in solar and stellar flares may be less than previously believed. The physical mechanism behind the appearance of the observed power laws is discussed.« less

The Atmospheric Response to High Nonthermal Electron Beam Fluxes in Solar Flares. I. Modeling the Brightest NUV Footpoints in the X1 Solar Flare of 2014 March 29

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.; Daw, Adrian

2017-02-10

The 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare (SOL20140329T17:48) produced bright continuum emission in the far- and near-ultraviolet (NUV) and highly asymmetric chromospheric emission lines, providing long-sought constraints on the heating mechanisms of the lower atmosphere in solar flares. We analyze the continuum and emission line data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) of the brightest flaring magnetic footpoints in this flare. We compare the NUV spectra of the brightest pixels to new radiative-hydrodynamic predictions calculated with the RADYN code using constraints on a nonthermal electron beam inferred from the collisional thick-target modeling of hard X-ray data from Reuven Ramatymore » High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager . We show that the atmospheric response to a high beam flux density satisfactorily achieves the observed continuum brightness in the NUV. The NUV continuum emission in this flare is consistent with hydrogen (Balmer) recombination radiation that originates from low optical depth in a dense chromospheric condensation and from the stationary beam-heated layers just below the condensation. A model producing two flaring regions (a condensation and stationary layers) in the lower atmosphere is also consistent with the asymmetric Fe ii chromospheric emission line profiles observed in the impulsive phase.« less

The Atmospheric Response to High Nonthermal Electron Beam Fluxes in Solar Flares. I. Modeling the Brightest NUV Footpoints in the X1 Solar Flare of 2014 March 29

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.; Daw, Adrian N.; Cauzzi, Gianna; Carlsson, Mats

2017-01-01

The 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare (SOL20140329T17:48) produced bright continuum emission in the far- and near-ultraviolet (NUV) and highly asymmetric chromospheric emission lines, providing long-sought constraints on the heating mechanisms of the lower atmosphere in solar flares. We analyze the continuum and emission line data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) of the brightest flaring magnetic footpoints in this flare. We compare the NUV spectra of the brightest pixels to new radiative-hydrodynamic predictions calculated with the RADYN code using constraints on a nonthermal electron beam inferred from the collisional thick-target modeling of hard X-ray data from Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager. We show that the atmospheric response to a high beam flux density satisfactorily achieves the observed continuum brightness in the NUV. The NUV continuum emission in this flare is consistent with hydrogen (Balmer) recombination radiation that originates from low optical depth in a dense chromospheric condensation and from the stationary beam-heated layers just below the condensation. A model producing two flaring regions (a condensation and stationary layers) in the lower atmosphere is also consistent with the asymmetric Fe II chromospheric emission line profiles observed in the impulsive phase.

Comparing Solar-Flare Acceleration of >-20 MeV Protons and Electrons Above Various Energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Albert Y.

2010-01-01

A large fraction (up to tens of percent) of the energy released in solar flares goes into accelerated ions and electrons, and studies indicate that these two populations have comparable energy content. RHESSI observations have shown a striking close linear correlation between the 2.223 MeV neutron-capture gamma-ray line and electron bremsstrahlung emission >300 keV, indicating that the flare acceleration of >^20 MeV protons and >300 keV electrons is roughly proportional over >3 orders of magnitude in fluence. We show that the correlations of neutron-capture line fluence with GOES class or with bremsstrahlung emission at lower energies show deviations from proportionality, primarily for flares with lower fluences. From analyzing thirteen flares, we demonstrate that there appear to be two classes of flares with high-energy acceleration: flares that exhibit only proportional acceleration of ions and electrons down to 50 keV and flares that have an additional soft, low-energy bremsstrahlung component, suggesting two separate populations of accelerated electrons. We use RHESSI spectroscopy and imaging to investigate a number of these flares in detail.

Bulk Acceleration of Electrons in Solar Flares?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2014-06-01

In two recent papers it has been argued that RHESSI observations of two coronal “above-the-loop-top” hard X-ray sources, together with EUV observations, show that ALL the electrons in the source volumes must have been accelerated. I will briefly review these papers and show that the interpretation most consistent with the combined flare observations is multi-thermal, with hot, thermal plasma in the “above-the-loop-top” sources and only a fraction, albeit a substantial fraction, of the electrons accelerated. Thus, there is no credible scientific evidence for bulk acceleration of electrons in flares. Differential emission measure (DEM) models deduced from SDO/AIA and RHESSI data, including the inversion of the AIA data to determine DEM, will be discussed as part of this analysis.

Electron Beam Return-Current Losses in Solar Flares: Initial Comparison of Analytical and Numerical Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon

2010-01-01

Accelerated electrons play an important role in the energetics of solar flares. Understanding the process or processes that accelerate these electrons to high, nonthermal energies also depends on understanding the evolution of these electrons between the acceleration region and the region where they are observed through their hard X-ray or radio emission. Energy losses in the co-spatial electric field that drives the current-neutralizing return current can flatten the electron distribution toward low energies. This in turn flattens the corresponding bremsstrahlung hard X-ray spectrum toward low energies. The lost electron beam energy also enhances heating in the coronal part of the flare loop. Extending earlier work by Knight & Sturrock (1977), Emslie (1980), Diakonov & Somov (1988), and Litvinenko & Somov (1991), I have derived analytical and semi-analytical results for the nonthermal electron distribution function and the self-consistent electric field strength in the presence of a steady-state return-current. I review these results, presented previously at the 2009 SPD Meeting in Boulder, CO, and compare them and computed X-ray spectra with numerical results obtained by Zharkova & Gordovskii (2005, 2006). The phYSical significance of similarities and differences in the results will be emphasized. This work is supported by NASA's Heliophysics Guest Investigator Program and the RHESSI Project.

X-ray observations of two short but intense solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitta, Nariaki; Dennis, Brian R.; Kiplinger, Alan L.

1990-01-01

This paper presents continuum X-ray spectra of impulsive emission in two short but intense solar flares which have relatively weak soft X-ray emissions, combining data obtained with soft X-ray and hard X-ray spectrometers on board two satellites, the SMM and Hinotori. In both flares, photon spectra of the impulsive component are found to flatten toward low energies, suggesting that a low-energy cutoff of the electron spectrum could be greater than about 50 keV and that the total energy contained in the electrons is significantly less than that usually quoted for a cutoff energy of about 20 keV. Different shapes of the X-ray spectrum at energies below 50 keV in other flares can be attributed to the variety in the relative strength of gradual and impulsive emissions. In one of the two flares, observations with the imager on Hinotori suggest that hard X-ray emission is likely to be associated with loop footpoints. It is argued that contamination by the gradual soft X-ray emission and/or the asymmetry of loops could explain the detection of single sources in the majority of flares that have been imaged in hard X-rays.

Fermi -LAT Observations of High-energy Behind-the-limb Solar Flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ackermann, M.; Buehler, R.; Allafort, A.

2017-02-01

We report on the Fermi -LAT detection of high-energy emission from the behind-the-limb (BTL) solar flares that occurred on 2013 October 11, and 2014 January 6 and September 1. The Fermi -LAT observations are associated with flares from active regions originating behind both the eastern and western limbs, as determined by STEREO . All three flares are associated with very fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and strong solar energetic particle events. We present updated localizations of the >100 MeV photon emission, hard X-ray (HXR) and EUV images, and broadband spectra from 10 keV to 10 GeV, as well as microwavemore » spectra. We also provide a comparison of the BTL flares detected by Fermi -LAT with three on-disk flares and present a study of some of the significant quantities of these flares as an attempt to better understand the acceleration mechanisms at work during these occulted flares. We interpret the HXR emission to be due to electron bremsstrahlung from a coronal thin-target loop top with the accelerated electron spectra steepening at semirelativistic energies. The >100 MeV gamma-rays are best described by a pion-decay model resulting from the interaction of protons (and other ions) in a thick-target photospheric source. The protons are believed to have been accelerated (to energies >10 GeV) in the CME environment and precipitate down to the photosphere from the downstream side of the CME shock and landed on the front side of the Sun, away from the original flare site and the HXR emission.« less

Fermi-LAT Observations of High-energy Behind-the-limb Solar Flares

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Allafort, A.; Baldini, L.; ...

2017-01-31

In this paper, we report on the Fermi-LAT detection of high-energy emission from the behind-the-limb (BTL) solar flares that occurred on 2013 October 11, and 2014 January 6 and September 1. The Fermi-LAT observations are associated with flares from active regions originating behind both the eastern and western limbs, as determined by STEREO. All three flares are associated with very fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and strong solar energetic particle events. We present updated localizations of the >100 MeV photon emission, hard X-ray (HXR) and EUV images, and broadband spectra from 10 keV to 10 GeV, as well as microwavemore » spectra. We also provide a comparison of the BTL flares detected by Fermi-LAT with three on-disk flares and present a study of some of the significant quantities of these flares as an attempt to better understand the acceleration mechanisms at work during these occulted flares. We interpret the HXR emission to be due to electron bremsstrahlung from a coronal thin-target loop top with the accelerated electron spectra steepening at semirelativistic energies. The >100 MeV gamma-rays are best described by a pion-decay model resulting from the interaction of protons (and other ions) in a thick-target photospheric source. In conclusion, the protons are believed to have been accelerated (to energies >10 GeV) in the CME environment and precipitate down to the photosphere from the downstream side of the CME shock and landed on the front side of the Sun, away from the original flare site and the HXR emission.« less

Modeling Flare Hard X-ray Emission from Electrons in Contracting Magnetic Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidoni, Silvina E.; Allred, Joel C.; Alaoui, Meriem; Holman, Gordon D.; DeVore, C. Richard; Karpen, Judith T.

2016-05-01

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed impulsive hard X-ray emission in solar flares is not well understood. It is generally accepted that this emission is produced by a non-thermal beam of electrons that collides with the ambient ions as the beam propagates from the top of a flare loop to its footpoints. Most current models that investigate this transport assume an injected beam with an initial energy spectrum inferred from observed hard X-ray spectra, usually a power law with a low-energy cutoff. In our previous work (Guidoni et al. 2016), we proposed an analytical method to estimate particle energy gain in contracting, large-scale, 2.5-dimensional magnetic islands, based on a kinetic model by Drake et al. (2010). We applied this method to sunward-moving islands formed high in the corona during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. The overarching purpose of the present work is to test this proposed acceleration model by estimating the hard X-ray flux resulting from its predicted accelerated-particle distribution functions. To do so, we have coupled our model to a unified computational framework that simulates the propagation of an injected beam as it deposits energy and momentum along its way (Allred et al. 2015). This framework includes the effects of radiative transfer and return currents, necessary to estimate flare emission that can be compared directly to observations. We will present preliminary results of the coupling between these models.

STATISTICAL STUDY of HARD X-RAY SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLAR FLARES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaoui, M.; Krucker, S.; Saint-Hilaire, P.; Lin, R. P.

2009-12-01

We investigate the spectral characteristics of 75 solar flares at the hard X-ray peak time observed by RHESSI (Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager) in the energy range 12-150keV. At energies above 40keV, the Hard X-ray emission is mostly produced by bremsstrahlung of suprathermal electrons as they interact with the ambient plasma in the chromosphere. The observed photon spectra therefore provide diagnostics of electron acceleration processes in Solar flares. We will present statistical results of spectral fitting using two models: a broken power law plus a thermal component which is a direct fit of the photon spectrum and a thick target model plus a thermal component which is a fit of the photon spectra with assumptions on the electrons emitting bremsstrahlung in the thick target approximation.

Parameterizations of Chromospheric Condensations in dG and dMe Model Flare Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.

2018-01-01

The origin of the near-ultraviolet and optical continuum radiation in flares is critical for understanding particle acceleration and impulsive heating in stellar atmospheres. Radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations in 1D have shown that high energy deposition rates from electron beams produce two flaring layers at T ∼ 104 K that develop in the chromosphere: a cooling condensation (downflowing compression) and heated non-moving (stationary) flare layers just below the condensation. These atmospheres reproduce several observed phenomena in flare spectra, such as the red-wing asymmetry of the emission lines in solar flares and a small Balmer jump ratio in M dwarf flares. The high beam flux simulations are computationally expensive in 1D, and the (human) timescales for completing NLTE models with adaptive grids in 3D will likely be unwieldy for some time to come. We have developed a prescription for predicting the approximate evolved states, continuum optical depth, and emergent continuum flux spectra of RHD model flare atmospheres. These approximate prescriptions are based on an important atmospheric parameter: the column mass ({m}{ref}) at which hydrogen becomes nearly completely ionized at the depths that are approximately in steady state with the electron beam heating. Using this new modeling approach, we find that high energy flux density (>F11) electron beams are needed to reproduce the brightest observed continuum intensity in IRIS data of the 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare, and that variation in {m}{ref} from 0.001 to 0.02 g cm‑2 reproduces most of the observed range of the optical continuum flux ratios at the peak of M dwarf flares.

Spatially inhomogeneous acceleration of electrons in solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stackhouse, Duncan J.; Kontar, Eduard P.

2018-04-01

The imaging spectroscopy capabilities of the Reuven Ramaty high energy solar spectroscopic imager (RHESSI) enable the examination of the accelerated electron distribution throughout a solar flare region. In particular, it has been revealed that the energisation of these particles takes place over a region of finite size, sometimes resolved by RHESSI observations. In this paper, we present, for the first time, a spatially distributed acceleration model and investigate the role of inhomogeneous acceleration on the observed X-ray emission properties. We have modelled transport explicitly examining scatter-free and diffusive transport within the acceleration region and compare with the analytic leaky-box solution. The results show the importance of including this spatial variation when modelling electron acceleration in solar flares. The presence of an inhomogeneous, extended acceleration region produces a spectral index that is, in most cases, different from the simple leaky-box prediction. In particular, it results in a generally softer spectral index than predicted by the leaky-box solution, for both scatter-free and diffusive transport, and thus should be taken into account when modelling stochastic acceleration in solar flares.

Revealing the Evolution of Non-thermal Electrons in Solar Flares Using 3D Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleishman, Gregory D.; Nita, Gelu M.; Kuroda, Natsuha; Jia, Sabina; Tong, Kevin; Wen, Richard R.; Zhizhuo, Zhou

2018-05-01

Understanding non-thermal particle generation, transport, and escape in solar flares requires detailed quantification of the particle evolution in the realistic 3D domain where the flare takes place. Rather surprisingly, apart from the standard flare scenario and integral characteristics of non-thermal electrons, not much is known about the actual evolution of non-thermal electrons in the 3D spatial domain. This paper attempts to begin to remedy this situation by creating sets of evolving 3D models, the synthesized emission from which matches the evolving observed emission. Here, we investigate two contrasting flares: a dense, “coronal-thick-target” flare SOL2002-04-12T17:42, that contained a single flare loop observed in both microwaves and X-rays, and a more complex flare, SOL2015-06-22T17:50, that contained at least four distinct flaring loops needed to consistently reproduce the microwave and X-ray emission. Our analysis reveals differing evolution patterns for the non-thermal electrons in the dense and tenuous loops; however, both patterns suggest that resonant wave–particle interactions with turbulence play a central role. These results offer new constraints for theory and models of the particle acceleration and transport in solar flares.

Understanding Breaks in Flare X-Ray Spectra: Evaluation of a Cospatial Collisional Return-current Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaoui, Meriem; Holman, Gordon D.

2017-12-01

Hard X-ray (HXR) spectral breaks are explained in terms of a one-dimensional model with a cospatial return current. We study 19 flares observed by the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager with strong spectral breaks at energies around a few deka-keV, which cannot be explained by isotropic albedo or non-uniform ionization alone. We identify these breaks at the HXR peak time, but we obtain 8 s cadence spectra of the entire impulsive phase. Electrons with an initially power-law distribution and a sharp low-energy cutoff lose energy through return-current losses until they reach the thick target, where they lose their remaining energy through collisions. Our main results are as follows. (1) The return-current collisional thick-target model provides acceptable fits for spectra with strong breaks. (2) Limits on the plasma resistivity are derived from the fitted potential drop and deduced electron-beam flux density, assuming the return current is a drift current in the ambient plasma. These resistivities are typically 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than the Spitzer resistivity at the fitted temperature, and provide a test for the adequacy of classical resistivity and the stability of the return current. (3) Using the upper limit of the low-energy cutoff, the return current is always stable to the generation of ion-acoustic and electrostatic ion-cyclotron instabilities when the electron temperature is nine times lower than the ion temperature. (4) In most cases, the return current is most likely primarily carried by runaway electrons from the tail of the thermal distribution rather than by the bulk drifting thermal electrons. For these cases, anomalous resistivity is not required.

PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN SOLAR FLARES AND ASSOCIATED CME SHOCKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petrosian, Vahé; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305

2016-10-10

Observations relating the characteristics of electrons seen near Earth (solar energetic particles [SEPs]) and those producing flare radiation show that in certain (prompt) events the origin of both populations appears to be the flare site, which shows strong correlation between the number and spectral index of SEP and hard X-ray radiating electrons, but in others (delayed), which are associated with fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs), this relation is complex and SEPs tend to be harder. Prompt event spectral relation disagrees with that expected in thick or thin target models. We show that using a more accurate treatment of the transportmore » of the accelerated electrons to the footpoints and to Earth can account for this discrepancy. Our results are consistent with those found by Chen and Petrosian for two flares using nonparametric inversion methods, according to which we have weak diffusion conditions, and trapping mediated by magnetic field convergence. The weaker correlations and harder spectra of delayed events can come about by reacceleration of electrons in the CME shock environment. We describe under what conditions such a hardening can be achieved. Using this (acceleration at the flare and reacceleration in the CME) scenario, we show that we can describe the similar dichotomy that exists between the so-called impulsive, highly enriched ({sup 3}He and heavy ions), and softer SEP events and stronger, more gradual SEP events with near-normal ionic abundances and harder spectra. These methods can be used to distinguish the acceleration mechanisms and to constrain their characteristics.« less

Faint Coronal Hard X-rays From Accelerated Electrons in Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glesener, Lindsay Erin

Solar flares are huge explosions on the Sun that release a tremendous amount of energy from the coronal magnetic field, up to 1033 ergs, in a short time (100--1000 seconds), with much of the energy going into accelerated electrons and ions. An efficient acceleration mechanism is needed, but the details of this mechanism remain relatively unknown. A fraction of this explosive energy reaches the Earth in the form of energetic particles, producing geomagnetic storms and posing dangers to spaceborne instruments, astronauts, and Earthbound power grids. There are thus practical reasons, as well as intellectual ones, for wishing to understand this extraordinary form of energy release. Through imaging spectroscopy of the hard X-ray (HXR) emission from solar flares, the behavior of flare-accelerated electrons can be studied. The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI ) spacecraft launched in 2002 with the goal of better understanding flare particle acceleration. Using rotation modulation collimators, RHESSI is able to cover a wide energy range (3 keV--17 MeV) with fine angular and energy resolutions. RHESSI's success in the last 10 years in investigating the relationship between energetic electrons and ions, the nature of faint sources in the corona, the energy distribution of flares, and several other topics have significantly advanced the understanding of flares. But along with the wealth of information revealed by RHESSI come some clear observational challenges. Very few, if any, RHESSI observations have come close to imaging the electron acceleration region itself. This is undoubtedly due to a lack of both sensitivity (HXRs from electron beams in the tenuous corona are faint) and dynamic range (HXR sources at chromospheric flare footpoints are much brighter and tend to obscure faint coronal sources). Greater sensitivity is also required to investigate the role that small flares in the quiet Sun could play in heating the corona. The Focusing Optics

Determination of the calcium elemental abundance for 43 flares from SMM-XRP solar X-ray spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemen, J. R.; Sylwester, J.; Bentley, R. D.

The helium and lithium-like X-ray transitions of Ca XVIII-XIX have been used to make an absolute measurement of the coronal calcium elemental abundance relative to hydrogen (ACa) in solar flares. Cooling phase spectra of 43 flares obtained in channel 1 of the Bent Crystal Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission have been analyzed. The abundance is determined from the intensity ratio of the Ca XIX resonance line (1S0 - 1P1) and nearby continuum. Attempts to correlate the ACa measurements with other observable features are discussed.

Using Models for How Energetic Electrons Heat the Atmosphere During Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allred, Joel

2011-01-01

Using models for how energetic electrons heat the atmosphere during flares, we simulate the radiative-hydrodynamic response of the lower solar atmosphere to flare heating. The simulations account for much of the non-LTE, optically thick radiative transfer that occurs in the chromosphere. Our models predict an increase in white light continuum during the flare on the order of 20%, but this is highly sensitive to the electron beam flux used in the simulation. We find that a majority of the white light continuum originates in the chromosphere as a result of Balmer and Paschen recombinations, but a significant portion also forms in the photosphere which has been heated by radiative backwarming.

Modelling of Electron and Proton Beams in a White-light Solar Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milligan, R. O.; Procházka, O.; Reid, A.; Allred, J. C.; Mathioudakis, M.

2017-12-01

Observations of an X1 class WL solar flare on 2014 June 11 showed a surprisingly weak emission in both higher order Balmer and Lyman lines and continua. The flare was observed by RHESSI but low energy cut-off of non-thermal component was indeterminable due to the unusually hard electron spectrum (delta = 3). An estimate of power in non-thermal electron beams together with an area of WL emission observed by HMI yielded to an upper and lower estimate of flux 1E9 and 3E10 erg/cm2/s, respectively. We performed a grid of models using a radiative hydrodynamic code RADYN in order to compare synthetic spectra with observations. For low energy cut-off we chose a range from 20 to 120 keV with a step of 20 keV and delta parameter equal to 3. Electron beam-driven models show that higher low energy cut-off is more likely to produce an absorption Balmer line profile, if the total energy flux remains relatively low. On the other hand a detectable rise of HMI continuum (617 nm) lays a lower limit on the beam flux. Proton beam-driven models with equivalent fluxes indicate a greater penetration depth, while the Balmer lines reveal significantly weaker emission. Atmospheric temperature profiles show that for higher values of low energy cut-off the energy of the beam is deposited lower in chromosphere or even in temperature minimum region. This finding suggests, that suppressed hydrogen emission can indicate a formation of white-light continuum below chromosphere.

Solar Flares Observed with the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2004-01-01

Solar flares are impressive examples of explosive energy release in unconfined, magnetized plasma. It is generally believed that the flare energy is derived from the coronal magnetic field. However, we have not been able to establish the specific energy release mechanism(s) or the relative partitioning of the released energy between heating, particle acceleration (electrons and ions), and mass motions. NASA's RHESSI Mission was designed to study the acceleration and evolution of electrons and ions in flares by observing the X-ray and gamma-ray emissions these energetic particles produce. This is accomplished through the combination of high-resolution spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging, including the first images of flares in gamma rays. RHESSI has observed over 12,000 solar flares since its launch on February 5, 2002. I will demonstrate how we use the RHESSI spectra to deduce physical properties of accelerated electrons and hot plasma in flares. Using images to estimate volumes, w e typically find that the total energy in accelerated electrons is comparable to that in the thermal plasma. I will also present flare observations that provide strong support for the presence of magnetic reconnection in a large-scale, vertical current sheet in the solar corona. RHESSI observations such as these are allowing us to probe more deeply into the physics of solar flares.

Non-Local Diffusion of Energetic Electrons during Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, N. H.; Emslie, G.; Kontar, E.

2017-12-01

The transport of the energy contained in suprathermal electrons in solar flares plays a key role in our understanding of many aspects of flare physics, from the spatial distributions of hard X-ray emission and energy deposition in the ambient atmosphere to global energetics. Historically the transport of these particles has been largely treated through a deterministic approach, in which first-order secular energy loss to electrons in the ambient target is treated as the dominant effect, with second-order diffusive terms (in both energy and angle) generally being either treated as a small correction or even neglected. Here, we critically analyze this approach, and we show that spatial diffusion through pitch-angle scattering necessarily plays a very significant role in the transport of electrons. We further show that a satisfactory treatment of the diffusion process requires consideration of non-local effects, so that the electron flux depends not just on the local gradient of the electron distribution function but on the value of this gradient within an extended region encompassing a significant fraction of a mean free path. Our analysis applies generally to pitch-angle scattering by a variety of mechanisms, from Coulomb collisions to turbulent scattering. We further show that the spatial transport of electrons along the magnetic field of a flaring loop can be modeled as a Continuous Time Random Walk with velocity-dependent probability distribution functions of jump sizes and occurrences, both of which can be expressed in terms of the scattering mean free path.

Observations of H-beta and He II lambda 4686 lines in the spectra of flares of UV Cet-type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chugainov, P. F.; Petrov, P. P.; Scherbakov, A. G.

The main results of 45.4 hours of continuous spectroscopic and photoelectric B-band observations of AD Leo, DT Virgo, and YZ CMi are discussed. In two AD Leo flares and two YZ CMi flares, an increase of the central intensity of H-beta was observed 10-20 min before the maximum B-band brightness. The spectra of one AD Leo flare and one YZ CMi flare definitely indicate the formation of broad wings of H-beta occurring mainly during flare maximum. These flares surpass the other four in total optical energy. The Stark effect seems to be the most appropriate explanation for the origin of the wings. The upper limit of the equivalent widths of the He II wavelength 4686 line was higher than that in the quiet state. The equivalent width values cannot be explained by the cascade recombination mechanism if the ratio of optical and X-ray luminosities is nearly the same for all flares of UV Cet-type stars.

CONSTRAINING SOLAR FLARE DIFFERENTIAL EMISSION MEASURES WITH EVE AND RHESSI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caspi, Amir; McTiernan, James M.; Warren, Harry P.

2014-06-20

Deriving a well-constrained differential emission measure (DEM) distribution for solar flares has historically been difficult, primarily because no single instrument is sensitive to the full range of coronal temperatures observed in flares, from ≲2 to ≳50 MK. We present a new technique, combining extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectra from the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory with X-ray spectra from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), to derive, for the first time, a self-consistent, well-constrained DEM for jointly observed solar flares. EVE is sensitive to ∼2-25 MK thermal plasma emission, and RHESSI to ≳10 MK; together, the twomore » instruments cover the full range of flare coronal plasma temperatures. We have validated the new technique on artificial test data, and apply it to two X-class flares from solar cycle 24 to determine the flare DEM and its temporal evolution; the constraints on the thermal emission derived from the EVE data also constrain the low energy cutoff of the non-thermal electrons, a crucial parameter for flare energetics. The DEM analysis can also be used to predict the soft X-ray flux in the poorly observed ∼0.4-5 nm range, with important applications for geospace science.« less

Acceleration of runaway electrons in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moghaddam-Taaheri, E.; Goertz, C. K.

1990-01-01

The dc electric field acceleration of electrons out of a thermal plasma and the evolution of the runaway tail are studied numerically, using a relativistic quasi-linear code based on the Ritz-Galerkin method and finite elements. A small field-aligned electric field is turned on at a certain time. The resulting distribution function from the runaway process is used to calculate the synchrotron emission during the evolution of the runaway tail. It is found that, during the runaway tail formation, which lasts a few tens of seconds for typical solar flare conditions, the synchrotron emission level is low, almost ot the same order as the emission from the thermal plasma, at the high-frequency end of the spectrum. However, the emission is enhanced explosively in a few microseconds by several orders of magnitude at the time the runaway tail stops growing along the magnetic field and tends toward isotropy due to the pitch-angle scattering of the fast particles. Results indicate that, in order to account for the observed synchrotron emission spectrum of a typical solar flare, the electric field acceleration phase must be accompanied or preceded by a heating phase which yields an enhanced electron temperature of about 2-15 keV in the flare region if the electric field is 0.1-0.2 times the Dreicer field and cyclotron-to-plasma frequency ratios are of order 1-2.

Adiabatic heating in impulsive solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maetzler, C.; Bai, T.; Crannell, C. J.; Frost, K. J.

1977-01-01

The dynamic X-ray spectra of two simple, impulsive solar flares are examined together with H alpha, microwave and meter wave radio observations. X-ray spectra of both events were characteristic of thermal bremsstrahlung from single temperature plasmas. The symmetry between rise and fall was found to hold for the temperature and emission measure. The relationship between temperature and emission measure was that of an adiabatic compression followed by adiabatic expansion; the adiabatic index of 5/3 indicated that the electron distribution remained isotropic. Observations in H alpha provided further evidence for compressive energy transfer.

Diagnostics of electron-heated solar flare models. III - Effects of tapered loop geometry and preheating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. G.; Li, Peng; Mariska, John T.

1992-01-01

A series of hydrodynamic numerical simulations of nonthermal electron-heated solar flare atmospheres and their corresponding soft X-ray Ca XIX emission-line profiles, under the conditions of tapered flare loop geometry and/or a preheated atmosphere, is presented. The degree of tapering is parameterized by the magnetic mirror ratio, while the preheated atmosphere is parameterized by the initial upper chromospheric pressure. In a tapered flare loop, it is found that the upward motion of evaporated material is faster compared with the case where the flare loop is uniform. This is due to the diverging nozzle seen by the upflowing material. In the case where the flare atmosphere is preheated and the flare geometry is uniform, the response of the atmosphere to the electron collisional heating is slow. The upward velocity of the hydrodynamic gas is reduced due not only to the large coronal column depth, but also to the increased inertia of the overlying material. It is concluded that the only possible electron-heated scenario in which the predicted Ca XIX line profiles agree with the BCS observations is when the impulsive flare starts in a preheated dense corona.

Observations of Electron-driven Evaporation in a Flare Precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong; Li, Ying; Su, Wei; Huang, Yu; Ning, Zongjun

2018-02-01

We investigate the relationship between the blueshifts of a hot emission line and the nonthermal emissions in microwave and hard X-ray (HXR) wavelengths in the precursor of a solar flare on 2014 October 27. The flare precursor is identified as a small but well-developed peak in the soft X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet passbands before the GOES flare onset, which is accompanied by a pronounced burst in microwave 17 and 34 GHz and in HXR 25–50 keV. The slit of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) stays on one ribbon-like transient during the flare precursor phase, which shows visible nonthermal emissions in Nobeyama Radioheliograph and RHESSI images. The IRIS spectroscopic observations show that the hot line of Fe XXI 1354.09 Å (log T ∼ 7.05) displays blueshifts, while the cool line of Si IV 1402.77 Å (log T ∼ 4.8) exhibits redshifts. The blueshifts and redshifts are well correlated with each other, indicative of an explosive chromospheric evaporation during the flare precursor phase combining a high nonthermal energy flux with a short characteristic timescale. In addition, the blueshifts of Fe XXI 1354.09 Å are well correlated with the microwave and HXR emissions, implying that the explosive chromospheric evaporation during the flare precursor phase is driven by nonthermal electrons.

The great flare of 1982 June 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanaka, K.; Zirin, H.

1985-01-01

The great soft X-ray (SXR) flare (X12) of the past solar maximum was observed by Hinotori and by Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) on June 6, 1982. Hinotori data consist of hard X-ray (HXR) and SXR images in the rise and decay of the flare, high-resolution soft X-ray spectra throughout the flare, and HXR and gamma-ray data. The BBSO data include films of H-alpha, H-alpha blue wing, D3 and longitudinal magnetic field, as well as video tapes of continuum. Images in HXR, SXR, H-alpha, D3 and the continuum are compared and SXR spectra analyzed. The flare resulted from extended motion of a large spot shearing the magnetic field. D3 and white-light images exhibit a progression from fast flashes to two ribbons, while both HXR and SXR are centered on the optical kernels. The continuum emission shows the same temporal behavior as the HXR at 160 keV. In its early phases, the Fe XXV line was double-peaked, and a decreasing blueshifted (up to 400 km/sec) component was observed, from which the evaporation rate of chromospheric material was estimated. It is suggested that this upflow is adequate to supply the coronal cloud. Flare energetics are discussed in detail, and it is concluded that a significant amount of energy was deposited in the corona, and that nonthermal electrons are the major energy input.

Electron Densities in Solar Flare Loops, Chromospheric Evaporation Upflows, and Acceleration Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Benz, Arnold O.

1996-01-01

We compare electron densities measured at three different locations in solar flares: (1) in Soft X-Ray (SXR) loops, determined from SXR emission measures and loop diameters from Yohkoh Soft X-Ray Telescope maps (n(sub e, sup SXR) = (0.2-2.5) x 10(exp 11)/ cu cm); (2) in chromospheric evaporation upflows, inferred from plasma frequency cutoffs of decimetric radio bursts detected with the 0.1-3 GHz spectrometer Phoenix of ETH Zuerich (n(sub e, sup upflow) = (0.3-11) x 10(exp 10)/cu cm; and (3) in acceleration sites, inferred from the plasma frequency at the separatrix between upward-accelerated (type III bursts) and downward-accelerated (reverse-drift bursts) electron beams [n(sub e, sup acc) = (0.6-10) x 10(exp 9)/cu cm]. The comparison of these density measurements, obtained from 44 flare episodes (during 14 different flares), demonstrates the compatibility of flare plasma density diagnostics with SXR and radio methods. The density in the upflowing plasma is found to be somewhat lower than in the filled loops, having ratios in a range n(sub e, sup upflow)/n(sub e, sup SXR) = 0.02-1.3, and a factor of 3.6 higher behind the upflow front. The acceleration sites are found to have a much lower density than the SXR-bright flare loops, i.e., n(sub e, sup acc)/n(sub e, sup SXR) = 0.005- 0.13, and thus must be physically displaced from the SXR-bright flare loops. The scaling law between electron time-of-flight distances l' and loop half-lengths s, l'/s = 1.4 +/- 0.3, recently established by Aschwanden et al. suggests that the centroid of the acceleration region is located above the SXR-bright flare loop, as envisioned in cusp geometries (e.g., in magnetic reconnection models).

Acceleration of runaway electrons and Joule heating in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, G. D.

1985-01-01

The electric field acceleration of electrons out of a thermal plasma and the simultaneous Joule heating of the plasma are studied. Acceleration and heating timescales are derived and compared, and upper limits are obtained on the acceleration volume and the rate at which electrons can be accelerated. These upper limits, determined by the maximum magnetic field strength observed in flaring regions, place stringent restrictions upon the acceleration process. The role of the plasma resistivity in these processes is examined, and possible sources of anomalous resistivity are summarized. The implications of these results for the microwave and hard X-ray emission from solar flares are examined.

Acceleration of runaway electrons and Joule heating in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, G. D.

1984-01-01

The electric field acceleration of electrons out of a thermal plasma and the simultaneous Joule heating of the plasma are studied. Acceleration and heating timescales are derived and compared, and upper limits are obtained on the acceleration volume and the rate at which electrons can be accelerated. These upper limits, determined by the maximum magnetic field strength observed in flaring regions, place stringent restrictions upon the acceleration process. The role of the plasma resistivity in these processes is examined, and possible sources of anomalous resistivity are summarized. The implications of these results for the microwave and hard X-ray emission from solar flares are examined.

OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE OF ELECTRON-DRIVEN EVAPORATION IN TWO SOLAR FLARES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, D.; Ning, Z. J.; Zhang, Q. M., E-mail: lidong@pmo.ac.cn

2015-11-01

We have explored the relationship between hard X-ray (HXR) emissions and Doppler velocities caused by the chromospheric evaporation in two X1.6 class solar flares on 2014 September 10 and October 22, respectively. Both events display double ribbons and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph slit is fixed on one of their ribbons from the flare onset. The explosive evaporations are detected in these two flares. The coronal line of Fe xxi 1354.09 Å shows blueshifts, but the chromospheric line of C i 1354.29 Å shows redshifts during the impulsive phase. The chromospheric evaporation tends to appear at the front of themore » flare ribbon. Both Fe xxi and C i display their Doppler velocities with an “increase-peak-decrease” pattern that is well related to the “rising-maximum-decay” phase of HXR emissions. Such anti-correlation between HXR emissions and Fe xxi Doppler shifts and correlation with C i Doppler shifts indicate the electron-driven evaporation in these two flares.« less

On helium-like 1s2l-1snl prime transitions in solar flare spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kastner, S. O.; Neupert, W. M.; Swartz, M.

1974-01-01

Expected wavelengths and intensities are computed for 1s2l-1snl prime transitions in helium-like ions of the abundant elements from oxygen to iron under coronal conditions. Probable observations of some of these lines in the spectra of solar flares are discussed, and attention is called to a possible reversal of singlet and triplet intensities as compared to laboratory observations.

Radio wave heating of the corona and electron precipitation during flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melrose, D. B.; Dulk, G. A.

1982-01-01

Electron-cyclotron masers, excited while energy release is occurring in a flaring magnetic loop, are likely to generate extremely intense radiation at decimeter wavelengths. The energy in the radiation can be comparable with that in the electrons associated with hard X-ray bursts, i.e., a significant fraction of the total energy in the flare. Essentially all of the radio energy is likely to be reabsorbed by gyroresonance absorption, either near the emitting region or at some distance away in neighboring loops. Enhanced diffusion of fast electrons caused by the maser can lead to precipitation at the maximum possible rate, and hence account for hard X-ray emission from the footpoints of the magnetic loops.

A Si IV/O IV Electron Density Diagnostic for the Analysis of IRIS Solar Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, P. R.; Keenan, F. P.; Milligan, R. O.; Peter, H.

2018-04-01

Solar spectra of ultraviolet bursts and flare ribbons from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) have suggested high electron densities of > {10}12 cm‑3 at transition region temperatures of 0.1 MK, based on large intensity ratios of Si IV λ1402.77 to O IV λ1401.16. In this work, a rare observation of the weak O IV λ1343.51 line is reported from an X-class flare that peaked at 21:41 UT on 2014 October 24. This line is used to develop a theoretical prediction of the Si IV λ1402.77 to O IV λ1401.16 ratio as a function of density that is recommended to be used in the high-density regime. The method makes use of new pressure-dependent ionization fractions that take account of the suppression of dielectronic recombination at high densities. It is applied to two sequences of flare kernel observations from the October 24 flare. The first shows densities that vary between 3× {10}12 and 3× {10}13 cm‑3 over a seven-minute period, while the second location shows stable density values of around 2× {10}12 cm‑3 over a three-minute period.

Energetic electron propagation in the decay phase of non-thermal flare emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Jing; Yan, Yihua; Tsap, Yuri T., E-mail: huangj@nao.cas.cn

On the basis of the trap-plus-precipitation model, the peculiarities of non-thermal emission in the decay phase of solar flares have been considered. The calculation formulas for the escape rate of trapped electrons into the loss cone in terms of time profiles of hard X-ray (HXR) and microwave (MW) emission have been obtained. It has been found that the evolution of the spectral indices of non-thermal emission depend on the regimes of the pitch angle diffusion of trapped particles into the loss cone. The properties of non-thermal electrons related to the HXR and MW emission of the solar flare on 2004more » November 3 are studied with Nobeyama Radioheliograph, Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters, RHESSI, and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite observations. The spectral indices of non-thermal electrons related to MW and HXR emission remained constant or decreased, while the MW escape rate as distinguished from that of the HXRs increased. This may be associated with different diffusion regimes of trapped electrons into the loss cone. New arguments in favor of an important role of the superstrong diffusion for high-energy electrons in flare coronal loops have been obtained.« less

Budget of energetic electrons during solar flares in the framework of magnetic reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, G.; Warmuth, A.

2011-04-01

Context. Among other things, solar flares are accompanied by the production of energetic electrons as seen in the nonthermal radio and X-ray radiation of the Sun. Observations of the RHESSI satellite show that 1032-1036 nonthermal electrons are produced per second during flares. They are related to an energy flux in the range 1018-1022 W. These electrons play an important role, since they carry a substantial part of the energy released during a flare. Aims: In which way so many electrons are accelerated up to high energies during a fraction of a second is still an open question. By means of radio and hard X-ray data, we investigate under which conditions this acceleration happens in the corona. Methods: The flare is considered in the framework of magnetic reconnection. The conditions in the acceleration region in the corona are deduced by using the conservation of the total electron number and energy. Results: In the inflow region of the magnetic reconnection site, there are typical electron number densities of about 2.07 × 109 cm-3 and magnetic fields of about 46 G. These are regions with high Alfvén speeds of about 2200 km s-1. Then, sufficient energetic electrons (as required by the RHESSI observations) are only generated if the plasma inflow towards the reconnection site has Alfvén-Mach numbers in the range 0.1-1, which can lead to a super-Alfvénic outflow with speeds up to 3100 km s-1.

Study of non-thermal photon production under different scenarios in solar flares. 2: The Compton inverse and Bremsstrahlung models and fittings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez-Peraza, J.; Alvarez, M.; Laville, A.; Gallegos, A.

1985-01-01

Energy spectra of photons emitted from Bremsstrahlung (BR) of energetic electrons with matter, is obtained from the deconvolution of the electron energy spectra. It can be inferred that the scenario for the production of X-rays and gamma rays in solar flares may vary from event to event. However, it is possible in many cases to associated low energy events to impulsive acceleration, and the high energy phase of some events to stochastic acceleration. In both cases, flare particles seem to be strongly modulated by local energy losses. Electric field acceleration, associated to neutral current sheets is a suitable candidate for impulsive acceleration. Finally, that the predominant radiation process of this radiation is the inverse Compton effect due to the local flare photon field.

Electron precipitation in solar flares - Collisionless effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vlahos, L.; Rowland, H. L.

1984-01-01

A large fraction of the electrons which are accelerated during the impulsive phase of solar flares stream towards the chromosphere and are unstable to the growth of plasma waves. The linear and nonlinear evolution of plasma waves as a function of time is analyzed with a set of rate equations that follows, in time, the nonlinearly coupled system of plasma waves-ion fluctuations. As an outcome of the fast transfer of wave energy from the beam to the ambient plasma, nonthermal electron tails are formed which can stabilize the anomalous Doppler resonance instability responsible for the pitch angle scattering of the beam electrons. The non-collisional losses of the precipitating electrons are estimated, and the observational implication of these results are discussed.

Peak-Flux-Density Spectra of Large Solar Radio Bursts and Proton Emission from Flares.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-19

of the microwave peak (Z 1000 sfu in U-bursts) served as an indicator that the energy release during the impulsive phase was sufficient to produce a... energy or wave- length tends to be prominent in all, and cautions about over-interpreting associa- tions/correlations observed in samples of big flares...Sung, L. S., and McDonald, F. B. (1975) The variation of solar proton energy spectra and size distribution with helio- longitude, Sol. Phys. 41: 189. 28

Implications of RHESSI Observations for Solar Flare Models and Energetics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2006-01-01

Observations of solar flares in X-rays and gamma-rays provide the most direct information about the hottest plasma and energetic electrons and ions accelerated in flares. The Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) has observed over 18000 solar flares in X-rays and gamma-rays since its launch in February of 2002. RHESSI observes the full Sun at photon energies from as low as 3 keV to as high as 17 MeV with a spectral resolution on the order of 1 keV. It also provides images in arbitrary bands within this energy range with spatial resolution as good as 3 seconds of arc. Full images are typically produced every 4 seconds, although higher time resolution is possible. This unprecedented combination of spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, spectral range and flexibility has led to fundamental advances in our understanding of flares. I will show RHESSI and coordinated observations that confirm coronal magnetic reconnection models for eruptive flares and coronal mass ejections, but also present new puzzles for these models. I will demonstrate how the analysis of RHESSI spectra has led to a better determination of the energy flux and total energy in accelerated electrons, and of the energy in the hot, thermal flare plasma. I will discuss how these energies compare with each other and with the energy contained in other flare-related phenomena such as interplanetary particles and coronal mass ejections.

Ionization balance for iron XXV, XXIV and XXIII derived from solar flare X-ray spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonucci, E.; Dodero, M. A.; Gabriel, A. H.; Tanaka, K.; Dubau, J.

1987-06-01

An analysis has been carried out using over 300 spectra of solar flares from both the XRP instrument on SMM and the SOX instrument on Hinotori. The helium-like iron and associated dielectronic satellite spectra were used in order to derive a revised ionization balance for Fe XXIV/Fe XXV. This is found to lie between the theoretical curves based upon ECIP ionization rates, and those using Lotz formalism, with a tendency to be closer to the former. An extension of the analysis to include Fe XXIII is subject to a somewhat larger uncertainty in the interpretation. However it indicates a similar effect for this ion. Using all three ions, a revised ionization balance for iron is presented.

A Parameter Study for Modeling Mg ii h and k Emission during Solar Flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubio da Costa, Fatima; Kleint, Lucia, E-mail: frubio@stanford.edu

2017-06-20

Solar flares show highly unusual spectra in which the thermodynamic conditions of the solar atmosphere are encoded. Current models are unable to fully reproduce the spectroscopic flare observations, especially the single-peaked spectral profiles of the Mg ii h and k lines. We aim to understand the formation of the chromospheric and optically thick Mg ii h and k lines in flares through radiative transfer calculations. We take a flare atmosphere obtained from a simulation with the radiative hydrodynamic code RADYN as input for a radiative transfer modeling with the RH code. By iteratively changing this model atmosphere and varying thermodynamicmore » parameters such as temperature, electron density, and velocity, we study their effects on the emergent intensity spectra. We reproduce the typical single-peaked Mg ii h and k flare spectral shape and approximate the intensity ratios to the subordinate Mg ii lines by increasing either densities, temperatures, or velocities at the line core formation height range. Additionally, by combining unresolved upflows and downflows up to ∼250 km s{sup −1} within one resolution element, we reproduce the widely broadened line wings. While we cannot unambiguously determine which mechanism dominates in flares, future modeling efforts should investigate unresolved components, additional heat dissipation, larger velocities, and higher densities and combine the analysis of multiple spectral lines.« less

An investigation of solar flares and associated solar radio bursts on ionospheric total electron content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uwamahoro, Jean

2016-07-01

Solar transients events such as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and solar flares represent are the cause of various aspects of space weather and can impact the modern man made technological system. Such solar transients are often associated with solar radio bursts (SRBs), particularly of type II and III that , at ground level can be detected by the CALLISTO (Compact Astronomical Low-frequency Low-cost Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatories) solar spectrometer. The present study aims at investigating solar flares and associated SRBs impact on the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). SRBs data used are dynamic spectra covering the 2014-2015 period and detected by the CALLISTO instrument that is installed at the university of Rwanda, Kigali. To investigate ionospheric impact, we use TEC data from IGS stations located at almost the same universal time zone, and correlate the observed TEC changes to the corresponding observed solar bursts events. Preliminary observations resulting from this study indicate a slight enhancement in TEC during the burst event days. The observed TEC enhancement on the burst day can be associated to increased UV and X-rays radiations and particle acceleration that are associated with SRBs events. This work is a contribution to more understanding of the geo-space impact of solar transients phenomena for modeling and prediction.

Comparative analysis of characteristic electron energy loss spectra and inelastic scattering cross-section spectra of Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parshin, A. S.; Igumenov, A. Yu.; Mikhlin, Yu. L.; Pchelyakov, O. P.; Zhigalov, V. S.

2016-05-01

The inelastic electron scattering cross section spectra of Fe have been calculated based on experimental spectra of characteristic reflection electron energy loss as dependences of the product of the inelastic mean free path by the differential inelastic electron scattering cross section on the electron energy loss. It has been shown that the inelastic electron scattering cross-section spectra have certain advantages over the electron energy loss spectra in the analysis of the interaction of electrons with substance. The peaks of energy loss in the spectra of characteristic electron energy loss and inelastic electron scattering cross sections have been determined from the integral and differential spectra. It has been shown that the energy of the bulk plasmon is practically independent of the energy of primary electrons in the characteristic electron energy loss spectra and monotonically increases with increasing energy of primary electrons in the inelastic electron scattering cross-section spectra. The variation in the maximum energy of the inelastic electron scattering cross-section spectra is caused by the redistribution of intensities over the peaks of losses due to various excitations. The inelastic electron scattering cross-section spectra have been analyzed using the decomposition of the spectra into peaks of the energy loss. This method has been used for the quantitative estimation of the contributions from different energy loss processes to the inelastic electron scattering cross-section spectra of Fe and for the determination of the nature of the energy loss peaks.

Ionospheric electron density response to solar flares as viewed by Digisondes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handzo, R.; Forbes, J. M.; Reinisch, Bodo

2014-04-01

Solar flares are explosive events on the Sun that release energetic particles, X-rays, EUV, and radio emissions that have an almost immediate impact on Earth's ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) system and/or on operational systems that are affected by IT conditions. To assess such impacts, it is a key that we know how the ionosphere is modified. An objective of this paper is to evaluate how digisondes might serve in this role. Toward this end we utilize data from the Millstone Hill digisonde to reveal the height versus time bottomside F region responses to three X-class flares (X28, X8.3, and X1.7) at a middle latitude site. In terms of percent increase with respect to a preflare hourly mean, the long-lived (> 15-30 min) responses to these flares maximize between about 150 and 250 km and measurably last ~0.75-1.5 h after flare maximum. The relative magnitudes of these responses are complicated by flare position on the solar disk, which determines how much of the EUV solar emissions are attenuated by the solar atmosphere. At Millstone Hill there was little measurable response to these flares near the F2 layer peak; however, at the magnetic equator location of Jicamarca, the F2 peak electron density increased by ~15-40%. Herein, all of these flare response characteristics are interpreted in terms of available modeling results. We propose that such digisonde data, in combination with first-principles models and high-resolution measurements of solar EUV flux emissions (e.g., from Solar Dynamics Observatory/EUV Variability Experiment), can lead us to a deeper understanding of the ionospheric photochemistry and dynamics that underlies a predictive capability.

Solar flare ionization in the mesosphere observed by coherent-scatter radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, J. W.; Bowhill, S. A.

1986-01-01

The coherent-scatter technique, as used with the Urbana radar, is able to measure relative changes in electron density at one altitude during the progress of a solar flare when that altitude contains a statistically steady turbulent layer. This work describes the analysis of Urbana coherent-scatter data from the times of 13 solar flares in the period from 1978 to 1983. Previous methods of measuring electron density changes in the D-region are summarized. Models of X-ray spectra, photoionization rates, and ion-recombination reaction schemes are reviewed. The coherent-scatter technique is briefly described, and a model is developed which relates changes in scattered power to changes in electron density. An analysis technique is developed using X-ray flux data from geostationary satellites and coherent scatter data from the Urbana radar which empirically distinguishes between proposed D-region ion-chemical schemes, and estimates the nonflare ion-pair production rate.

Investigations of turbulent motions and particle acceleration in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakimiec, J.; Fludra, A.; Lemen, J. R.; Dennis, B. R.; Sylwester, J.

1986-01-01

Investigations of X-raya spectra of solar flares show that intense random (turbulent) motions are present in hot flare plasma. Here it is argued that the turbulent motions are of great importance for flare development. They can efficiently enhance flare energy release and accelerate particles to high energies.

Chromospheric-coronal coupling during solar flares: Current systems and particle acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winglee, Robert M.; Mckean, M. E.; Dulk, G. A.

1989-01-01

Two-dimensional (three velocity) electrostatic particle simulations are used to investigate the particle heating and acceleration associated with the impulsive phase of a solar flare. A crossfield current in the high corona (which is presumably driven by reconnection processes) is used to initiate the flare. Due to the differential motion of the electrons and ions, currents, and associated quasi-static electric fields are generated with the primary current and balancing return current being on adjacent field lines. These currents extend from the corona down into the chromosphere. Electrons can be accelerated to energies exceeding 100 keV on short time scales via the quasi-static fields and wave-particle interactions. The spectra of these electrons has a broken power-law distribution which hardens in time. The spatially separate primary and return currents are closed by the cross-field acceleration of the ambient ions into the primary current regions. These ions are then accelerated upwards into the corona by the same quasi-static electric field accelerating the electrons downwards. This acceleration can account for the broadened stationary and weak blue shifted component seen in soft x ray line emissions and enhancements in heavy ion abundances seen in the solar wind in associations with solar flares.

The Role of Diffusion in the Transport of Energetic Electrons during Solar Flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bian, Nicolas H.; Kontar, Eduard P.; Emslie, A. Gordon, E-mail: nicolas.bian@glasgow.gla.ac.uk, E-mail: emslieg@wku.edu

2017-02-01

The transport of the energy contained in suprathermal electrons in solar flares plays a key role in our understanding of many aspects of flare physics, from the spatial distributions of hard X-ray emission and energy deposition in the ambient atmosphere to global energetics. Historically the transport of these particles has been largely treated through a deterministic approach, in which first-order secular energy loss to electrons in the ambient target is treated as the dominant effect, with second-order diffusive terms (in both energy and angle) generally being either treated as a small correction or even neglected. Here, we critically analyze thismore » approach, and we show that spatial diffusion through pitch-angle scattering necessarily plays a very significant role in the transport of electrons. We further show that a satisfactory treatment of the diffusion process requires consideration of non-local effects, so that the electron flux depends not just on the local gradient of the electron distribution function but on the value of this gradient within an extended region encompassing a significant fraction of a mean free path. Our analysis applies generally to pitch-angle scattering by a variety of mechanisms, from Coulomb collisions to turbulent scattering. We further show that the spatial transport of electrons along the magnetic field of a flaring loop can be modeled rather effectively as a Continuous Time Random Walk with velocity-dependent probability distribution functions of jump sizes and occurrences, both of which can be expressed in terms of the scattering mean free path.« less

Coronal propagation of flare associated electrons and protons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schellert, G.; Wibberenz, G.; Kunow, H.

1985-01-01

A statistical study of characteristic times and intensities of 36 solar particle events observed between 1977 and 1979 by the Kiel Cosmic Ray Experiment on board HELIOS-1 and -2 has been carried out. For approx. 0.5 MeV electrons we order the times of maximum and the absolute intensities with respect to angular distance from the parent flare. Discussion of coronal parameters in terms of Reid's model leads to typical time constants for coronal diffusion and escape.

Analysis of Gamma-Ray Data from Solar Flares in Cycles 21 and 22

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vestrand, W. Thomas

1998-01-01

One of our primary accomplishments under grant NAGW-35381 was the systematic derivation and compilation, for the first time, of physical parameters for all gamma-ray flares detected by the SMM GRS during its ten year lifetime. The flare parameters derived from the gamma-ray spectra include: bremsstrahlung fluence and best-fit power-law parameters, narrow nuclear line fluence, positron annihilation line fluence, neutron capture line fluence, and an indication of whether or not greater than 10 MeV emissions were present. We combined this compilation of flare parameters with our plots of counting rate time histories and flare spectra to construct an atlas of gamma-ray flare characteristics. The atlas time histories display four energy bands: 56-199 kev, 298526 keV, 4-8 MeV, and 10-25 MeV. These energy bands respectively measure nonrelativistic bremsstrahlung, trans-relativistic bremsstrahlung, nuclear de-excitation, and ultra-relativistic bremsstrahlung. The atlas spectra show the integrated high-energy spectra measured for all GRS flares and dissects them into electron bremsstrahlung, positron annihilation and nuclear emission components. The atlas has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplements and is currently in press. The atlas materials were also supplied to the Solar Data Analysis Center at Goddard Space Flight Center and were made available through a web site at the University of New Hampshire. Since a uniform methodology was adopted for deriving the flare parameters, this atlas will be very useful for future statistical and correlative studies of solar flares-three independent groups are presently using it to correlate interplanetary energetic particle measurements with our gamma-ray measurements. A better model for the response of the GRS instrument to high energy radiation was also developed. A refined response model was needed because the old model was not adequate for predicting the first and second escape peaks associated with

Time-dependent Electron Acceleration in Pulsar Wind Termination Shocks: Application to the 2011 April Crab Nebula Gamma-Ray Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroon, John J.; Becker, Peter A.; Finke, Justin D.

2018-01-01

The γ-ray flares from the Crab Nebula observed by AGILE and Fermi-LAT between 2007 and 2013 reached GeV photon energies and lasted several days. The strongest emission, observed during the 2011 April “superflare”, exceeded the quiescent level by more than an order of magnitude. These observations challenge the standard models for particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae, because the radiating electrons have energies exceeding the classical radiation-reaction limit for synchrotron emission. Particle-in-cell simulations have suggested that the classical synchrotron limit can be exceeded if the electrons also experience electrostatic acceleration due to shock-driven magnetic reconnection. In this paper, we revisit the problem using an analytic approach based on solving a fully time-dependent electron transport equation describing the electrostatic acceleration, synchrotron losses, and escape experienced by electrons in a magnetically confined plasma “blob” as it encounters and passes through the pulsar wind termination shock. We show that our model can reproduce the γ-ray spectra observed during the rising and decaying phases of each of the two sub-flare components of the 2011 April superflare. We integrate the spectrum for photon energies ≥slant 100 MeV to obtain the light curve for the event, which also agrees with the observations. We find that strong electrostatic acceleration occurs on both sides of the termination shock, driven by magnetic reconnection. We also find that the dominant mode of particle escape changes from diffusive escape to advective escape as the blob passes through the shock.

An investigation of solar flares and associated solar radio bursts impact on ionospheric total electron content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuyizere, Sarathiel

2016-07-01

Solar transients events such as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and solar flares represent the cause of various aspects of space weather and can impact the modern man made technological system. Such solar transients are often associated with solar radio bursts (SRBs), particularly of type II and III that , at ground level can be detected by the CALLISTO (Compact Astronomical Low-frequency Low-cost Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatories) solar spectrometer. The present study aims at investigating solar flares and associated SRBs impact on the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). SRBs data used are dynamic spectra covering the 2014-2015 period and detected by the CALLISTO instrument that is installed at the university of Rwanda, Kigali. To investigate ionospheric impact, we use TEC data from IGS stations located at almost the same universal time zone, and correlate the observed TEC changes to the corresponding observed solar bursts events. Preliminary observations resulting from this study indicate a slight enhancement in TEC during the burst event days. The observed TEC enhancement on the burst day can be associated to increased UV and X-rays radiations and particle acceleration that are associated with SRBs events. This work is a contribution to more understanding of the geo-space impact of solar transients phenomena for modeling and prediction.

CORONAS-F observation of gamma-ray emission from the solar flare on 2003 October 29

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurt, Victoria G.; Yushkov, Boris Yu.; Galkin, Vladimir I.; Kudela, Karel; Kashapova, Larisa K.

2017-10-01

Appreciable hard X-ray (HXR) and gamma-ray emissions in the 0.04-150 MeV energy range associated with the 2003 October 29 solar flare (X10/3B) were observed at 20:38-20:58 UT by the SONG instrument onboard the CORONAS-F mission. To restore flare gamma-ray spectra we fitted the SONG energy loss spectra with a three-component model of the incident spectrum: (1) a power law in energy, assumed to be due to electron bremsstrahlung; (2) a broad continuum produced by prompt nuclear de-excitation gamma-lines; and (3) a broad gamma-line generated from pion-decay. We also restored spectra from the RHESSI data, compared them with the SONG spectra and found a reasonable agreement between these spectra in the 0.1-10 MeV energy range. The pion-decay emission was observed from 20:44:20 UT and had its maximum at 20:48-20:51 UT. The power-law spectral index of accelerated protons estimated from the ratio between intensities of different components of gamma rays changed with time. The hardest spectrum with a power-law index S = -3.5 - 3.6 was observed at 20:48-20:51 UT. Time histories of the pion-decay emission and proton spectrum were compared with changes of the locations of flare energy release as shown by RHESSI hard X-ray images and remote and remote Hα brightenings. An apparent temporal correlation between processes of particle acceleration and restructuring of flare magnetic field was found. In particular, the protons were accelerated to subrelativistic energies after radical change of the character of footpoint motion from a converging motion to a separation motion.

Could Flaring Stars Change Our Views of Their Planets?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-12-01

As the exoplanet count continues to increase, we are making progressively more measurements of exoplanets outer atmospheres through spectroscopy. A new study, however, reveals that these measurements may be influenced by the planets hosts.Spectra From TransitsExoplanet spectra taken as they transit their hosts can tell us about the chemical compositions of their atmospheres. Detailed spectroscopic measurements of planet atmospheres should become even more common with the next generation of missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), or Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO).But is the spectrum that we measure in the brief moment of a planets transit necessarily representative of its spectrum all of the time? A team of scientists led by Olivia Venot (University of Leuven in Belgium) argue that it might not be, due to the influence of the planets stellar host.Atmospheric composition of a planet before flare impacts (dotted lines), during the steady state reached after a flare impact (dashed lines), and during the steady state reached after a second flare impact (solid lines). [Venot et al. 2016]The team suggests that when a hosts flares impact upon a planets atmosphere (especially likely in the case of active M-dwarfs that commonly harbor planetary systems), this activity may modify the chemical composition of the planets atmosphere. This would in turn alter the spectrum that we measure from the exoplanet.Modeling AtmospheresVenot and collaborators set out to test the effect of stellar flares on exoplanet atmospheres by modeling the atmospheres of two hypothetical planets orbiting the star AD Leo an active and flaring M dwarf located roughly 16 light-years away at two different distances. The team then examined what happened to the atmospheres, and to the resulting spectra that we would observe, when they were hit with a stellar flare typical of AD Leo.The difference in relative absorption between the initial steady-state and the

Hard X-ray and high-frequency decimetric radio observations of the 4 April 2002 solar flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, S. R.; Sawant, H. S.; Cecatto, J. R.; Andrade, M. C.; Fernandes, F. C. R.; Karlicky, M.; Meszarosova, H.

Hard X-ray and high frequency decimetric type III radio bursts have been observed in association with the soft X-raysolar flare (GOES class M 6.1) on 4 April 2002 (˜1532 UT). The flare apparently occurred ˜ 6 degrees behind the east limb of the Sun in the active region NOAA 9898. Hard X-ray spectra and images were obtained by the X-ray imager on RHESSI during the impulsive phase of the flare. The Brazilian Solar Spectroscope and Ondrejov Radio Telescopes recorded type III bursts in 800-1400 MHz range in association with the flare. The images of the 3-6, 6-12, 12-25, and 25-50 keV X-ray sources, obtained simultaneously by RHESSI during the early impulsive phase of the flare, show that all the four X-ray sources were essentially at the same location well above the limb of the Sun. During the early impulsive phase, the X-ray spectrum over 8-30 keV range was consistent with a power law with a negative exponent of ˜ 6. The radio spectra show drifting radio structures with emission in a relatively narrow (Δf ≤ 200 MHz) frequency range indicating injection of energetic electrons into a plasmoid which is slowly drifting upwards in the corona.

Measurement of the Multi-TEV Gamma-Ray Flare Spectra of Markarian 421 and Markarian 501

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krennrich, F.; Biller, S. D.; Bond, I. H.; Boyle, P. J.; Bradbury, S. M.; Breslin, A. C.; Buckley, J. H.; Burdett, A. M.; Gordo, J. Bussons; Carter-Lewis, D. A.; Catanese, M.; Cawley, M. F.; Fegan, D. J.; Finley, J. P.; Gaidos, J. A.; Hall, T.; Hillas, A. M.; Lamb, R. C.; Lessard, R. W.; Masterson, C.; McEnery, J. E.; Mohanty, G.; Moriarty, P.; Quinn, J.; Rodgers, A. J.; Rose, H. J.; Samuelson, F. W.; Sembroski, G. H.; Srinivasan, R.; Vassiliev, V. V.; Weekes, T. C.

1999-01-01

The energy spectrum of Markarian 421 in flaring states has been measured from 0.3 to 10 TeV using both small and large zenith angle observations with the Whipple Observatory 10 m imaging telescope. The large zenith angle technique is useful for extending spectra to high energies, and the extraction of spectra with this technique is discussed. The resulting spectrum of Markarian 421 is fitted reasonably well by a simple power law: J(E)=E-2.54+/-0.03+/-0.10 photons m-1 s-1 TeV-1, where the first set of errors is statistical and the second set is systematic. This is in contrast to our recently reported spectrum of Markarian 501, which over a similar energy range has substantial curvature. The differences in TeV energy spectra of gamma-ray blazars reflect both the physics of the gamma-ray production mechanism and possibly differential absorption effects at the source or in the intergalactic medium. Since Markarian 421 and Markarian 501 have almost the same redshift (0.031 and 0.033, respectively), the difference in their energy spectra must be intrinsic to the sources and not due to intergalactic absorption, assuming the intergalactic infrared background is uniform.

High-energy particle production in solar flares (SEP, gamma-ray and neutron emissions). [solar energetic particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chupp, E. L.

1987-01-01

Electrons and ions, over a wide range of energies, are produced in association with solar flares. Solar energetic particles (SEPs), observed in space and near earth, consist of electrons and ions that range in energy from 10 keV to about 100 MeV and from 1 MeV to 20 GeV, respectively. SEPs are directly recorded by charged particle detectors, while X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron detectors indicate the properties of the accelerated particles (electrons and ions) which have interacted in the solar atmosphere. A major problem of solar physics is to understand the relationship between these two groups of charged particles; in particular whether they are accelerated by the same mechanism. The paper reviews the physics of gamma-rays and neutron production in the solar atmosphere and the method by which properties of the primary charged particles produced in the solar flare can be deduced. Recent observations of energetic photons and neutrons in space and at the earth are used to present a current picture of the properties of impulsively flare accelerated electrons and ions. Some important properties discussed are time scale of production, composition, energy spectra, accelerator geometry. Particular attention is given to energetic particle production in the large flare on June 3, 1982.

Extremely Rapid X-Ray Flares of TeV Blazars in the RXTE Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, S. F.; Xue, Y. Q.; Brandt, W. N.; Cui, W.; Wang, Y. J.

2018-01-01

Rapid flares from blazars in very high-energy (VHE) γ-rays challenge the common understanding of jets of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The same population of ultra-relativistic electrons is often thought to be responsible for both X-ray and VHE emission. We thus systematically searched for X-ray flares at sub-hour timescales of TeV blazars in the entire Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archival database. We found rapid flares from PKS 2005‑489 and S5 0716+714, and a candidate rapid flare from 1ES 1101‑232. In particular, the characteristic rise timescale of PKS 2005‑489 is less than half a minute, which, to our knowledge, is the shortest among known AGN flares at any wavelengths. The timescales of these rapid flares indicate that the size of the central supermassive black hole is not a hard lower limit on the physical size of the emission region of the flare. PKS 2005‑489 shows possible hard lags in its flare, which could be attributed to particle acceleration (injection); its flaring component has the hardest spectrum when it first appears. For all flares, the flaring components show similar hard spectra with {{Γ }}=1.7{--}1.9, and we estimate the magnetic field strength B ∼ 0.1–1.0 G by assuming synchrotron cooling. These flares could be caused by inhomogeneity of the jets. Models that can only produce rapid γ-ray flares but little synchrotron activity are less favorable.

Transmission effects in unfolding electronic-vibrational electron-molecule energy-loss spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang Shiyang; Khakoo, Murtadha A.; Johnson, Paul V.

2006-03-15

The results of an investigation concerning the sensitivity of conventional unfolding methods applied to electronic-vibrational electron-energy-loss spectra to the transmission efficiency of electron spectrometers are presented. This investigation was made in an effort to understand differences in the differential cross sections for excitation of low-lying electronic states determined experimentally by various groups using electronic-vibrational energy-loss spectra of N{sub 2}. In these experiments, very similar spectral unfolding methods were used, which relied on similar Franck-Condon factors. However, the overall analyses of the electron scattering spectra (by the individual groups) resulted in large differences among the differential cross sections determined from thesemore » energy-loss spectra. The transmission response of the experimental apparatus to different-energy scattered electrons has often been discussed as a key factor that caused these disagreements. The present investigation shows in contrast that the effect of transmission is smaller than that required to independently explain such differences, implying that other systematic effects are responsible for the existing differences between measurements.« less

Joule heating and runaway electron acceleration in a solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.; Kundu, Mukul R.; Kane, Sharad R.

1989-01-01

The hard and soft x ray and microwave emissions from a solar flare (May 14, 1980) were analyzed and interpreted in terms of Joule heating and runaway electron acceleration in one or more current sheets. It is found that all three emissions can be generated with sub-Dreicer electric fields. The soft x ray emitting plasma can only be heated by a single current sheet if the resistivity in the sheet is well above the classical, collisional resistivity of 10(exp 7) K, 10(exp 11)/cu cm plasma. If the hard x ray emission is from thermal electrons, anomalous resistivity or densities exceeding 3 x 10(exp 12)/cu cm are required. If the hard x ray emission is from nonthermal electrons, the emissions can be produced with classical resistivity in the current sheets if the heating rate is approximately 4 times greater than that deduced from the soft x ray data (with a density of 10(exp 10)/cu cm in the soft x ray emitting region), if there are at least 10(exp 4) current sheets, and if the plasma properties in the sheets are characteristic of the superhot plasma observed in some flares by Lin et al., and with Hinotori. Most of the released energy goes directly into bulk heating, rather than accelerated particles.

Database for Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA)Database for Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA)

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 100 Database for Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA)Database for Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA) (PC database for purchase)   This database has been designed to facilitate quantitative interpretation of Auger-electron and X-ray photoelectron spectra and to improve the accuracy of quantitation in routine analysis. The database contains all physical data needed to perform quantitative interpretation of an electron spectrum for a thin-film specimen of given composition. A simulation module provides an estimate of peak intensities as well as the energy and angular distributions of the emitted electron flux.

Particle acceleration in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, R.; Forman, M. A.

1987-01-01

The most direct signatures of particle acceleration in flares are energetic particles detected in interplanetary space and in the Earth atmosphere, and gamma rays, neutrons, hard X-rays, and radio emissions produced by the energetic particles in the solar atmosphere. The stochastic and shock acceleration theories in flares are reviewed and the implications of observations on particle energy spectra, particle confinement and escape, multiple acceleration phases, particle anistropies, and solar atmospheric abundances are discussed.

Spots and White Light Flares in an L Dwarf

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Program GN-2012A-Q-37) GMOS spectrograph (Hook et al. 2004) when a series of flares occurred. A spectrum of the most powerful flare in its impulsive...10:14 Hα HeI HeI HeI OI Fig. 4. Gemini-North GMOS spectra of W1906+40 in quiescence (below) and in flare. Note the broad Hα, atomic emission lines

Characteristics of gamma-ray line flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bai, T.; Dennis, B.

1983-01-01

Observations of solar gamma rays by the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) demonstrate that energetic protons and ions are rapidly accelerated during the impulsive phase. To understand the acceleration mechanisms for these particles, the characteristics of the gamma ray line flares observed by SMM were studied. Some very intense hard X-ray flares without detectable gamma ray lines were also investigated. Gamma ray line flares are distinguished from other flares by: (1) intense hard X-ray and microwave emissions; (2) delay of high energy hard X-rays; (3) emission of type 2 and/or type 4 radio bursts; and (4) flat hard X-ray spectra (average power law index: 3.1). The majority of the gamma ray line flares shared all these characteristics, and the remainder shared at least three of them. Positive correlations were found between durations of spike bursts and spatial sizes of flare loops as well as between delay times and durations of spike bursts.

Explosive Chromospheric Evaporation Driven by Nonthermal Electrons around One Footpoint of a Solar Flare Loop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, D.; Ning, Z. J.; Huang, Y.

We explore the temporal relationship between microwave/hard X-ray (HXR) emission and Doppler velocity during the impulsive phase of a solar flare on 2014 October 27 (SOL2014-10-27) that displays a pulse on the light curves in the microwave (34 GHz) and HXR (25–50 keV) bands before the flare maximum. Imaging observation shows that this pulse mainly comes from one footpoint of a solar flare loop. The slit of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph ( IRIS ) stays at this footpoint during this solar flare. The Doppler velocities of Fe xxi 1354.09 Å and Si iv 1402.77 Å are extracted from themore » Gaussian fitting method. We find that the hot line of Fe xxi 1354.09 Å (log T ∼ 7.05) in the corona exhibits blueshift, while the cool line of Si iv 1402.77 Å (log T ∼ 4.8) in the transition region exhibits redshift, indicating explosive chromospheric evaporation. Evaporative upflows along the flare loop are also observed in the AIA 131 Å image. To our knowledge, this is the first report of chromospheric evaporation evidence from both spectral and imaging observations in the same flare. Both microwave and HXR pulses are well correlated with the Doppler velocities, suggesting that the chromospheric evaporation is driven by nonthermal electrons around this footpoint of a solar flare loop.« less

Giant Radio Flare of Cygnus X-3 in September 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trushkin, S. A.; Nizhelskij, N. A.; Tsybulev, P. G.; Zhekanis, G. V.

2017-06-01

In the long-term multi-frequency monitoring program of the microquasars with RATAN-600 we discovered the giant flare from X-ray binary Cyg X-3 on 13 September 2016. It happened after 2000 days of the 'quiescent state' of the source passed after the former giant flare (˜18 Jy) in March 2011. We have found that during this quiet period the hard X-ray flux (Swift/BAT, 15-50 keV) and radio flux (RATAN-600, 11 GHz) have been strongly anti-correlated. Both radio flares occurred after transitions of the microquasar to a 'hypersoft' X-ray state that occurred in February 2011 and in the end of August 2016. The giant flare was predicted by us in the first ATel (Trushkin et al. (2016)). Indeed after dramatic decrease of the hard X-ray Swift 15-50 keV flux and RATAN 4- 11 GHz fluxes (a 'quenched state') a small flare (0.7 Jy at 4-11 GHz) developed on MJD 57632 and then on MJD 57644.5 almost simultaneously with X-rays radio flux rose from 0.01 to 15 Jy at 4.6 GHz during few days. The rise of the flaring flux is well fitted by a exponential law that could be a initial phase of the relativistic electrons generation by internal shock waves in the jets. Initially spectra were optically thick at frequencies lower 2 GHz and optically thin at frequencies higher 8 GHz with typical spectral index about -0.5. After maximum of the flare radio fluxes at all frequencies faded out with exponential law.

The structure of high-temperature solar flare plasma in non-thermal flare models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. G.

1985-01-01

Analytic differential emission measure distributions have been derived for coronal plasma in flare loops heated both by collisions of high-energy suprathermal electrons with background plasma, and by ohmic heating by the beam-normalizing return current. For low densities, reverse current heating predominates, while for higher densities collisional heating predominates. There is thus a minimum peak temperature in an electron-heated loop. In contrast to previous approximate analyses, it is found that a stable reverse current can dominate the heating rate in a flare loop, especially in the low corona. Two 'scaling laws' are found which relate the peak temperature in the loop to the suprathermal electron flux. These laws are testable observationally and constitute a new diagnostic procedure for examining modes of energy transport in flaring loops.

M Dwarf Flare Continuum Variations on One-second Timescales: Calibrating and Modeling of ULTRACAM Flare Color Indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Mathioudakis, Mihalis; Hawley, Suzanne L.; Wisniewski, John P.; Dhillon, Vik S.; Marsh, Tom R.; Hilton, Eric J.; Brown, Benjamin P.

2016-04-01

We present a large data set of high-cadence dMe flare light curves obtained with custom continuum filters on the triple-beam, high-speed camera system ULTRACAM. The measurements provide constraints for models of the near-ultraviolet (NUV) and optical continuum spectral evolution on timescales of ≈1 s. We provide a robust interpretation of the flare emission in the ULTRACAM filters using simultaneously obtained low-resolution spectra during two moderate-sized flares in the dM4.5e star YZ CMi. By avoiding the spectral complexity within the broadband Johnson filters, the ULTRACAM filters are shown to characterize bona fide continuum emission in the NUV, blue, and red wavelength regimes. The NUV/blue flux ratio in flares is equivalent to a Balmer jump ratio, and the blue/red flux ratio provides an estimate for the color temperature of the optical continuum emission. We present a new “color-color” relationship for these continuum flux ratios at the peaks of the flares. Using the RADYN and RH codes, we interpret the ULTRACAM filter emission using the dominant emission processes from a radiative-hydrodynamic flare model with a high nonthermal electron beam flux, which explains a hot, T ≈ 104 K, color temperature at blue-to-red optical wavelengths and a small Balmer jump ratio as observed in moderate-sized and large flares alike. We also discuss the high time resolution, high signal-to-noise continuum color variations observed in YZ CMi during a giant flare, which increased the NUV flux from this star by over a factor of 100. Based on observations obtained with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5 m telescope, which is owned and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium, based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofsica de Canarias, and observations, and based on observations made with the ESO Telescopes

Harnessing AIA Diffraction Patterns to Determine Flare Footpoint Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bain, H. M.; Schwartz, R. A.; Torre, G.; Krucker, S.; Raftery, C. L.

2014-12-01

In the "Standard Flare Model" energy from accelerated electrons is deposited at the footpoints of newly reconnected flare loops, heating the surrounding plasma. Understanding the relation between the multi-thermal nature of the footpoints and the energy flux from accelerated electrons is therefore fundamental to flare physics. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of bright flare kernels, obtained from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, are often saturated despite the implementation of automatic exposure control. These kernels produce diffraction patterns often seen in AIA images during the most energetic flares. We implement an automated image reconstruction procedure, which utilizes diffraction pattern artifacts, to de-saturate AIA images and reconstruct the flare brightness in saturated pixels. Applying this technique to recover the footpoint brightness in each of the AIA EUV passbands, we investigate the footpoint temperature distribution. Using observations from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), we will characterize the footpoint accelerated electron distribution of the flare. By combining these techniques, we investigate the relation between the nonthermal electron energy flux and the temperature response of the flare footpoints.

Hard X-Ray Emission from Partially Occulted Solar Flares: RHESSI Observations in Two Solar Cycles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Effenberger, Frederic; Costa, Fatima Rubio da; Petrosian, Vahé

2017-02-01

Flares close to the solar limb, where the footpoints are occulted, can reveal the spectrum and structure of the coronal looptop source in X-rays. We aim at studying the properties of the corresponding energetic electrons near their acceleration site, without footpoint contamination. To this end, a statistical study of partially occulted flares observed with Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager is presented here, covering a large part of solar cycles 23 and 24. We perform detailed spectra, imaging, and light curve analyses for 116 flares and include contextual observations from SDO and STEREO when available, providing further insights into flaremore » emission that were previously not accessible. We find that most spectra are fitted well with a thermal component plus a broken power-law, non-thermal component. A thin-target kappa distribution model gives satisfactory fits after the addition of a thermal component. X-ray imaging reveals small spatial separation between the thermal and non-thermal components, except for a few flares with a richer coronal source structure. A comprehensive light curve analysis shows a very good correlation between the derivative of the soft X-ray flux (from GOES ) and the hard X-rays for a substantial number of flares, indicative of the Neupert effect. The results confirm that non-thermal particles are accelerated in the corona and estimated timescales support the validity of a thin-target scenario with similar magnitudes of thermal and non-thermal energy fluxes.« less

Temperature and Electron Density Diagnostics of a Candle-Flame Shaped Flare. Asymmetric Reconnection Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidoni, Silvina E.; McKenzie, David E.; Longcope, Dana W.; Plowman, Joseph E.; Yoshimura, Keiji

2013-03-01

Candle-flame shaped flares are archetypical structures that represent indirect evidence of magnetic reconnection. For long-lived events, most of their observed features can be explained with the classic magnetic reconnection model of solar flares, the CSHKP model. A flare resembling 1992 Tsuneta's famous candle-flame flare occurred on January 28 2011; we present its temperature and electron density diagnostics. This flare was observed with Hinode/XRT, SDO/AIA, and STEREO (A)/EUVI, resulting in high resolution, broad temperature coverage, and stereoscopic views of this iconic structure. Our XRT filter-ratio temperature and density maps corroborate the general reconnection scenario. The high temperature images reveal a brightening that grows in size to form a tower-like structure at the top of the post-flare arcade, a feature that has been observed in other long duration events. This tower is a localized density increase, as shown by our XRT electron density maps. Despite the extensive work on the standard reconnection scenario, there is no complete agreement among models regarding the nature of this tower-like structure. The XRT maps also reveal that reconnected loops that are successively connected at their tops to this tower develop a density increase in one of their legs that can reach over 2 times the density value of the other leg, giving the appearance of ``half-loops''. Their density is nevertheless still lower than at the tower. These jumps in density last longer than several acoustic transit times along the loops. We use STEREO images to show that the half-loop brightening is not a line-of- sight projection effect of the type suggested by Forbes and Acton (1996). This would indicate that asymmetric reconnection took place between loops originally belonging to systems with different magnetic field strengths, densities, and temperatures. We hypothesize that the heat generated by reconnection's slow shocks is then transferred to each leg of the loop at

Spectral Atlas of X-ray Lines Emitted During Solar Flares Based on CHIANTI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landi, E.; Phillips, K. J. H.

2005-01-01

A spectral atlas of X-ray lines in the wavelength range 7.47-18.97 Angstroms is presented, based on high-resolution spectra obtained during two M-class solar flares (on 1980 August 25 and 1985 July 2) with the Flat Crystal Spectrometer on board the Solar Maximum Mission. The physical properties of the flaring plasmas are derived as a function of time using strong, isolated lines. From these properties predicted spectra using the CHIANTI database have been obtained which were then compared with wavelengths and fluxes of lines in the observed spectra to establish line identifications. identifications for nearly all the observed lines in the resulting atlas are given, with some significant corrections to previous analysis of these flare spectra.

Electron energy-loss spectra in molecular fluorine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishimura, H.; Cartwright, D. C.; Trajmar, S.

1979-01-01

Electron energy-loss spectra in molecular fluorine, for energy losses from 0 to 17.0 eV, have been taken at incident electron energies of 30, 50, and 90 eV and scattering angles from 5 to 140 deg. Features in the spectra above 11.5 eV energy loss agree well with the assignments recently made from optical spectroscopy. Excitations of many of the eleven repulsive valence excited electronic states are observed and their location correlates reasonably well with recent theoretical results. Several of these excitations have been observed for the first time and four features, for which there are no identifications, appear in the spectra.

Charge and energy spectra of particles with E from 0.2 to 30 MeV/nuc in the January 25, 1971 solar flare.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, P. B.; Sullivan, J. D.

1972-01-01

Tracks of 1000 solar particles with charge Z not less than 10 and tracks of about 150 particles with Z equal to 8 have been analyzed in a stack of plastic detectors exposed in a rocket during the solar flare of Jan. 25, 1971. The energy spectra peak at about 1.5 MeV/nuc, with the flux falling to zero at about 0.4 MeV/nuc. Fe, Si, and O appear to have similar energy spectra for energies between 2 and 12 MeV/nuc.

Solar Flare Impulsive Phase Observations from SDO and Other Observatories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlin, Phillip C.; Woods, Thomas N.; Schrijver, Karel; Warren, Harry; Milligan, Ryan; Christe, Steven; Brosius, Jeffrey W.

2010-01-01

With the start of normal operations of the Solar Dynamics Observatory in May 2010, the Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) have been returning the most accurate solar XUV and EUV measurements every 10 and 12 seconds, respectively, at almost 100% duty cycle. The focus of the presentation will be the solar flare impulsive phase observations provided by EVE and AIA and what these observations can tell us about the evolution of the initial phase of solar flares. Also emphasized throughout is how simultaneous observations with other instruments, such as RHESSI, SOHO-CDS, and HINODE-EIS, will help provide a more complete characterization of the solar flares and the evolution and energetics during the impulsive phase. These co-temporal observations from the other solar instruments can provide information such as extending the high temperature range spectra and images beyond that provided by the EUV and XUV wavelengths, provide electron density input into the lower atmosphere at the footpoints, and provide plasma flows of chromospheric evaporation, among other characteristics.

Discovering Tau and Muon Solar Neutrino Flares above Backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fargion, D.; Moscato, F.

2005-01-01

Solar neutrino flares astronomy is at the edge of its discover. High energy flare particles (protons, alpha) whose self scattering within the solar corona is source of a rich prompt charged pions are also source of sharp solar neutrino "burst" (at tens-hundred MeV) produced by their pion-muon primary decay in flight. This brief (minute) solar neutrino "burst" at largest peak overcome by four-five order of magnitude the steady atmospheric neutrino noise at the Earth. Later on, solar flare particles hitting the terrestrial atmosphere may marginally increase the atmospheric neutrino flux without relevant consequences. Largest prompt "burst" solar neutrino flare may be detected in present or better in future largest neutrino underground neutrino detectors. Our estimate for the recent and exceptional October - November 2003 solar flares gives a number of events above or just near unity for Super-Kamiokande. The neutrino spectra may reflect in a subtle way the neutrino flavour mixing in flight. A surprising tau appearance may even occur for a hard ({E}_{nu}_{mu}--> {E}_{nu}_{tau} > 4 GeV) flare spectra. A comparison of the solar neutrino flare (at their birth place on Sun and after oscillation on the arrival on the Earth) with other neutrino foreground is here described and it offer an independent road map to disentangle the neutrino flavour puzzles and its secret flavour mixing angles .

Are solar gamma-ray-line flares different from other large flares?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cliver, E. W.; Crosby, N. B.; Dennis, B. R.

1994-01-01

We reevaluate evidence indicating that gamma-ray-line (GRL) flares are fundamentally different from other large flares without detectable GRL emission and find no compelling support for this proposition. For large flares observed by the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) from 1980 to 1982, we obtain a reasonably good correlation between 4-8 MeV GRL fluences and greater than 50 keV hard X-ray fluences and find no evidence for a distinct population of large hard X-ray flares that lack commensurate GRL emission. Our results are consistent with the acceleration of the bulk of the approximately 100 keV electrons and approximately 10 MeV protons (i.e., the populations of these species that interact in the solar atmosphere to produce hard X-ray and GRL emission) by a common process in large flares of both long and short durations.

Modelling blazar flaring using a time-dependent fluid jet emission model - an explanation for orphan flares and radio lags

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, William J.

2018-01-01

Blazar jets are renowned for their rapid violent variability and multiwavelength flares, however, the physical processes responsible for these flares are not well understood. In this paper, we develop a time-dependent inhomogeneous fluid jet emission model for blazars. We model optically thick radio flares for the first time and show that they are delayed with respect to the prompt optically thin emission by ∼months to decades, with a lag that increases with the jet power and observed wavelength. This lag is caused by a combination of the travel time of the flaring plasma to the optically thin radio emitting sections of the jet and the slow rise time of the radio flare. We predict two types of flares: symmetric flares - with the same rise and decay time, which occur for flares whose duration is shorter than both the radiative lifetime and the geometric path-length delay time-scale; extended flares - whose luminosity tracks the power of particle acceleration in the flare, which occur for flares with a duration longer than both the radiative lifetime and geometric delay. Our model naturally produces orphan X-ray and γ-ray flares. These are caused by flares that are only observable above the quiescent jet emission in a narrow band of frequencies. Our model is able to successfully fit to the observed multiwavelength flaring spectra and light curves of PKS1502+106 across all wavelengths, using a transient flaring front located within the broad-line region.

Probing Twisted Magnetic Field Using Microwave Observations in an M Class Solar Flare on 11 February, 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharykin, I. N.; Kuznetsov, A. A.; Myshyakov, I. I.

2018-02-01

This work demonstrates the possibility of magnetic-field topology investigations using microwave polarimetric observations. We study a solar flare of GOES M1.7 class that occurred on 11 February, 2014. This flare revealed a clear signature of spatial inversion of the radio-emission polarization sign. We show that the observed polarization pattern can be explained by nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission from the twisted magnetic structure. Using observations of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Radio Solar Telescope Network, and Solar Dynamics Observatory, we have determined the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma and identified the magnetic structure where the flare energy release occurred. To reconstruct the coronal magnetic field, we use nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) and potential magnetic-field approaches. Radio emission of nonthermal electrons is simulated by the GX Simulator code using the extrapolated magnetic field and the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma inferred from the observations; the model radio maps and spectra are compared with observations. We have found that the potential-magnetic-field approach fails to explain the observed circular polarization pattern; on the other hand, the Stokes-V map is successfully explained by assuming nonthermal electrons to be distributed along the twisted magnetic structure determined by the NLFFF extrapolation approach. Thus, we show that the radio-polarization maps can be used for diagnosing the topology of the flare magnetic structures where nonthermal electrons are injected.

Simulating the Mg II NUV Spectra & C II Resonance Lines During Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, Graham Stewart; Allred, Joel C.; Leenaarts, Jorrit; Butler, Elizabeth; Kowalski, Adam

2017-08-01

The solar chromosphere is the origin of the bulk of the enhanced radiative output during solar flares, and so comprehensive understanding of this region is important if we wish to understand energy transport in solar flares. It is only relatively recently, however, with the launch of IRIS that we have routine spectroscopic flarea observations of the chromsphere and transition region. Since several of the spectral lines observed by IRIS are optically thick, it is necessary to use forward modelling to extract the useful information that these lines carry about the flaring chromosphere and transition region. We present the results of modelling the formation properties Mg II resonance lines & subordinate lines, and the C II resonance lines during solar flares. We focus on understanding their relation to the physical strucutre of the flaring atmosphere, exploiting formation height differences to determine if we can extract information about gradients in the atmosphere. We show the effect of degrading the profiles to the resolution of the IRIS, and that the usual observational techniques used to identify the line centroid do a poor job in the early stages of the flare (partly due to multiple optically thick line components). Finally, we will tentatively comment on the effects that 3D radiation transfer may have on these lines.

Classification of X-ray solar flares regarding their effects on the lower ionosphere electron density profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubor, D. P.; Ulić, D. M. Å.; Žigman, V.

2008-06-01

The classification of X-ray solar flares is performed regarding their effects on the Very Low Frequency (VLF) wave propagation along the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. The changes in propagation are detected from an observed VLF signal phase and amplitude perturbations, taking place during X-ray solar flares. All flare effects chosen for the analysis are recorded by the Absolute Phase and Amplitude Logger (AbsPal), during the summer months of 2004-2007, on the single trace, Skelton (54.72 N, 2.88 W) to Belgrade (44.85 N, 20.38 E) with a distance along the Great Circle Path (GCP) D≍2000 km in length. The observed VLF amplitude and phase perturbations are simulated by the computer program Long-Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC), using Wait's model of the lower ionosphere, as determined by two parameters: the sharpness (β in 1/km) and reflection height (H' in km). By varying the values of β and H' so as to match the observed amplitude and phase perturbations, the variation of the D-region electron density height profile Ne(z) was reconstructed, throughout flare duration. The procedure is illustrated as applied to a series of flares, from class C to M5 (5×10-5 W/m2 at 0.1-0.8 nm), each giving rise to a different time development of signal perturbation. The corresponding change in electron density from the unperturbed value at the unperturbed reflection height, i.e. Ne(74 km)=2.16×108 m-3 to the value induced by an M5 class flare, up to Ne(74 km)=4×1010 m-3 is obtained. The β parameter is found to range from 0.30-0.49 1/km and the reflection height H' to vary from 74-63 km. The changes in Ne(z) during the flares, within height range z=60 to 90 km are determined, as well.

An X-ray flare from 47 Cas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pandey, Jeewan C.; Karmakar, Subhajeet, E-mail: jeewan@aries.res.in

2015-02-01

Using XMM-Newton observations, we investigate properties of a flare from the very active but poorly known stellar system 47 Cas. The luminosity at the peak of the flare is found to be 3.54 × 10{sup 30} erg s{sup −1}, which is ∼2 times higher than that at a quiescent state. The quiescent state corona of 47 Cas can be represented by two temperature plasma: 3.7 and 11.0 MK. The time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the flare show the variable nature of the temperature, the emission measure, and the abundance. The maximum temperature during the flare is derived as 72.8 MK. Wemore » infer the length of a flaring loop to be 3.3 × 10{sup 10} cm using a hydrodynamic loop model. Using the RGS spectra, the density during the flare is estimated as 4.0 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3}. The loop scaling laws are also applied when deriving physical parameters of the flaring plasma.« less

Hard X-ray bremsstrahlung production in solar flares by high-energy proton beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. G.; Brown, J. C.

1985-01-01

The possibility that solar hard X-ray bremsstrahlung is produced by acceleration of stationary electrons by fast-moving protons, rather than vice versa, as commonly assumed, was investigated. It was found that a beam of protons which involves 1836 times fewer particles, each having an energy 1836 times greater than that of the electrons in the equivalent electron beam model, has exactly the same bremsstrahlung yield for a given target, i.e., the mechanism has an energetic efficiency equal to that of conventional bremsstrahlung models. Allowance for the different degrees of target ionization appropriate to the two models (for conventional flare geometries) makes the proton beam model more efficient than the electron beam model, by a factor of order three. The model places less stringent constraints than a conventional electron beam model on the flare energy release mechanism. It is also consistent with observed X-ray burst spectra, intensities, and directivities. The altitude distribution of hard X-rays predicted by the model agrees with observations only if nonvertical injection of the protons is assumed. The model is inconsistent with gamma-ray data in terms of conventional modeling.

OPTIMAL ELECTRON ENERGIES FOR DRIVING CHROMOSPHERIC EVAPORATION IN SOLAR FLARES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reep, J. W.; Bradshaw, S. J.; Alexander, D., E-mail: jr665@cam.ac.uk, E-mail: stephen.bradshaw@rice.edu, E-mail: dalex@rice.edu

2015-08-01

In the standard model of solar flares, energy deposition by a beam of electrons drives strong chromospheric evaporation leading to a significantly denser corona and much brighter emission across the spectrum. Chromospheric evaporation was examined in great detail by Fisher et al., who described a distinction between two different regimes, termed explosive and gentle evaporation. In this work, we examine the importance of electron energy and stopping depths on the two regimes and on the atmospheric response. We find that with explosive evaporation, the atmospheric response does not depend strongly on electron energy. In the case of gentle evaporation, lowermore » energy electrons are significantly more efficient at heating the atmosphere and driving up-flows sooner than higher energy electrons. We also find that the threshold between explosive and gentle evaporation is not fixed at a given beam energy flux, but also depends strongly on the electron energy and duration of heating. Further, at low electron energies, a much weaker beam flux is required to drive explosive evaporation.« less

Gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula.

PubMed

Abdo, A A; Ackermann, M; Ajello, M; Allafort, A; Baldini, L; Ballet, J; Barbiellini, G; Bastieri, D; Bechtol, K; Bellazzini, R; Berenji, B; Blandford, R D; Bloom, E D; Bonamente, E; Borgland, A W; Bouvier, A; Brandt, T J; Bregeon, J; Brez, A; Brigida, M; Bruel, P; Buehler, R; Buson, S; Caliandro, G A; Cameron, R A; Cannon, A; Caraveo, P A; Casandjian, J M; Çelik, Ö; Charles, E; Chekhtman, A; Cheung, C C; Chiang, J; Ciprini, S; Claus, R; Cohen-Tanugi, J; Costamante, L; Cutini, S; D'Ammando, F; Dermer, C D; de Angelis, A; de Luca, A; de Palma, F; Digel, S W; do Couto e Silva, E; Drell, P S; Drlica-Wagner, A; Dubois, R; Dumora, D; Favuzzi, C; Fegan, S J; Ferrara, E C; Focke, W B; Fortin, P; Frailis, M; Fukazawa, Y; Funk, S; Fusco, P; Gargano, F; Gasparrini, D; Gehrels, N; Germani, S; Giglietto, N; Giordano, F; Giroletti, M; Glanzman, T; Godfrey, G; Grenier, I A; Grondin, M-H; Grove, J E; Guiriec, S; Hadasch, D; Hanabata, Y; Harding, A K; Hayashi, K; Hayashida, M; Hays, E; Horan, D; Itoh, R; Jóhannesson, G; Johnson, A S; Johnson, T J; Khangulyan, D; Kamae, T; Katagiri, H; Kataoka, J; Kerr, M; Knödlseder, J; Kuss, M; Lande, J; Latronico, L; Lee, S-H; Lemoine-Goumard, M; Longo, F; Loparco, F; Lubrano, P; Madejski, G M; Makeev, A; Marelli, M; Mazziotta, M N; McEnery, J E; Michelson, P F; Mitthumsiri, W; Mizuno, T; Moiseev, A A; Monte, C; Monzani, M E; Morselli, A; Moskalenko, I V; Murgia, S; Nakamori, T; Naumann-Godo, M; Nolan, P L; Norris, J P; Nuss, E; Ohsugi, T; Okumura, A; Omodei, N; Ormes, J F; Ozaki, M; Paneque, D; Parent, D; Pelassa, V; Pepe, M; Pesce-Rollins, M; Pierbattista, M; Piron, F; Porter, T A; Rainò, S; Rando, R; Ray, P S; Razzano, M; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Reposeur, T; Ritz, S; Romani, R W; Sadrozinski, H F-W; Sanchez, D; Saz Parkinson, P M; Scargle, J D; Schalk, T L; Sgrò, C; Siskind, E J; Smith, P D; Spandre, G; Spinelli, P; Strickman, M S; Suson, D J; Takahashi, H; Takahashi, T; Tanaka, T; Thayer, J B; Thompson, D J; Tibaldo, L; Torres, D F; Tosti, G; Tramacere, A; Troja, E; Uchiyama, Y; Vandenbroucke, J; Vasileiou, V; Vianello, G; Vitale, V; Wang, P; Wood, K S; Yang, Z; Ziegler, M

2011-02-11

A young and energetic pulsar powers the well-known Crab Nebula. Here, we describe two separate gamma-ray (photon energy greater than 100 mega-electron volts) flares from this source detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The first flare occurred in February 2009 and lasted approximately 16 days. The second flare was detected in September 2010 and lasted approximately 4 days. During these outbursts, the gamma-ray flux from the nebula increased by factors of four and six, respectively. The brevity of the flares implies that the gamma rays were emitted via synchrotron radiation from peta-electron-volt (10(15) electron volts) electrons in a region smaller than 1.4 × 10(-2) parsecs. These are the highest-energy particles that can be associated with a discrete astronomical source, and they pose challenges to particle acceleration theory.

Gamma-Ray Flares from the Crab Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Bouvier, A.; Brandt, T. J.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Cannon, A.; Caraveo, P. A.; Casandjian, J. M.; Çelik, Ö.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Costamante, L.; Cutini, S.; D'Ammando, F.; Dermer, C. D.; de Angelis, A.; de Luca, A.; de Palma, F.; Digel, S. W.; do Couto e Silva, E.; Drell, P. S.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Dubois, R.; Dumora, D.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Ferrara, E. C.; Focke, W. B.; Fortin, P.; Frailis, M.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Gehrels, N.; Germani, S.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grondin, M.-H.; Grove, J. E.; Guiriec, S.; Hadasch, D.; Hanabata, Y.; Harding, A. K.; Hayashi, K.; Hayashida, M.; Hays, E.; Horan, D.; Itoh, R.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, T. J.; Khangulyan, D.; Kamae, T.; Katagiri, H.; Kataoka, J.; Kerr, M.; Knödlseder, J.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lee, S.-H.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lubrano, P.; Madejski, G. M.; Makeev, A.; Marelli, M.; Mazziotta, M. N.; McEnery, J. E.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Moiseev, A. A.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nakamori, T.; Naumann-Godo, M.; Nolan, P. L.; Norris, J. P.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Okumura, A.; Omodei, N.; Ormes, J. F.; Ozaki, M.; Paneque, D.; Parent, D.; Pelassa, V.; Pepe, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Pierbattista, M.; Piron, F.; Porter, T. A.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Ray, P. S.; Razzano, M.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Reposeur, T.; Ritz, S.; Romani, R. W.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Sanchez, D.; Parkinson, P. M. Saz; Scargle, J. D.; Schalk, T. L.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Smith, P. D.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Strickman, M. S.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Takahashi, T.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. B.; Thompson, D. J.; Tibaldo, L.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Tramacere, A.; Troja, E.; Uchiyama, Y.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Vasileiou, V.; Vianello, G.; Vitale, V.; Wang, P.; Wood, K. S.; Yang, Z.; Ziegler, M.

2011-02-01

A young and energetic pulsar powers the well-known Crab Nebula. Here, we describe two separate gamma-ray (photon energy greater than 100 mega-electron volts) flares from this source detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The first flare occurred in February 2009 and lasted approximately 16 days. The second flare was detected in September 2010 and lasted approximately 4 days. During these outbursts, the gamma-ray flux from the nebula increased by factors of four and six, respectively. The brevity of the flares implies that the gamma rays were emitted via synchrotron radiation from peta-electron-volt (1015 electron volts) electrons in a region smaller than 1.4 × 10-2 parsecs. These are the highest-energy particles that can be associated with a discrete astronomical source, and they pose challenges to particle acceleration theory.

Understanding the Impact of Return-Current Losses on the X-Ray Emission from Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2012-01-01

I obtain and examine the implications of one-dimensional analytic solutions for return-current losses on an initially power-law distribution of energetic electrons with a sharp low-energy cutoff in flare plasma with classical (collisional) resistivity. These solutions show, for example, that return-current losses are not sensitive to plasma density, but are sensitive to plasma temperature and the low energy cutoff of the injected nonthermal electron distribution. A characteristic distance from the electron injection site, x(sub rc), is derived. At distances less than x(sub rc) the electron flux density is not reduced by return-current losses, but plasma heating can be substantial in this region, in the upper, coronal part of the flare loop. Before the electrons reach the collisional thick-target region of the flare loop, an injected power-law electron distribution with a low-energy cutoff maintains that structure, but with a flat energy distribution below the cutoff energy, which is now determined by the total potential drop experienced by the electrons. Modifications due to the presence of collisional losses are discussed. I compare these results with earlier analytical results and with more recent numerical simulations. Emslie's 1980 conjecture that there is a maximum integrated X-ray source brightness on the order of 10(exp -15) photons per square centimeter per second per square centimeter is examined. I find that this is not actually a maximum brightness and its value is parameter dependent, but it is nevertheless a valuable benchmark for identifying return-current losses in hard X-ray spectra. I discuss an observational approach to identifying return-current losses in flare data, including identification of a return-current "bump" in X-ray light curves at low photon energies.

MAGNETIC ENERGY SPECTRA IN SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abramenko, Valentyna; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl

Line-of-sight magnetograms for 217 active regions (ARs) with different flare rates observed at the solar disk center from 1997 January until 2006 December are utilized to study the turbulence regime and its relationship to flare productivity. Data from the SOHO/MDI instrument recorded in the high-resolution mode and data from the BBSO magnetograph were used. The turbulence regime was probed via magnetic energy spectra and magnetic dissipation spectra. We found steeper energy spectra for ARs with higher flare productivity. We also report that both the power index, {alpha}, of the energy spectrum, E(k) {approx} k{sup -}{alpha}, and the total spectral energy,more » W = {integral}E(k)dk, are comparably correlated with the flare index, A, of an AR. The correlations are found to be stronger than those found between the flare index and the total unsigned flux. The flare index for an AR can be estimated based on measurements of {alpha} and W as A = 10{sup b}({alpha}W){sup c}, with b = -7.92 {+-} 0.58 and c = 1.85 {+-} 0.13. We found that the regime of the fully developed turbulence occurs in decaying ARs and in emerging ARs (at the very early stage of emergence). Well-developed ARs display underdeveloped turbulence with strong magnetic dissipation at all scales.« less

Flare Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benz, Arnold O.

2017-12-01

Solar flares are observed at all wavelengths from decameter radio waves to gamma-rays beyond 1 GeV. This review focuses on recent observations in EUV, soft and hard X-rays, white light, and radio waves. Space missions such as RHESSI, Yohkoh, TRACE, SOHO, and more recently Hinode and SDO have enlarged widely the observational base. They have revealed a number of surprises: Coronal sources appear before the hard X-ray emission in chromospheric footpoints, major flare acceleration sites appear to be independent of coronal mass ejections, electrons, and ions may be accelerated at different sites, there are at least 3 different magnetic topologies, and basic characteristics vary from small to large flares. Recent progress also includes improved insights into the flare energy partition, on the location(s) of energy release, tests of energy release scenarios and particle acceleration. The interplay of observations with theory is important to deduce the geometry and to disentangle the various processes involved. There is increasing evidence supporting magnetic reconnection as the basic cause. While this process has become generally accepted as the trigger, it is still controversial how it converts a considerable fraction of the energy into non-thermal particles. Flare-like processes may be responsible for large-scale restructuring of the magnetic field in the corona as well as for its heating. Large flares influence interplanetary space and substantially affect the Earth's ionosphere. Flare scenarios have slowly converged over the past decades, but every new observation still reveals major unexpected results, demonstrating that solar flares, after 150 years since their discovery, remain a complex problem of astrophysics including major unsolved questions.

Solar flare model atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hawley, Suzanne L.; Fisher, George H.

1993-01-01

Solar flare model atmospheres computed under the assumption of energetic equilibrium in the chromosphere are presented. The models use a static, one-dimensional plane parallel geometry and are designed within a physically self-consistent coronal loop. Assumed flare heating mechanisms include collisions from a flux of non-thermal electrons and x-ray heating of the chromosphere by the corona. The heating by energetic electrons accounts explicitly for variations of the ionized fraction with depth in the atmosphere. X-ray heating of the chromosphere by the corona incorporates a flare loop geometry by approximating distant portions of the loop with a series of point sources, while treating the loop leg closest to the chromospheric footpoint in the plane-parallel approximation. Coronal flare heating leads to increased heat conduction, chromospheric evaporation and subsequent changes in coronal pressure; these effects are included self-consistently in the models. Cooling in the chromosphere is computed in detail for the important optically thick HI, CaII and MgII transitions using the non-LTE prescription in the program MULTI. Hydrogen ionization rates from x-ray photo-ionization and collisional ionization by non-thermal electrons are included explicitly in the rate equations. The models are computed in the 'impulsive' and 'equilibrium' limits, and in a set of intermediate 'evolving' states. The impulsive atmospheres have the density distribution frozen in pre-flare configuration, while the equilibrium models assume the entire atmosphere is in hydrostatic and energetic equilibrium. The evolving atmospheres represent intermediate stages where hydrostatic equilibrium has been established in the chromosphere and corona, but the corona is not yet in energetic equilibrium with the flare heating source. Thus, for example, chromospheric evaporation is still in the process of occurring.

Evidence for Field-parallel Electron Acceleration in Solar Flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haerendel, G.

It is proposed that the coincidence of higher brightness and upward electric current observed by Janvier et al. during a flare indicates electron acceleration by field-parallel potential drops sustained by extremely strong field-aligned currents of the order of 10{sup 4} A m{sup −2}. A consequence of this is the concentration of the currents in sheets with widths of the order of 1 m. The high current density suggests that the field-parallel potential drops are maintained by current-driven anomalous resistivity. The origin of these currents remains a strong challenge for theorists.

Gamma-Ray Flares from the Crab Nebula

DOE PAGES

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; ...

2010-01-06

A young and energetic pulsar powers the well-known Crab Nebula. Here, we describe two separate gamma-ray (photon energy greater than 100 mega–electron volts) flares from this source detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The first flare occurred in February 2009 and lasted approximately 16 days. The second flare was detected in September 2010 and lasted approximately 4 days. During these outbursts, the gamma-ray flux from the nebula increased by factors of four and six, respectively. The brevity of the flares implies that the gamma rays were emitted via synchrotron radiation from peta–electron-volt (10more » 15 electron volts) electrons in a region smaller than 1.4 × 10 -2 parsecs. In conclusion, these are the highest-energy particles that can be associated with a discrete astronomical source, and they pose challenges to particle acceleration theory.« less

Gas dynamics in the impulsive phase of solar flares. I Thick-target heating by nonthermal electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagai, F.; Emslie, A. G.

1984-01-01

A numerical investigation is carried out of the gas dynamical response of the solar atmosphere to a flare energy input in the form of precipitating nonthermal electrons. Rather than discussing the origin of these electrons, the spectral and temporal characteristics of the injected flux are inferred through a thick-target model of hard X-ray bremsstrahlung production. It is assumed that the electrons spiral about preexisting magnetic field lines, making it possible for a one-dimensional spatial treatment to be performed. It is also assumed that all electron energy losses are due to Coulomb collisions with ambient particles; that is, return-current ohmic effects and collective plasma processes are neglected. The results are contrasted with earlier work on conductive heating of the flare atmosphere. A local temperature peak is seen at a height of approximately 1500 km above the photosphere. This derives from a spatial maximum in the energy deposition rate from an electron beam. It is noted that such a feature is not present in conductively heated models. The associated localized region of high pressure drives material both upward and downward.

Modeling VLF signal modulation during solar flares with GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation, a simple chemical model and LWPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palit, Sourav; Chakrabarti, Sandip Kumar; Pal, Sujay; Basak, Tamal

Extra ionization by X-rays during solar flares affects VLF signal propagation through D-region ionosphere. Ionization produced in the lower ionosphere due to X-ray spectra of solar flares are simulated with an efficient detector simulation program, GEANT4. The balancing between the ionization and loss processes, causing the lower ionosphere to settle back to its undisturbed state is handled with a simple chemical model consisting of four broad species of ion densities. Using the electron densities, modified VLF signal amplitude is then computed with LWPC code. VLF signal along NWC (Australia) to IERC/ICSP (India) propagation path is examined during a M and a X-type solar flares and observational deviations are compared with simulated results. The agreement is found to be excellent.

High Resolution Flare Observations with the 1.6 m Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, H.

2017-12-01

This talk presents some exciting new results of 1.6m Goode Solar Telescope (GST, formally named as NST) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). I will report: (1) Flare ribbons and post-flare loops are observed in the scale of around 100 to 200 km. (2) the sudden flare-induced rotation of a sunspot. It is clearly observed that the rotation is non-uniform over the sunspot: as the flare ribbon sweeps across, its different portions accelerate at different times corresponding to peaks of flare hard X-ray emission. The rotation may be driven by the surface Lorentz-force change due to the back reaction of coronal magnetic restructuring and is accompanied by a downward Poynting flux. (3) We found the clear evidence that electron streaming down during a flare can induce extra transient transverse magnetic field that cause apparent rotation only at the propagating ribbon front. Sometimes they are associated with so called negative flares in HeI 10830 and D3 lines. (4) We found evidence that episodes of precursor brightenings are initiated at a small-scale magnetic channel (a form of opposite polarity fluxes) with multiple polarity inversions and enhanced magnetic fluxes and currents, lying near the footpoints of sheared magnetic loops. The low-atmospheric origin of these precursor emissions is corroborated by microwave spectra.

On the spectrum and polarization of magnetar flare emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taverna, R.; Turolla, R.

2017-12-01

Bursts and flares are among the distinctive observational manifestations of magnetars, isolated neutron stars endowed with an ultra-strong magnetic field (B ≈ 1014-1015 G). It is believed that these events arise in a hot electron-positron plasma, injected in the magnetosphere, due to a magnetic field instability, which remains trapped within the closed magnetic field lines (the “trapped-fireball” model). We have developed a simple radiative transfer model to simulate magnetar flare emission in the case of a steady trapped fireball. We assume that magnetic Thomson scattering is the dominant source of opacity in the fireball medium, and neglect contributions from second-order radiative processes. The spectra we obtained in the 1-100 keV energy range are in broad agreement with those of available observations. The large degree of polarization (≳ 80%) predicted by our model should be easily measured by new-generation X-ray polarimeters, like IXPE, XIPE and eXTP, allowing one to confirm the model predictions.

Rethinking the solar flare paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D, B. MELROSE

2018-07-01

It is widely accepted that solar flares involve release of magnetic energy stored in the solar corona above an active region, but existing models do not include the explicitly time-dependent electrodynamics needed to describe such energy release. A flare paradigm is discussed that includes the electromotive force (EMF) as the driver of the flare, and the flare-associated current that links different regions where magnetic reconnection, electron acceleration, the acceleration of mass motions and current closure occur. The EMF becomes localized across regions where energy conversion occurs, and is involved in energy propagation between these regions.

Solar flares and solar wind helium enrichments - July 1965-July 1967.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirshberg, J.; Bame, S. J.; Robbins, D. E.

1972-01-01

It has previously been suggested that the very high relative abundances of helium occasionally observed in the solar wind mark the plasma accelerated by major solar flares. To confirm this hypothesis, we have studied the 43 spectra with He/H greater than 15% that were observed among 10,300 spectra collected by Vela 3 between July 1965-July 1967. Six new flare-enhancement events are discussed in this paper. It is concluded that the association of helium enhancements with major flares is real, nonrandom, and very strong. With this study, there are 12 cases of reliable associations between helium enhancements and flares reported in the literature. The general characteristics of these events are discussed. It is found that the flares are typically large and bright (2B or 3B), often they produce cosmic ray protons, and they are widely distributed in solar longitude. A qualitative discussion of some of the possibilities for the source of helium enhanced plasma is presented. It is suggested that the helium enriched plasma may be the piston producing the shock causing the Type II radio emission.

Characteristics of Solar Flare Hard X-ray Emissions: Observations and Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei

2006-12-01

The main theme of this thesis is the investigation of the physics of acceleration and transport of particles in solar flares, and their thermal and nonthermal radiative signatures. The observational studies, using hard X-rays (HXRs) observed by the RHESSI mission, concentrate on four flares, which support the classical magnetic reconnection model of solar flares in various ways. In the X3.9 flare occurring on 11/03/2003, there is a monotonic upward motion of the loop top (LT) source accompanied by a systematic increase in the separation of the footpoint (FP) sources at a comparable speed. This is consistent with the reconnection model with an inverted-Y geometry. The 04/30/2002 event exhibits rarely observed two coronal sources. The two sources (with almost identical spectra) show energy-dependent structures, with higher-energy emission being close together. This suggests that reconnection takes place within the region between the sources. In the 10/29/2003 X10 flare, the logarithmic total HXR flux of the FPs correlates with the mean magnetic field. The two FPs show asymmetric HXR fluxes, which is qualitatively consistent with the magnetic mirroring effect. The M1.7 flare on 11/13/2003 reveals evidence of evaporation directly imaged by RHESSI for the first time, in which emission from the legs of the loop appears at intermediate energies. The emission centroid moves toward the LT as time proceeds, indicating an increase of density in the loop. The theoretical modeling of this work combines the stochastic acceleration model with the NRL hydrodynamic model to study the interplay of the particle acceleration, transport, and radiation effects and the atmospheric response to the energy deposition by nonthermal electrons. We find that low-energy electrons in the quasi-thermal portion of the spectrum affects the hydrodynamics by producing more heating in the corona than the previous models that used a power-law spectrum with a low-energy cutoff. The Neupert effect is

Solar Flares and Their Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Mitzi L.

1999-01-01

Solar flares and coronal mass ejection's (CMES) can strongly affect the local environment at the Earth. A major challenge for solar physics is to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the onset of solar flares. Flares, characterized by a sudden release of energy (approx. 10(exp 32) ergs for the largest events) within the solar atmosphere, result in the acceleration of electrons, protons, and heavier ions as well as the production of electromagnetic radiation from hard X-rays to km radio waves (wavelengths approx. = 10(exp -9) cm to 10(exp 6) cm). Observations suggest that solar flares and sunspots are strongly linked. For example, a study of data from 1956-1969, reveals that approx. 93 percent of major flares originate in active regions with spots. Furthermore, the global structure of the sunspot magnetic field can be correlated with flare activity. This talk will review what we know about flare causes and effects and will discuss techniques for quantifying parameters, which may lead to a prediction of solar flares.

Radio imaging of solar flares using the very large array - New insights into flare process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, M. R.; Schmahl, E. J.; Vlahos, L.; Velusamy, T.

1982-01-01

An interpretation of VLA observations of microwave bursts is presented in an attempt to distinguish between certain models of flares. The VLA observations provide information about the pre-flare magnetic field topology and the existence of mildly relativistic electrons accelerated during flares. Examples are shown of changes in magnetic field topology in the hour before flares. In one case, new bipolar loops appear to emerge, which is an essential component of the model developed by Heyvaerts et al. (1977). In another case, a quadrupole structure, suggestive of two juxtaposed bipolar loops, appears to trigger the flare. Because of the observed diversity of magnetic field topologies in microwave bursts, it is believed that the magnetic energy must be dissipated in more than one way. The VLA observations are clearly providing means for sorting out the diverse flare models.

Electron acceleration in solar flares and the transition from nonthermal to thermal hard X-ray phases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, D. F.

1985-01-01

Observations are reviewed which indicate that hard X-rays during the impulsive phase of a flare typically start with a primarily nonthermal phase which undergoes a transition to a primarily thermal phase as the flare progresses. Recent theoretical work on the modified two-stream instability as an efficient electron accelerator and modeling of thermal hard X-ray sources is considered. A scenario which is termed the dissipative thermal model is proposed to explain the observations. Fast tearing modes occurring in a loop give rise to cross-field ion motion. This in turn excites the modified two-stream instability which converts about 50 percent of the ion energy into accelerated electrons along the loop as long as the plasma beta is less than 0.3. These electrons impact the chromosphere and boil off a part of it which rises up the loop. This density increase coupled with the temperature increase due to tearing causes the beta to increase beyond 0.3 and efficient electron acceleration ceases. This leads to the primarily thermal phase.

Frequency distributions and correlations of solar X-ray flare parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crosby, Norma B.; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Dennis, Brian R.

1993-01-01

Frequency distributions of flare parameters are determined from over 12,000 solar flares. The flare duration, the peak counting rate, the peak hard X-ray flux, the total energy in electrons, and the peak energy flux in electrons are among the parameters studied. Linear regression fits, as well as the slopes of the frequency distributions, are used to determine the correlations between these parameters. The relationship between the variations of the frequency distributions and the solar activity cycle is also investigated. Theoretical models for the frequency distribution of flare parameters are dependent on the probability of flaring and the temporal evolution of the flare energy build-up. The results of this study are consistent with stochastic flaring and exponential energy build-up. The average build-up time constant is found to be 0.5 times the mean time between flares.

The excitation of helium resonance lines in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, J. G.; Gebbie, K. B.; November, L. J.

1985-01-01

Helium resonance line intensities are calculated for a set of six flare models corresponding to two rates of heating and three widely varying incident fluxes of soft X-rays. The differing ionization and excitation equilibria produced by these models, the processes which dominate the various cases, and the predicted helium line spectra are examined. The line intensities and their ratios are compared with values derived from Skylab NRL spectroheliograms for a class M flare, thus determining which of these models most nearly represents the density vs temperature structure and soft X-ray flux in the flaring solar transition region, and the temperature and dominant mechanaism of formation of the helium line spectrum during a flare.

Exploring the blazar zone in high-energy flares of FSRQs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pacciani, L.; Donnarumma, I.; Tavecchio, F.

2014-07-20

The gamma-ray emission offers a powerful diagnostic tool to probe jets and their surroundings in flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). In particular, sources emitting at high energies (>10 GeV) give us the strongest constraints. This motivates us to start a systematic study of flares with bright emission above 10 GeV, examining archival data of the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray telescope. At the same time, we began to trigger Target of Opportunity observations to the Swift observatory at the occurrence of high-energy flares, obtaining a wide coverage of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for several FSRQs during flares. Among others, we investigate the SEDmore » of a peculiar flare of 3C 454.3, showing a remarkably hard gamma-ray spectrum, quite different from the brightest flares of this source, and a bright flare of CTA 102. We modeled the SED in the framework of the one-zone leptonic model, using also archival optical spectroscopic data to derive the luminosity of the broad lines and thus estimate the disk luminosity, from which the structural parameters of the FSRQ nucleus can be inferred. The model allowed us to evaluate the magnetic field intensity in the blazar zone and to locate the emitting region of gamma-rays in the particular case in which gamma-ray spectra show neither absorption from the broad-line region (BLR) nor the Klein-Nishina curvature expected in leptonic models assuming the BLR as the source of seed photons for the External Compton scenario. For FSRQs bright above 10 GeV, we were able to identify short periods lasting less than one day characterized by a high rate of high-energy gamma-rays and hard gamma-ray spectra. We discussed the observed spectra and variability timescales in terms of injection and cooling of energetic particles, arguing that these flares could be triggered by magnetic reconnection events or turbulence in the flow.« less

Solar gamma rays. [in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, R.; Kozlovsky, B.; Lingenfelter, R. E.

1974-01-01

The theory of gamma ray production in solar flares is treated in detail. Both lines and continuum are produced. Results show that the strongest line predicted at 2.225 MeV with a width of less than 100 eV and detected at 2.24 + or - 2.02 MeV, is due to neutron capture by protons in the photosphere. Its intensity is dependent on the photospheric He-3 abundance. The neutrons are produced in nuclear reactions of flare accelerated particles which also produce positrons and prompt nuclear deexcitation lines. The strongest prompt lines are at 4.43 MeV from c-12 and at approximately 6.2 from 0-16 and N-15. The gamma ray continuum, produced by electron bremsstrahlung, allows the determination of the spectrum and number of accelerated electrons in the MeV region. From the comparison of the line and continuum intensities a proton-to-electron ratio of about 10 to 100 at the same energy for the 1972, August 4 flare. For the same flare the protons above 2.5 MeV which are responsible for the gamma ray emission produce a few percent of the heat generated by the electrons which make the hard X rays above 20 keV.

Behaviour of Electron Content in the Ionospheric D-Region During Solar X-Ray Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todorović Drakul, M.; Čadež, V. M.; Bajčetić, J.; Popović, L. Č.; Blagojević, D.; Nina, A.

2016-12-01

One of the most important parameters in ionospheric plasma research, also having a wide practical application in wireless satellite telecommunications, is the total electron content (TEC) representing the columnal electron number density. The F-region with high electron density provides the biggest contribution to TEC while the relatively weakly ionized plasma of the D-region (60 km - 90 km above Earth's surface) is often considered as a negligible cause of satellite signal disturbances. However, sudden intensive ionization processes, like those induced by solar X-ray flares, can cause relative increases of electron density that are significantly larger in the D-region than in regions at higher altitudes. Therefore, one cannot exclude a priori the D-region from investigations of ionospheric influences on propagation of electromagnetic signals emitted by satellites. We discuss here this problem which has not been sufficiently treated in literature so far. The obtained results are based on data collected from the D-region monitoring by very low frequency radio waves and on vertical TEC calculations from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal analyses, and they show noticeable variations in the D-region's electron content (TEC_{D) during activity of a solar X-ray flare (it rises by a factor of 136 in the considered case) when TEC_{D} contribution to TEC can reach several percent and which cannot be neglected in practical applications like global positioning procedures by satellites.

Determining energy balance in the flaring chromosphere from oxygen V line ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, D. R.; Fletcher, L.; Labrosse, N.

2015-12-01

Context. The impulsive phase of solar flares is a time of rapid energy deposition and heating in the lower solar atmosphere, leading to changes in the temperature and density structure of the region. Aims: We use an O v density diagnostic formed from the λ192 /λ248 line ratio, provided by the Hinode/EIS instrument, to determine the density of flare footpoint plasma at O v formation temperatures of ~2.5 × 105 K, giving a constraint on the properties of the heated transition region. Methods: Hinode/EIS rasters from 2 small flare events in December 2007 were used. Raster images were co-aligned to identify and establish the footpoint pixels, multiple-component Gaussian line fitting of the spectra was carried out to isolate the density diagnostic pair, and the density was calculated for several footpoint areas. The assumptions of equilibrium ionisation and optically-thin radiation for the O v lines used were assessed and found to be acceptable. For one of the events, properties of the electron distribution were deduced from earlier RHESSI hard X-ray observations. These were used to calculate the plasma heating rate delivered by an electron beam for 2 semi-empirical atmospheres under collisional thick-target assumptions. The radiative loss rate for this plasma was also calculated for comparison with possible energy input mechanisms. Results: Electron number densities of up to 1011.9 cm-3 were measured during the flare impulsive phase using the O v λ192 /λ248 diagnostic ratio. The heating rate delivered by an electron beam was found to exceed the radiative losses at this density, corresponding to a height of 450 km, and when assuming a completely ionised target atmosphere far exceed the losses but at a height of 1450-1600 km. A chromospheric thickness of 70-700 km was found to be required to balance a conductive input to the O v-emitting region with radiative losses. Conclusions: Electron densities have been observed in footpoint sources at transition region

Rapid temporal evolution of radiation from non-thermal electrons in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Edward T.; Petrosian, Vahe

1987-01-01

Solutions of the time dependent Fokker-Planck equation was found for accelerated electrons undergoing Coulomb collisions in a magnetized, fully ionized plasma. An exact solution was found for arbitrary pitch angle and energy distribution in a uniform background plasma. Then, for an inhomogeneous plasma, a solution was found for particles with small pitch angles. These solutions were used to calculate the temporal evolution of bremsstrahlung x-rays from short bursts of nonthermal electron beams, and these spectra were compared with observed high time resolution spectra of short timescale solar hard x-ray bursts. It is shown that the observed softening in time of the spectra rules out a homogeneous background and therefore the possibility of electrons being confined to the corona either because of converging magnetic field or high densities. The inhomogeneous solution was also applied to a model with constant coronal density and exponentially rising chromospheric density. The spectra are shown to be consistent with that produced by a collimated beam of electrons accelerated in the corona with certain given conditions. These conditions could be violated if large pitch angle electrons are present.

Detection of the Acceleration Site in a Solar Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleishman, Gregory D.; Kontar, E. P.; Nita, G. M.; Gary, D. E.

2011-05-01

We report the observation of an unusual cold, tenuous solar flare (ApJL, v. 731, p. L19, 2011), which reveals itself via numerous and prominent non-thermal manifestations, while lacking any noticeable thermal emission signature. RHESSI hard X-rays and 0.1-18 GHz radio data from OVSA and Phoenix-2 show copious electron acceleration (1035 electrons per second above 10 keV) typical for GOES M-class flares with electrons energies up to 100 keV, but GOES temperatures not exceeding 6.1 MK. The HXR footpoints and coronal radio sources belong, supposedly, to a single magnetic loop, which departs strongly from the corresponding potential loop (obtained from a photospheric extrapolation) in agreement with the apparent need of a non-potential magnetic field structure to produce a flare. The imaging, temporal, and spectral characteristics of the flare have led us to a firm conclusion that the bulk of the microwave continuum emission from this flare was produced directly in the acceleration region. We found that the electron acceleration efficiency is very high in the flare, so almost all available thermal electrons are eventually accelerated. However, given a relatively small flaring volume and rather low thermal density at the flaring loop, the total energy release turned out to be insufficient for a significant heating of the coronal plasma or for a prominent chromospheric response giving rise to chromospheric evaporation. Some sort of stochastic acceleration process is needed to account for an approximately energy-independent lifetime of about 3 s for the electrons in the acceleration region. This work was supported in part by NSF grants AGS-0961867, AST-0908344, and NASA grants NNX10AF27G and NNX11AB49G to New Jersey Institute of Technology. This work was supported by a UK STFC rolling grant, STFC/PPARC Advanced Fellowship, and the Leverhulme Trust, UK. Financial support by the European Commission through the SOLAIRE and HESPE Networks is gratefully acknowledged.

Observational constraints on relativistic electron dynamics: temporal evolution of electron spectra and flux isotropization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanekal, S. G.; Selesnick, R. S.; Baker, D. N.; Blake, J. B.

2007-05-01

Models of energization of electrons in the Earth's outer radiation belts invoke two classes of processes, radial transport and in-situ wave-particle interactions. Temporal evolution of electron spectra and flux isotropization during energization events provide useful observational constraints on models of electron energization. Events dominated by radial diffusion result in pancake type pitch angle distributions whereas some in-situ wave-particle energization mechanisms include pitch angle scattering leading to rapid flux isotropization. We present a survey of flux isotrpization time scales and electron spectra during relativstic electron enhancement events. We will use data collected by detectors onboard SAMPEX in low earth orbit and Polar which measures electron fluxes at higher altitude to measure flux isotropization. Electron spectra are obtained by pulse height analyzed data from the PET detector onboard SAMPEX.SAMPEX measurements cover the entire outer zone for more than a decade from mid 1992 to mid 2004 and Polar covers the time period from mid 1996 to the present.

Analysis of flares in the chromosphere and corona of main- and pre-main-sequence M-type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crespo-Chacón, I.

2015-11-01

having an accretion disk) we carry out a detailed analysis of an extremely long rise phase and of a shorter, weaker flare (allowing us to compare the results with those reported for young stars but surrounded by disks). Assuming multitemperature models to describe the coronal flaring plasma, we have calculated the metal abundance, the electron temperatures and the respective emission measures by fitting the spectra with the Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code included in the XSPEC software, which calculates spectral models for hot, optically thin plasmas. Moreover, we are able to estimate the size of the flaring loops by using theoretical models. These sizes give us an idea about the extent of the corona. For those flares in which heating does not entirely drive the flare evolution we use the models reported by Reale (2007) and Reale et al. (1997) for the rise and decay phases, respectively, including the effect of sustained heating during the decay. Instead, the stellar version of the Kopp & Poletto (1984)'s solar two-ribbon flare model (Poletto et al. 1988) is used when the residual heating completely drives the flare over the plasma cooling. Later, we apply the so-called RTV scaling laws (Rosner et al. 1978) and other fundamental laws of physics to determine additional characteristics of the plasma contained in the flaring loops (electron density and pressure), as well as the volume of the flaring region, the heating rate per unit volume, and the strength of the magnetic field required to confine this plasma. Making some assumptions we are also able to estimate the number of loops involved in the observed flares and the kind of magnetic structures present in the atmosphere of these types of stars. Finally, we discuss and interpret the results in the context of solar and stellar flares reported so far.

Theoretical investigations of molecular wires: Electronic spectra and electron transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, Julio Leopoldo

The results of theoretical and computational research are presented for two promising molecular wires, the Nanostar dendrimer, and a series of substituted azobenzene derivatives connected to aluminum electrodes. The electronic absorption spectra of the Nanostar (a phenylene-ethynylene dendrimer attached to an ethynylperylene chromophore) were calculated using a sequential Molecular Dynamics/Quantum Mechanics (MD/QM) method to perform an analysis of the temperature dependence of the electronic absorption process. We modeled the Nanostar as a series of connected units, and performed MD simulations for each chromophore at 10 K and 300 K to study how the temperature affected the structures and, consequently, the spectra. The absorption spectra of the Nanostar were computed using an ensemble of 8000 structures for each chromophore. Quantum Mechanical (QM) ZINDO/S calculations were performed for each conformation in the ensemble, including 16 excited states, for a total of 128,000 excitation energies. The spectral intensity was then scaled linearly with the number of conjugated units. Our calculations for both the individual chromophores and the Nanostar, are in good agreement with experiments. We explain in detail the effects of temperature and the consequences for the absorption process. The second part of this thesis presents a study of the effects of chemical substituents on the electron transport properties of the azobenzene molecule, which has been proposed recently as a component of a light-driven molecular switch. This molecule has two stable conformations (cis and trans) in its electronic ground state, with considerable differences in their conductance. The electron transport properties were calculated using first-principles methods combining non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) techniques with density functional theory (DFT). For the azobenzene studies, we included electron-donating groups and electron-withdrawing groups in meta- and ortho-positions with

Solar Flare Track Exposure Ages in Regolith Particles: A Calibration for Transmission Electron Microscope Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, Eve L.; Keller, Lindsay P.

2015-01-01

Mineral grains in lunar and asteroidal regolith samples provide a unique record of their interaction with the space environment. Space weathering effects result from multiple processes including: exposure to the solar wind, which results in ion damage and implantation effects that are preserved in the rims of grains (typically the outermost 100 nm); cosmic ray and solar flare activity, which result in track formation; and impact processes that result in the accumulation of vapor-deposited elements, impact melts and adhering grains on particle surfaces. Determining the rate at which these effects accumulate in the grains during their space exposure is critical to studies of the surface evolution of airless bodies. Solar flare energetic particles (mainly Fe-group nuclei) have a penetration depth of a few millimeters and leave a trail of ionization damage in insulating materials that is readily observable by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging. The density of solar flare particle tracks is used to infer the length of time an object was at or near the regolith surface (i.e., its exposure age). Track measurements by TEM methods are routine, yet track production rate calibrations have only been determined using chemical etching techniques [e.g., 1, and references therein]. We used focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) sample preparation techniques combined with TEM imaging to determine the track density/exposure age relations for lunar rock 64455. The 64455 sample was used earlier by [2] to determine a track production rate by chemical etching of tracks in anorthite. Here, we show that combined FIB/TEM techniques provide a more accurate determination of a track production rate and also allow us to extend the calibration to solar flare tracks in olivine.

VERITAS Observations of Day-scale Flaring of M 87 in 2010 April

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, J. S>

2012-01-01

VERITAS has been monitoring the very-high-energy (VHE; > 100 GeV) gamma-ray activity of the radio galaxy M 87 since 2007. During 2008, flaring activity on a timescale of a few days was observed with a peak flux of (0.70 +/- 0.16) x 10(exp -11)/sq cm/s at energies above 350 GeV. In 2010 April, VERITAS detected a flare from M 87 with peak flux of (2.71 +/- 0.68) x 10(exp -11)/sq cm/s for E > 350 GeV. The source was observed for six consecutive nights during the flare, resulting in a total of21 hr of good-quality data. The most rapid flux variation occurred on the trailing edge of the flare with an exponential flux decay time of 0,90 +0.22/-0.15 days, The shortest detected exponential rise time is three times as long, at 2.87 +1.65/-0.99 days. The quality of the data sample is such that spectral analysis can he performed for three periods: rising flux, peak flux, and falling flux. The spectra obtained are consistent with power-law forms. The spectral index at the peak of the flare is equal to 2.19 +/- 0.07, There is some indication that the spectrum is softer in the falling phase of the flare than the peak phase, with a confidence level corresponding to 3.6 standard deviations. We discuss the implications of these results for the acceleration and cooling rates of VHE electrons in M 87 and the constraints they provide on the physical size of the emitting region.

OBSERVATIONS AND SIMULATIONS OF THE Na i D{sub 1} LINE PROFILES IN AN M-CLASS SOLAR FLARE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuridze, D.; Mathioudakis, M.; Jess, D. B.

2016-12-01

We study the temporal evolution of the Na i D{sub 1} line profiles in the M3.9 flare SOL2014-06-11T21:03 UT, using observations at high spectral resolution obtained with the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer instrument on the Dunn Solar Telescope combined with radiative hydrodynamic simulations. Our results show a significant increase in the intensities of the line core and wings during the flare. The analysis of the line profiles from the flare ribbons reveals that the Na i D{sub 1} line has a central reversal with excess emission in the blue wing (blue asymmetry). We combine RADYN and RH simulations to synthesize Na imore » D{sub 1} line profiles of the flaring atmosphere and find good agreement with the observations. Heating with a beam of electrons modifies the radiation field in the flaring atmosphere and excites electrons from the ground state 3s {sup 2}S to the first excited state 3p {sup 2}P, which in turn modifies the relative population of the two states. The change in temperature and the population density of the energy states make the sodium line profile revert from absorption into emission. Furthermore, the rapid changes in temperature break the pressure balance between the different layers of the lower atmosphere, generating upflow/downflow patterns. Analysis of the simulated spectra reveals that the asymmetries of the Na i D{sub 1} flare profile are produced by the velocity gradients in the lower solar atmosphere.« less

Three-dimensional Forward-fit Modeling of the Hard X-Ray and Microwave Emissions of the 2015 June 22 M6.5 Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Natsuha; Gary, Dale E.; Wang, Haimin; Fleishman, Gregory D.; Nita, Gelu M.; Jing, Ju

2018-01-01

The well-established notion of a “common population” of the accelerated electrons simultaneously producing the hard X-ray (HXR) and microwave (MW) emission during the flare impulsive phase has been challenged by some studies reporting the discrepancies between the HXR-inferred and MW-inferred electron energy spectra. The traditional methods of spectral inversion have some problems that can be mainly attributed to the unrealistic and oversimplified treatment of the flare emission. To properly address this problem, we use a nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) model extrapolated from an observed photospheric magnetogram as input to the three-dimensional, multiwavelength modeling platform GX Simulator and create a unified electron population model that can simultaneously reproduce the observed HXR and MW observations. We model the end of the impulsive phase of the 2015 June 22 M6.5 flare and constrain the modeled electron spatial and energy parameters using observations made by the highest-resolving instruments currently available in two wavelengths, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager for HXR and the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array for MW. Our results suggest that the HXR-emitting electron population model fits the standard flare model with a broken power-law spectrum ({E}{break}∼ 200 keV) that simultaneously produces the HXR footpoint emission and the MW high-frequency emission. The model also includes an “HXR-invisible” population of nonthermal electrons that are trapped in a large volume of magnetic field above the HXR-emitting loops, which is observable by its gyrosynchrotron radiation emitting mainly in the MW low-frequency range.

IRIS Ultraviolet Spectral Properties of a Sample of X-Class Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, Elizabeth; Kowalski, Adam; Cauzzi, Gianna; Allred, Joel C.; Daw, Adrian N.

2018-06-01

The white-light (near-ultraviolet (NUV) and optical) continuum emission comprises the majority of the radiated energy in solar flares. However, there are nearly as many explanations for the origin of the white-light continuum radiation as there are white-light flares that have been studied in detail with spectra. Furthermore, there are rarely robust constraints on the time-resolved dynamics in the white-light emitting flare layers. We are conducting a statistical study of the properties of Fe II lines, Mg II lines, and NUV continuum intensity in bright flare kernels observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), in order to provide comprehensive constraints for radiative-hydrodynamic flare models. Here we present a new technique for identifying bright flare kernels and preliminary relationships among IRIS spectral properties for a sample of X-class solar flares.

Directionality of Flare-Accelerated Particles from γ -ray Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Share, G. H.; Murphy, R. J.

2000-05-01

The energies and widths of γ -ray lines emitted by ambient nuclei excited by flare-accelerated protons and α -particles provide information on their directionality, spectra, and on the uniformity of the interaction region. For example, the γ -rays observed from a downward beam of particles impacting at 0o heliocentric angle would exhibit a clear Doppler red-shift and some broadening, dependent on the spectrum of the particles. In contrast, γ -rays observed from the same beam of particles impacting at 90o would be neither observably shifted nor broadened. We have studied the energies and widths of strong lines from de-excitations of 20Ne, 12C, and 16O in solar flares as a function of heliocentric angle. We use spectra from 21 flares observed with NASA's Solar Maximum Mission/GRS and Compton Observatory/OSSE experiments. The line energies of all three nuclei exhibit ~0.9% red-shifts from their laboratory values for flares observed at heliocentric angles <40o. In contrast, the energies are not significantly shifted for flares observed at angles >80o. The lines at all heliocentric angles are broadened between ~2.5% to 4%. These results are suggestive of a broad downward distribution of accelerated particles in flares or an isotropic distribution in a medium that has a significant density gradient. Detailed comparisons of these data with results from the gamma-ray production code (Ramaty, et al. 1979, ApJS, 40, 487; Murphy, et al. 1991, ApJ, 371, 793) are required in order to place constraints on the angular distributions of particles. This research has been supported by NASA grant W-18995.

Deducing Electron Properties from Hard X-Ray Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kontar, E. P.; Brown, J. C.; Emslie, A. G.; Hajdas, W.; Holman, G. D.; Hurford, G. J.; Kasparova, J.; Mallik, P. C. V.; Massone, A. M.; McConnell, M. L.;

The Second Catalog of Flaring Gamma-Ray Sources from the Fermi All-sky Variability Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdollahi, S.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Albert, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Becerra Gonzalez, J.; Bellazzini, R.; Bissaldi, E.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonino, R.; Bottacini, E.; Bregeon, J.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Cameron, R. A.; Caragiulo, M.; Caraveo, P. A.; Cavazzuti, E.; Cecchi, C.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiaro, G.; Ciprini, S.; Conrad, J.; Costantin, D.; Costanza, F.; Cutini, S.; D'Ammando, F.; de Palma, F.; Desai, A.; Desiante, R.; Digel, S. W.; Di Lalla, N.; Di Mauro, M.; Di Venere, L.; Donaggio, B.; Drell, P. S.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Ferrara, E. C.; Focke, W. B.; Franckowiak, A.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Giglietto, N.; Giomi, M.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Green, D.; Grenier, I. A.; Grove, J. E.; Guillemot, L.; Guiriec, S.; Hays, E.; Horan, D.; Jogler, T.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Kocevski, D.; Kuss, M.; La Mura, G.; Larsson, S.; Latronico, L.; Li, J.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Magill, J. D.; Maldera, S.; Manfreda, A.; Mayer, M.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Negro, M.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Omodei, N.; Orienti, M.; Orlando, E.; Paliya, V. S.; Paneque, D.; Perkins, J. S.; Persic, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Petrosian, V.; Piron, F.; Porter, T. A.; Principe, G.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Razzano, M.; Razzaque, S.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Sgrò, C.; Simone, D.; Siskind, E. J.; Spada, F.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Stawarz, L.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, M.; Tanaka, K.; Thayer, J. B.; Thompson, D. J.; Torres, D. F.; Torresi, E.; Tosti, G.; Troja, E.; Vianello, G.; Wood, K. S.

2017-09-01

We present the second catalog of flaring gamma-ray sources (2FAV) detected with the Fermi All-sky Variability Analysis (FAVA), a tool that blindly searches for transients over the entire sky observed by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. With respect to the first FAVA catalog, this catalog benefits from a larger data set, the latest LAT data release (Pass 8), as well as from an improved analysis that includes likelihood techniques for a more precise localization of the transients. Applying this analysis to the first 7.4 years of Fermi observations, and in two separate energy bands 0.1-0.8 GeV and 0.8-300 GeV, a total of 4547 flares were detected with significance greater than 6σ (before trials), on the timescale of one week. Through spatial clustering of these flares, 518 variable gamma-ray sources were identified. Based on positional coincidence, likely counterparts have been found for 441 sources, mostly among the blazar class of active galactic nuclei. For 77 2FAV sources, no likely gamma-ray counterpart has been found. For each source in the catalog, we provide the time, location, and spectrum of each flaring episode. Studying the spectra of the flares, we observe a harder-when-brighter behavior for flares associated with blazars, with the exception of BL Lac flares detected in the low-energy band. The photon indexes of the flares are never significantly smaller than 1.5. For a leptonic model, and under the assumption of isotropy, this limit suggests that the spectrum of freshly accelerated electrons is never harder than p˜ 2.

The flare kernel in the impulsive phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejager, C.

1986-01-01

The impulsive phase of a flare is characterized by impulsive bursts of X-ray and microwave radiation, related to impulsive footpoint heating up to 50 or 60 MK, by upward gas velocities (150 to 400 km/sec) and by a gradual increase of the flare's thermal energy content. These phenomena, as well as non-thermal effects, are all related to the impulsive energy injection into the flare. The available observations are also quantitatively consistent with a model in which energy is injected into the flare by beams of energetic electrons, causing ablation of chromospheric gas, followed by convective rise of gas. Thus, a hole is burned into the chromosphere; at the end of impulsive phase of an average flare the lower part of that hole is situated about 1800 km above the photosphere. H alpha and other optical and UV line emission is radiated by a thin layer (approx. 20 km) at the bottom of the flare kernel. The upward rising and outward streaming gas cools down by conduction in about 45 s. The non-thermal effects in the initial phase are due to curtailing of the energy distribution function by escape of energetic electrons. The single flux tube model of a flare does not fit with these observations; instead we propose the spaghetti-bundle model. Microwave and gamma-ray observations suggest the occurrence of dense flare knots of approx. 800 km diameter, and of high temperature. Future observations should concentrate on locating the microwave/gamma-ray sources, and on determining the kernel's fine structure and the related multi-loop structure of the flaring area.

OBSERVATIONS OF THERMAL FLARE PLASMA WITH THE EUV VARIABILITY EXPERIMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warren, Harry P.; Doschek, George A.; Mariska, John T.

2013-06-20

One of the defining characteristics of a solar flare is the impulsive formation of very high temperature plasma. The properties of the thermal emission are not well understood, however, and the analysis of solar flare observations is often predicated on the assumption that the flare plasma is isothermal. The EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory provides spectrally resolved observations of emission lines that span a wide range of temperatures (e.g., Fe XV-Fe XXIV) and allow for thermal flare plasma to be studied in detail. In this paper we describe a method for computing the differential emission measuremore » distribution in a flare using EVE observations and apply it to several representative events. We find that in all phases of the flare the differential emission measure distribution is broad. Comparisons of EVE spectra with calculations based on parameters derived from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites soft X-ray fluxes indicate that the isothermal approximation is generally a poor representation of the thermal structure of a flare.« less

Three-Dimensional Forward-Fit Modeling of The Hard X-ray and The Microwave Emissions of The 2015-06-22 M6.5 Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, N.; Gary, D. E.; Wang, H.; Fleishman, G. D.; Nita, G. M.; Jing, J.

2017-12-01

The well-established notion of a "common population" of the accelerated electrons simultaneously producing the hard X-ray (HXR) and the microwave (MW) emission during the flare impulsive phase has been challenged by some studies reporting the discrepancies between the HXR-inferred and the MW-inferred electron energy spectra. The traditional methods of their spectral inversion have some problems that can be mainly attributed to the unrealistic and the oversimplified treatment of the flare emission. To properly address this problem, we use a Non-linear Force Free Field (NLFFF) model extrapolated from an observed photospheric magnetogram as input to the threedimensional, multi-wavelength modeling platform GX Simulator, and create a unified electron population model that can simultaneously reproduce the observed HXR and MW observations. We model the end of the impulsive phase of the 2015-06-22 M6.5 flare, and constrain the modeled electron spatial and energy parameters using observations made by the highest-resolving instruments currently available in two wavelengths, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) for HXR and the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) for MW. Our results suggest that the HXR-emitting electron population model fits the standard flare model with a broken power-law spectrum that simultaneously produces the HXR footpoint emission and the MW high frequency emission. The model also includes an "HXR invisible" population of nonthermal electrons that are trapped in a large volume of magnetic field above the HXR-emitting loops, which is observable by its gyrosynchrotron (GS) radiation emitting mainly in MW low frequency range.

Degradation spectra and ionization yields of electrons in gases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inokuti, M.; Douthat, D.A.; Rau, A.R.P.

1975-01-01

Progress in the microscopic theory of electron degradation in gases by Platzman, Fano, and co-workers is outlined. The theory consists of (1) the cataloging of all major inelastic-collision cross sections for electrons (including secondary-electron energy distribution in a single ionizing collision) and (2) the evaluation of cumulative consequences of individual electron collisions for the electrons themselves as well as for target molecules. For assessing the data consistency and reliability and extrapolating the data to the unexplored ranges of variables (such as electron energy), a series of plots devised by Platzman are very powerful. Electron degradation spectra were obtained through numericalmore » solution of the Spencer--Fano equation for all electron energies down to the first ionization thresholds for a few examples such as He and Ne. The systematics of the solutions resulted in the recognition of approximate scaling properties of the degradation spectra for different initial electron energies and pointed to new methods of more efficient treatment. Systematics of the ionization yields and their energy dependence on the initial electron energy were also recognized. Finally, the Spencer--Fano equation for the degradation spectra and the Fowler equation for the ionization and other yields are tightly linked with each other by a set of variational principles. (52 references, 7 figures) (DLC)« less

The Influence of Solar Spectral Lines on Electron Concentration in Terrestrial Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nina, A.; Čadež, V.; Srećković, V. A.; Šulić, D.

One of the methods of detection and analysis of solar flares is observing the time variations of certain solar spectral lines. During solar flares, a raise of electron concentration occurs in Earth's ionosphere which results in amplitude and phase variations of the recorded very low frequency (VLF) waves. We compared the data obtained by the analysis of recorded VLF signals and line spectra for different solar flares. In this paper we treated the DHO VLF signal transmitted from Germany at the frequency of 23.4 kHz recorded by the AWESOME system in Belgrade (Serbia) during solar flares in the period between 10:40 UT and 13:00 UT on 2011 April 22.

Ion Acceleration in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, James A.; Weir, Sue B.

1996-01-01

Solar flares are among the most energetic and interesting phenomena in the Solar system, releasing up to 1032 ergs of energy on timescales of several tens of seconds to several tens of minutes. Much of this energy is in the form of suprathermal electrons and ions, which remain trapped at the Sun and produce a wide variety of radiations, as well as escape into interplanetary space, where they can be directly observed. The radiation from trapped particles consists in general of (1) continuum emission; (2) narrow gamma-ray nuclear deexcitation lines; and (3) high-energy neutrons observed in space or by ground-based neutron monitors. The particles that escape into space consist of both electrons and ions, which often have compositions quite different than that of the ambient solar atmosphere. Flares thus present many diagnostics of the particle acceleration mechanism(s), the identification of which is the ultimate goal of flare research. Moreover, flares in fact offer the only opportunity in astrophysics to study the simultaneous energization of both electrons and ions. Hopefully, an understanding of flares with their wealth of diagnostic data will lead to a better understanding of particle acceleration at other sites in the Universe. It is now generally accepted that flares are roughly divided into two classes: impulsive and gradual. Gradual events are large, occur high in the corona, have long-duration soft and hard X-rays and gamma rays, are electron poor, are associated with Type II radio emission and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and produce energetic ions with coronal abundance ratios. Impulsive events are more compact, occur lower in the corona, produce short-duration radiation, and exhibit dramatic abundance enhancements in the energetic ions. Their He-3/He-4 ratio is - 1, which is a huge increase over the coronal value of about 5 x 10(exp -4), and they also posses smaller but still significant enhancements of Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe relative to He-4, C, N, and O

The sun's spots and flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, David M.

1987-01-01

The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), designed to study the solar activity, was launched on February 14, 1980, just before the 1980 peak of sunspot and flare activity. The seven instruments aboard the SMM, information received by each of the instruments, and the performance of these instruments are described, together with the repair mission carried out to replace the attitude control module and the defective electronics in the satellite's observatory. The highlights of the scientific results obtained by the SMM mission and the new discoveries made are discussed, with special attention given to the flare loops, flare loop interactions, and the mass ejection events recorded.

The EVE Doppler Sensitivity and Flare Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, H. S.; Woods, T. N.; Chamberlin, P. C.; Didkovsky, L.; Del Zanna, G.

2011-01-01

The Extreme-ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) obtains continuous EUV spectra of the Sun viewed as a star. Its primary objective is the characterization of solar spectral irradiance, but its sensitivity and stability make it extremely interesting for observations of variability on time scales down to the limit imposed by its basic 10 s sample interval. In this paper we characterize the Doppler sensitivity of the EVE data. We find that the 30.4 nm line of He II has a random Doppler error below 0.001 nm (1 pm, better than 10 km/s as a redshift), with ample stability to detect the orbital motion of its satellite, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Solar flares also displace the spectrum, both because of Doppler shifts and because of EVE's optical layout, which (as with a slitless spectrograph) confuses position and wavelength. As a flare develops, the centroid of the line displays variations that reflect Doppler shifts and therefore flare dynamics. For the impulsive phase of the flare SOL2010-06-12, we find the line centroid to have a redshift of 16.8 +/- 5.9 km/s relative to that of the flare gradual phase (statistical errors only). We find also that high-temperature lines, such as Fe XXIV 19.2 nm, have well-determined Doppler components for major flares, with decreasing apparent blueshifts as expected from chromospheric evaporation flows.

HYDRO2GEN: Non-thermal hydrogen Balmer and Paschen emission in solar flares generated by electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Druett, M. K.; Zharkova, V. V.

2018-03-01

Aim. Sharp rises of hard X-ray (HXR) emission accompanied by Hα line profiles with strong red-shifts up to 4 Å from the central wavelength, often observed at the onset of flares with the Specola Solare Ticinese Telescope (STT) and the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST), are not fully explained by existing radiative models. Moreover, observations of white light (WL) and Balmer continuum emission with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRISH) reveal strong co-temporal enhancements and are often nearly co-spatial with HXR emission. These effects indicate a fast effective source of excitation and ionisation of hydrogen atoms in flaring atmospheres associated with HXR emission. In this paper, we investigate electron beams as the agents accounting for the observed hydrogen line and continuum emission. Methods: Flaring atmospheres are considered to be produced by a 1D hydrodynamic response to the injection of an electron beam defining their kinetic temperatures, densities, and macro velocities. We simulated a radiative response in these atmospheres using a fully non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) approach for a 5-level plus continuum hydrogen atom model, considering its excitation and ionisation by spontaneous, external, and internal diffusive radiation and by inelastic collisions with thermal and beam electrons. Simultaneous steady-state and integral radiative transfer equations in all optically thick transitions (Lyman and Balmer series) were solved iteratively for all the transitions to define their source functions with the relative accuracy of 10-5. The solutions of the radiative transfer equations were found using the L2 approximation. Resulting intensities of hydrogen line and continuum emission were also calculated for Balmer and Paschen series. Results: We find that inelastic collisions with beam electrons strongly increase excitation and ionisation of hydrogen atoms from the chromosphere to photosphere. This leads to an increase in Lyman continuum

QUASI-PERIODIC ACCELERATION OF ELECTRONS IN THE FLARE ON 2012 JULY 19

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Jing; Kontar, Eduard P.; Nakariakov, Valery M.

Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) of nonthermal emission in an M7.7 class flare on 2012 July 19 are investigated with spatially resolved observations at microwave and HXR bands and with spectral observations at decimetric, metric waves. Microwave emission at 17 GHz of two footpoints, HXR emission at 20–50 keV of the north footpoint and loop top, and type III bursts at 0.7–3 GHz show prominent in-phase oscillations at 270 s. The microwave emission of the loop leg has less pulsation but stronger emission. Through the estimation of plasma density around the loop top from EUV observations, we find that the local plasmamore » frequency would be 1.5 GHz or even higher. Thus, type III bursts at 700 MHz originate above the loop top. Quasi-periodic acceleration or injection of energetic electrons is proposed to dominate these in-phase QPPs of nonthermal emission from footpoints, loop top, and above. In the overlying region, drifting pulsations (DPS) at 200–600 MHz oscillate at a distinct period (200 s). Its global structure drifts toward lower frequency, which is closely related to upward plasmoids observed simultaneously from EUV emission. Hence, nonthermal emission from overlying plasmoids and underlying flaring loops show different oscillating periods. Two individual systems of quasi-periodic acceleration of electrons are proposed to coincide in the bi-direction outflows from the reconnection region.« less

A COLD FLARE WITH DELAYED HEATING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fleishman, Gregory D.; Pal'shin, Valentin D.; Lysenko, Alexandra L.

2016-05-10

Recently, a number of peculiar flares have been reported that demonstrate significant nonthermal particle signatures with low, if any, thermal emission, which implies a close association of the observed emission with the primary energy release/electron acceleration region. This paper presents a flare that appears “cold” at the impulsive phase, while displaying delayed heating later on. Using hard X-ray data from Konus- Wind , microwave observations by SSRT, RSTN, NoRH, and NoRP, context observations, and three-dimensional modeling, we study the energy release, particle acceleration, and transport, and the relationships between the nonthermal and thermal signatures. The flaring process is found tomore » involve the interaction between a small loop and a big loop with the accelerated particles divided roughly equally between them. Precipitation of the electrons from the small loop produced only a weak thermal response because the loop volume was small, while the electrons trapped in the big loop lost most of their energy in the coronal part of the loop, which resulted in coronal plasma heating but no or only weak chromospheric evaporation, and thus unusually weak soft X-ray emission. The energy losses of the fast electrons in the big tenuous loop were slow, which resulted in the observed delay of the plasma heating. We determined that the impulsively accelerated electron population had a beamed angular distribution in the direction of the electric force along the magnetic field of the small loop. The accelerated particle transport in the big loop was primarily mediated by turbulent waves, which is similar to other reported cold flares.« less

CORRELATION OF HARD X-RAY AND WHITE LIGHT EMISSION IN SOLAR FLARES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuhar, Matej; Krucker, Säm; Battaglia, Marina

A statistical study of the correlation between hard X-ray and white light emission in solar flares is performed in order to search for a link between flare-accelerated electrons and white light formation. We analyze 43 flares spanning GOES classes M and X using observations from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. We calculate X-ray fluxes at 30 keV and white light fluxes at 6173 Å summed over the hard X-ray flare ribbons with an integration time of 45 s around the peak hard-X ray time. We find a good correlation between hard X-raymore » fluxes and excess white light fluxes, with a highest correlation coefficient of 0.68 for photons with energy of 30 keV. Assuming the thick target model, a similar correlation is found between the deposited power by flare-accelerated electrons and the white light fluxes. The correlation coefficient is found to be largest for energy deposition by electrons above ∼50 keV. At higher electron energies the correlation decreases gradually while a rapid decrease is seen if the energy provided by low-energy electrons is added. This suggests that flare-accelerated electrons of energy ∼50 keV are the main source for white light production.« less

Measurement of wavelengths and lamb shifts for inner-shell transitions in Fe XVIII-XXIV. [from solar flare X-ray spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seely, J. F.; Feldman, U.; Safronova, U. I.

1986-01-01

The wavelengths of inner-shell 1s-2p transitions in the ions Fe XVIII-XXIV have been measured in solar flare spectra recorded by the Naval Research Laboratory crystal spectrometer (SOLFLEX) on the Air Force P78-1 spacecraft. The measurements are compared with previous measurements and with recently calculated wavelengths. It is found that the measured wavelengths are systematically larger than the wavelengths calculated using the Z-expansion method by up to 0.65 mA. For the more highly charged ions, these differences can be attributed to the QED contributions to the transition energies that are not included in the Z-expansion calculations.

A dynamic flare with anomalously dense flare loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svestka, Z.; Fontenla, J. M.; Machado, M. E.; Martin, S. F.; Neidig, D. F.

1986-01-01

The dynamic flare of November 6, 1980 developed a rich system of growing loops which could be followed in H-alpha for 1.5 hours. Throughout the flare, these loops, near the limb, were seen in emission against the disk. Theoretical computations of b-values for a hydrogen atom reveal that this requires electron densities in the loops to be close to 10 to the 12th per cu cm. From measured widths of higher Balmer lines the density at the tops of the loops was found to be 4 x 10 to the 12th per cu cm if no nonthermal motions were present. It is now general knowledge that flare loops are initially observed in X-rays and become visible in H-alpha only after cooling. For such a high density a loop would cool through radiation from 10 to the 7th K to 10 to the 4th K within a few minutes so that the dense H-alpha loops should have heights very close to the heights of the X-ray loops. This, however, contradicts the observations obtained by the HXIS and FCS instruments on board SMM which show the X-ray loops at much higher altitudes than the loops in H-alpha. Therefore, the density must have been significantly smaller when the loops were formed and the flare loops were apparently both shrinking and becoming denser while cooling.

Solar Flare Hard X-ray Spikes Observed by RHESSI: a Statistical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Jianxia; Qiu, J.; Ding, M.; Wang, H.

2013-07-01

Hard X-ray (HXR) spikes refer to fine time structures on timescales of seconds to milliseconds in high-energy HXR emission profiles during solar flare eruptions. We present a preliminary statistical investigation of temporal and spectral properties of HXR spikes. Using a three-sigma spike selection rule, we detected 184 spikes in 94 out of 322 flares with significant counts at given photon energies, which were detected from demodulated HXR light curves obtained by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). About one fifth of these spikes are also detected at photon energies higher than 100 keV. The statistical properties of the spikes are as follows. (1) HXR spikes are produced in both impulsive flares and long-duration flares with nearly the same occurrence rates. Ninety percent of the spikes occur during the rise phase of the flares, and about 70% occur around the peak times of the flares. (2) The time durations of the spikes vary from 0.2 to 2 s, with the mean being 1.0 s, which is not dependent on photon energies. The spikes exhibit symmetric time profiles with no significant difference between rise and decay times.(3) Among the most energetic spikes, nearly all of them have harder count spectra than their underlying slow-varying components. There is also a weak indication that spikes exhibiting time lags in high-energy emissions tend to have harder spectra than spikes with time lags in low-energy emissions.

Fe XXV temperatures in flares from the Yohkoh Bragg crystal spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Doschek, George A.; Pike, C. David

1994-01-01

Studies by Doschek et al. using P78-1 and Solar Maximum Misson (SMM) data have shown that the ratio of intensities of the Fe XXV and Ca XIX resonance lines can be expressed as a function of Fe XXV temperature. Using a more recent data set consisting of 13 flares observed by the Bragg crystal spectrometer (BCS) experiment on board Yohkoh, we find a nearly identical functional relationship between the same resonance line ratios and Fe XXV temperatures. We use this functional relationship to obtain resonance line ratio temperatures (T(sub RLR)) for each flare in our data set, and compare them with temperatures resulting from application of a simple spectral fitting method. (T(sub SSF)) to individal Fe XXV spectra. We also use a more involved free-parameter spectral fitting method to deduce temperatures (T(sub FSF)) from some of these spectra. On average, agreement between T(sub RLR) and T(sub SSF) improves as a flare progresses in time, with average agreements of 10.0% +/- 5.2%, 6.4% +/- 5.4%, and 5.0% +/- 3.9% over the rise, peak, and decay phases, respectively. Deviations between T(sub RLR) and T(sub FSF) are about the same or smaller. Thus, for most analysis purposes, all three methods yield virtually identical temperatures in flares. The somewhat poorer agreement between T(sub SSF) and T(sub RLR) during the earlier phases may be partially a result of difficulties in obtaining precise values for temperatures from spectral fits when blueshifts and large nonthermal broadenings are present in the spectra. Because of the high sensitivity of the Yohkoh BCS compared to that of BCS experiments on earlier spacecraft, we can for the first time consistently observe the heating phase of flares in Fe XXV.

Characterization of radiation belt electron energy spectra from CRRES observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, W. R.; Lindstrom, C. D.; Ginet, G. P.

2010-12-01

Energetic electrons in the outer radiation belt and the slot region exhibit a wide variety of energy spectral forms, more so than radiation belt protons. We characterize the spatial and temporal dependence of these forms using observations from the CRRES satellite Medium Electron Sensor A (MEA) and High-Energy Electron Fluxmeter (HEEF) instruments, together covering an energy range 0.15-8 MeV. Spectra were classified with two independent methods, data clustering and curve-fitting analyses, in each case defining categories represented by power law, exponential, and bump-on-tail (BOT) or other complex shapes. Both methods yielded similar results, with BOT, exponential, and power law spectra respectively dominating in the slot region, outer belt, and regions just beyond the outer belt. The transition from exponential to power law spectra occurs at higher L for lower magnetic latitude. The location of the transition from exponential to BOT spectra is highly correlated with the location of the plasmapause. In the slot region during the days following storm events, electron spectra were observed to evolve from exponential to BOT yielding differential flux minima at 350-650 keV and maxima at 1.5-2 MeV; such evolution has been attributed to energy-dependent losses from scattering by whistler hiss.

Electronic spectra of astrophysically interesting cations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maier, John P., E-mail: j.p.maier@unibas.ch; Rice, Corey A., E-mail: j.p.maier@unibas.ch; Mazzotti, Fabio J., E-mail: j.p.maier@unibas.ch

2015-01-22

The electronic spectra of polyacetylene cations were recorded at 20K in the laboratory in an ion trap instrument. These can then be compared with diffuse interstellar band (DIB) absorptions. Examination of recently published data shows that the attribution of a weak DIB at ∼506.9 nm to diacetylene cation is not justified. Study of the higher excited electronic states of polyacetylene cations shows that their widths can still be sufficiently narrow for consideration as DIB carriers.

Multi-Wavelength Spectroscopic Observations of a White Light Flare Produced Directly by Non-thermal Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kyoung-Sun; Imada, Shinsuke; Watanabe, Kyoko; Bamba, Yumi; Brooks, David

2017-08-01

An X1.6 flare on 2014 October 22 was observed by multiple spectrometers in UV, EUV and X-ray (Hinode/EIS, IRIS, and RHESSI), and multi-wavelength imaging observations (SDO/AIA and HMI). We analyze a bright kernel that produces a white light (WL) flare with continuum enhancement and a hard X-ray (HXR) peak. Taking advantage of the spectroscopic observations of IRIS and Hinode/EIS, we measure the temporal variation of the plasma properties in the bright kernel in the chromosphere and corona. We find that explosive evaporation was observed when the WL emission occurred. The temporal correlation of the WL emission, HXR peak, and evaporation flows indicates that the WL emission was produced by accelerated electrons. We calculated the energy flux deposited by non-thermal electrons (observed by RHESSI) and compared it to the dissipated energy estimated from a chromospheric line (Mg II triplet) observed by IRIS. The deposited energy flux from the non-thermal electrons is about (3-7.7)x1010 erg cm-2 s-1 for a given low-energy cutoff of 30-40 keV, assuming the thick-target model. The energy flux estimated from the changes in temperature in the chromosphere measured using the Mg II subordinate line is about (4.6-6.7)×109 erg cm-2 s-1: ˜6%-22% of the deposited energy. This comparison of estimated energy fluxes implies that the continuum enhancement was directly produced by the non-thermal electrons.

Variability of Thermosphere and Ionosphere Responses to Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Qian, Liying; Burns, Alan G.; Chamberlin, Philip C.; Solomon, Stanley C.

2011-01-01

We investigated how the rise rate and decay rate of solar flares affect the thermosphere and ionosphere responses to them. Model simulations and data analysis were conducted for two flares of similar magnitude (X6.2 and X5.4) that had the same location on the solar limb, but the X6.2 flare had longer rise and decay times. Simulated total electron content (TEC) enhancements from the X6.2 and X5.4 flares were 6 total electron content units (TECU) and approximately 2 TECU, and the simulated neutral density enhancements were approximately 15% -20% and approximately 5%, respectively, in reasonable agreement with observations. Additional model simulations showed that for idealized flares with the same magnitude and location, the thermosphere and ionosphere responses changed significantly as a function of rise and decay rates. The Neupert Effect, which predicts that a faster flare rise rate leads to a larger EUV enhancement during the impulsive phase, caused a larger maximum ion production enhancement. In addition, model simulations showed that increased E x B plasma transport due to conductivity increases during the flares caused a significant equatorial anomaly feature in the electron density enhancement in the F region but a relatively weaker equatorial anomaly feature in TEC enhancement, owing to dominant contributions by photochemical production and loss processes. The latitude dependence of the thermosphere response correlated well with the solar zenith angle effect, whereas the latitude dependence of the ionosphere response was more complex, owing to plasma transport and the winter anomaly.

What We Don't Understand About Ion Acceleration Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reames, Donald V.; Ng, C. K.; Tylka, A. J.

1999-01-01

There are now strong associations between the (3)He-rich, Fe-rich ions in "impulsive" solar energetic particle (SEP) events and the similar abundances derived from gamma-ray lines from flares. Compact flares, where wave energy can predominate, are ideal sites for the study of wave-particle physics. Yet there are nagging questions about the magnetic geometry, the relation between ions that escape and those that interact, and the relative roles of cascading Alfven waves and the EMIC waves required to enhance He-3. There are also questions about the relative timing of ion and electron acceleration and of heating; these relate to the variation of ionization states before and during acceleration and during transport out of the corona. We can construct a model that addresses many of these issues, but problems do remain. Our greatest lack is realistic theoretical simulations of element abundances, spectra, and their variations. By contrast, we now have a much better idea of the acceleration at CME-driven shock waves in the rare but large "gradual" SEP events, largely because of their slow temporal evolution and great spatial extent.

Equatorial ionospheric electrodynamics during solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ruilong; Liu, Libo; Le, Huijun; Chen, Yiding

2017-05-01

Previous investigations on ionospheric responses to solar flares focused mainly on the photoionization caused by the increased X-rays and extreme ultraviolet irradiance. However, little attention was paid to the related electrodynamics. In this letter, we explored the equatorial electric field (EEF) and electrojet (EEJ) in the ionosphere at Jicamarca during flares from 1998 to 2008. It is verified that solar flares increase dayside eastward EEJ but decrease dayside eastward EEF, revealing a negative correlation between EEJ and EEF. The decreased EEF weakens the equatorial fountain effect and depresses the low-latitude electron density. During flares, the enhancement in the Cowling conductivity may modulate ionospheric dynamo and decrease the EEF. Besides, the decreased EEF is closely related to the enhanced ASY-H index that qualitatively reflects Region 2 field-aligned current (R2 FAC). We speculated that solar flares may also decrease EEF through enhancing R2 FAC that leads to an overshielding-like effect.

Electron acceleration in a flare plasma via coronal circuits. (German Title: Elektronenbeschleunigung im Flareplasma modelliert mit koronalen Schaltkreisen)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Önel, Hakan

2008-08-01

The Sun is a star, which due to its proximity has a tremendous influence on Earth. Since its very first days mankind tried to "understand the Sun", and especially in the 20th century science has uncovered many of the Sun's secrets by using high resolution observations and describing the Sun by means of models. As an active star the Sun's activity, as expressed in its magnetic cycle, is closely related to the sunspot numbers. Flares play a special role, because they release large energies on very short time scales. They are correlated with enhanced electromagnetic emissions all over the spectrum. Furthermore, flares are sources of energetic particles. Hard X-ray observations (e.g., by NASA's RHESSI spacecraft) reveal that a large fraction of the energy released during a flare is transferred into the kinetic energy of electrons. However the mechanism that accelerates a large number of electrons to high energies (beyond 20 keV) within fractions of a second is not understood yet. The thesis at hand presents a model for the generation of energetic electrons during flares that explains the electron acceleration based on real parameters obtained by real ground and space based observations. According to this model photospheric plasma flows build up electric potentials in the active regions in the photosphere. Usually these electric potentials are associated with electric currents closed within the photosphere. However as a result of magnetic reconnection, a magnetic connection between the regions of different magnetic polarity on the photosphere can establish through the corona. Due to the significantly higher electric conductivity in the corona, the photospheric electric power supply can be closed via the corona. Subsequently a high electric current is formed, which leads to the generation of hard X-ray radiation in the dense chromosphere. The previously described idea is modelled and investigated by means of electric circuits. For this the microscopic plasma parameters

Sun Emits a Mid-Level Flare

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Caption: A burst of solar material leaps off the left side of the sun in what’s known as a prominence eruption. This image combines three images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured on May 3, 2013, at 1:45 pm EDT, just as an M-class solar flare from the same region was subsiding. The images include light from the 131, 171 and 304 Angstrom wavelengths. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO --- The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 1:32 pm EDT on May 3, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, and the radio blackout for this flare has already subsided. This flare is classified as an M5.7 class flare. M-class flares are the weakest flares that can still cause some space weather effects near Earth. Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in late 2013. Updates will be provided as they are available on the flare and whether there was an associated coronal mass ejection (CME), another solar phenomenon that can send solar particles into space and affect electronic systems in satellites and on Earth. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

X-ray observations of limb flare loops and post-flare coronal arch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svestka, Zdenek; Smith, Kermit L.; Strong, Keith T.

1992-01-01

Postflare arc observations have been obtained following a May 2, 1985 eruptive flare that was detected in X-ray lines above the western solar limb, constituting a rare opportunity for the isolation of pure spectra of the arch without the disturbing effect of X-ray emission from lower and more intense coronal regions. It remains difficult to decide which portion of the observed shift is due to real motion and which is due to cooling, which is faster at lower altitudes.

Global Energetics of Solar Flares. Part III; Nonthermal Energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Holman, Gordon; O'Flannagain, Aidan; Caspi, Amir; McTiernan, James M.; Kontar, Eduard P.

2016-01-01

This study entails the third part of a global flare energetics project, in which Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) data of 191 M and X-class flare events from the first 3.5 years of the Solar Dynamics Observatory mission are analyzed. We fit a thermal and a nonthermal component to RHESSI spectra, yielding the temperature of the differential emission measure (DEM) tail, the nonthermal power-law slope and flux, and the thermal nonthermal cross-over energy eco. From these parameters, we calculate the total nonthermal energy E(sub nt) in electrons with two different methods: (1) using the observed cross-over energy e(sub co) as low-energy cutoff, and (2) using the low-energy cut off e(sub wt) predicted by the warm thick-target bremsstrahlung model of Kontar et al. Based on a mean temperature of T(sub e) = 8.6 MK in active regions, we find low-energy cutoff energies of e(sub wt) = 6.2 +/-1.6 keV for the warm-target model, which is significantly lower than the cross-over energies e(sub co) = 21 +/- 6 keV. Comparing with the statistics of magnetically dissipated energies E(sub mag) and thermal energies E(sub th) from the two previous studies, we find the following mean (logarithmic) energy ratios with the warm-target model: E(sub nt) = 0.41E(sub mag), E(sub th) = 0.08 E(sub mag), and E(sub th) = 0.15 E(sub nt). The total dissipated magnetic energy exceeds the thermal energy in 95% and the nonthermal energy in 71% of the flare events, which confirms that magnetic reconnection processes are sufficient to explain flare energies. The nonthermal energy exceeds the thermal energy in 85% of the events, which largely confirms the warm thick-target model.

Acceleration of electrons and ions by strong lower-hybrid turbulence in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spicer, D. S.; Bingham, R.; Su, J. J.; Shapiro, V. D.; Shevchenko, V.; Ma, S.; Dawson, J. M.; Mcclements, K. G.

1994-01-01

One of the outstanding problems in solar flare theory is how to explain the 10-20 keV and greater hard x-ray emissions by a thick target bremsstrahlung model. The model requires the acceleration mechanism to accelerate approximately 10(exp 35) electrons sec(exp -l) with comparable energies, without producing a large return current which persists for long time scales after the beam ceases to exist due to Lenz's law, thereby, producing a self-magnetic field of order a few mega-Gauss. In this paper, we investigate particle acceleration resulting from the relaxation of unstable ion ring distributions, producing strong wave activity at the lower hybrid frequency. It is shown that strong lower hybrid wave turbulence collapses in configuration space producing density cavities containing intense electrostatic lower hybrid wave activity. The collapse of these intense nonlinear wave packets saturate by particle acceleration producing energetic electron and ion tails. There are several mechanisms whereby unstable ion distributions could be formed in the solar atmosphere, including reflection at perpendicular shocks, tearing modes, and loss cone depletion. Numerical simulations of ion ring relaxation processes, obtained using a 2 1/2-D fully electromagnetic, relativistic particle in cell code are discussed. We apply the results to the problem of explaining energetic particle production in solar flares. The results show the simultaneous acceleration of both electrons and ions to very high energies: electrons are accelerated to energies in the range 10-500 keV, while ions are accelerated to energies of the order of MeVs, giving rise to x-ray emission and gamma-ray emission respectively. Our simulations also show wave generation at the electron cyclotron frequency. We suggest that these waves are the solar millisecond radio spikes. The strong turbulence collapse process leads to a highly filamented plasma producing many localized regions for particle acceleration and resulting in

The impulsive hard X-rays from solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, J.

1984-01-01

A technique for determining the physical arrangement of a solar flare during the impulsive phase was developed based upon a nonthermal model interpretation of the emitted hard X-rays. Accurate values are obtained for the flare parameters, including those which describe the magnetic field structure and the beaming of the energetic electrons, parameters which have hitherto been mostly inaccessible. The X-ray intensity height structure can be described readily with a single expression based upon a semi-empirical fit to the results from many models. Results show that the degree of linear polarization of the X-rays from a flaring loop does not exceed 25 percent and can easily and naturally be as low as the polarization expected from a thermal model. This is a highly significant result in that it supersedes those based upon less thorough calculations of the electron beam dynamics and requires that a reevaluation of hopes of using polarization measurements to discriminate between categories of flare models.

Electron and fluorescence spectra of a water molecule irradiated by an x-ray free-electron laser pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, Julia M.; Inhester, Ludger; Son, Sang-Kil; Fink, Reinhold F.; Santra, Robin

2018-05-01

With the highly intense x-ray light generated by x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), molecular samples can be ionized many times in a single pulse. Here we report on a computational study of molecular spectroscopy at the high x-ray intensity provided by XFELs. Calculated photoelectron, Auger electron, and x-ray fluorescence spectra are presented for a single water molecule that reaches many electronic hole configurations through repeated ionization steps. The rich details shown in the spectra depend on the x-ray pulse parameters in a nonintuitive way. We discuss how the observed trends can be explained by the competition of microscopic electronic transition processes. A detailed comparison between spectra calculated within the independent-atom model and within the molecular-orbital framework highlights the chemical sensitivity of the spectral lines of multiple-hole configurations. Our results demonstrate how x-ray multiphoton ionization-related effects such as charge-rearrangement-enhanced x-ray ionization of molecules and frustrated absorption manifest themselves in the electron and fluorescence spectra.

Capabilities of GRO/OSSE for observing solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurfess, J. D.; Johnson, W. N.; Share, G. H.; Hulburt, E. O.; Matz, S. M.; Murphy, R. J.

1989-01-01

The launch of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) near solar maximum makes solar flare studies early in the mission particularly advantageous. The Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) on GRO, covering the energy range 0.05 to 150 MeV, has some significant advantages over the previous generation of satellite-borne gamma-ray detectors for solar observations. The OSSE detectors will have about 10 times the effective area of the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) on Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) for both photons and high-energy neutrons. The OSSE also has the added capability of distinguishing between high-energy neutrons and photons directly. The OSSE spectral accumulation time (approx. 4s) is four times faster than that of the SMM/GRS; much better time resolution is available in selected energy ranges. These characteristics will allow the investigation of particle acceleration in flares based on the evolution of the continuum and nuclear line components of flare spectra, nuclear emission in small flares, the anisotropy of continuum emission in small flares, and the relative intensities of different nuclear lines. The OSSE observational program will be devoted primarily to non-solar sources. Therefore, solar observations require planning and special configurations. The instrumental and operational characteristics of OSSE are discussed in the context of undertaking solar observations. The opportunities for guest investigators to participate in solar flare studies with OSSE is also presented.

Influence of solar flare X-rays on the habitability on the Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Rajmal; Awasthi, Arun K.; Tripathi, Sharad C.; Bhatt, Nipa J.; Khan, Parvaiz A.

2012-08-01

We probe the lethality of X-rays from solar flares to organisms on Mars based on the observations of 10 solar flares. We, firstly, estimate the doses produced by the strong flares observed by the RHESSI and GOES missions during the descending phase of sunspot cycle 23. Next, in order to realize the dependence of dose on flux and steepness of spectra, we model the incident spectra over a wide range of spectral index to estimate dose values and compare them with the observed doses. We calculate the distribution of surficial spectra visible to organisms on the martian surface by employing attenuation of X-rays due to CO2 column densities distribution over the South Pole. The surficial flux distribution after folding with the opacity of water enables us to estimate the dose distribution over the South Pole. The dose measured from the surficial spectrum produced by the observed 10 flares corresponding to the latitudes 50-60°, 60-70°, 70-80° and 80-90°S varies in the range of 6.39 × 10-9-1.80 × 10-6; 4.89 × 10-10-5.21 × 10-8; 5.10 × 10-11-5.20 × 10-9 and 4.42 × 10-10-4.89 × 10-12 gray (1 gray = 104 erg/g) respectively. Comparing the measured as well as the modeled doses with those proposed to be lethal for various organisms by Smith and Scalo (Smith, D.S., Scalo, J. [2007]. Planet. Space Sci. 55, 517-527); we report that the habitability of life on the South Pole remains unaffected even by the strongest solar flare occurred during descending phase of solar cycle 23. Further, the monthly integrated energy released by the solar flares in the most productive month viz. October 2003 and January 2005 from the GOES soft X-ray observations is estimated to be 8.43 and 3.32 × 1032 ergs respectively, which is almost equal in order to the typical energy released by a single strong X-class flare. Therefore, we propose the life near the South Pole region on the Mars remain uninfluenced by X-ray emission even during monster phenomena of energy release on the Sun and

Solar flare hard X-ray spikes observed by RHESSI: a statistical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, J. X.; Qiu, J.; Ding, M. D.; Wang, H.

2012-11-01

Context. Hard X-ray (HXR) spikes refer to fine time structures on timescales of seconds to milliseconds in high-energy HXR emission profiles during solar flare eruptions. Aims: We present a preliminary statistical investigation of temporal and spectral properties of HXR spikes. Methods: Using a three-sigma spike selection rule, we detected 184 spikes in 94 out of 322 flares with significant counts at given photon energies, which were detected from demodulated HXR light curves obtained by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). About one fifth of these spikes are also detected at photon energies higher than 100 keV. Results: The statistical properties of the spikes are as follows. (1) HXR spikes are produced in both impulsive flares and long-duration flares with nearly the same occurrence rates. Ninety percent of the spikes occur during the rise phase of the flares, and about 70% occur around the peak times of the flares. (2) The time durations of the spikes vary from 0.2 to 2 s, with the mean being 1.0 s, which is not dependent on photon energies. The spikes exhibit symmetric time profiles with no significant difference between rise and decay times. (3) Among the most energetic spikes, nearly all of them have harder count spectra than their underlying slow-varying components. There is also a weak indication that spikes exhibiting time lags in high-energy emissions tend to have harder spectra than spikes with time lags in low-energy emissions.

Response of the solar atmosphere to a simple flare burst: UV emission from the flare transition layer.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shmeleva, O. P.

The flare transition layer exists as a relatively steady formation even during impulsive heating. It is maintained by a heat flow from the high-temperature plasma, where the major part of the electron beam energy is absorbed. The lifetime of this plasma is much greater than the impulsive heating time. Intensities of resonance UV lines are calculated using both the model of impulsive nonthermal heating by energetic electrons and the model of continuous thermal heating. The calculated line intensity is almost constant during a long time. The line Doppler shifts predicted by the former model match observations. This suggests that the model represents sufficiently well the actual dynamics of the flare plasma. The flare transition layer is a thin formation, its thickness being Δξ = 1021m-2. It is therefore described adequately within the p = const approximation though the picture of hydrodynamic response of the solar atmosphere to the impulsive heating by energy flows is rather complicated and nonsteady, of course. The intensities of the C IV λλ154.8, 155.1 nm and O VI λλ103.2, 103.8 nm lines are calculated within the scope of the model of continuous thermal heating, in which the conductive heating of the flare transition layer is balanced by radiative cooling. The line intensities are proportional to the pressure in the layer, which permits the pressure to be found from the observed line intensities. The analysis reveals that both heating models adequately represent the actual structure and dynamics of plasma in a flare. In the flare transition layer, the classical heat conduction always does work.

Estimating the Properties of Hard X-Ray Solar Flares by Constraining Model Parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ireland, J.; Tolbert, A. K.; Schwartz, R. A.; Holman, G. D.; Dennis, B. R.

2013-01-01

We wish to better constrain the properties of solar flares by exploring how parameterized models of solar flares interact with uncertainty estimation methods. We compare four different methods of calculating uncertainty estimates in fitting parameterized models to Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager X-ray spectra, considering only statistical sources of error. Three of the four methods are based on estimating the scale-size of the minimum in a hypersurface formed by the weighted sum of the squares of the differences between the model fit and the data as a function of the fit parameters, and are implemented as commonly practiced. The fourth method is also based on the difference between the data and the model, but instead uses Bayesian data analysis and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques to calculate an uncertainty estimate. Two flare spectra are modeled: one from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite X1.3 class flare of 2005 January 19, and the other from the X4.8 flare of 2002 July 23.We find that the four methods give approximately the same uncertainty estimates for the 2005 January 19 spectral fit parameters, but lead to very different uncertainty estimates for the 2002 July 23 spectral fit. This is because each method implements different analyses of the hypersurface, yielding method-dependent results that can differ greatly depending on the shape of the hypersurface. The hypersurface arising from the 2005 January 19 analysis is consistent with a normal distribution; therefore, the assumptions behind the three non- Bayesian uncertainty estimation methods are satisfied and similar estimates are found. The 2002 July 23 analysis shows that the hypersurface is not consistent with a normal distribution, indicating that the assumptions behind the three non-Bayesian uncertainty estimation methods are not satisfied, leading to differing estimates of the uncertainty. We find that the shape of the hypersurface is crucial in understanding

Radiation Belt Electron Energy Spectra Characterization and Evolution Based on the Van Allen Probes Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, H.; Baker, D. N.; Jaynes, A. N.; Li, X.; Kanekal, S. G.; Blum, L. W.; Schiller, Q. A.; Leonard, T. W.; Elkington, S. R.

2017-12-01

The electron energy spectra, as an important characteristic of radiation belt electrons, provide valuable information on the physical mechanisms affecting different electron populations. Based on the measurements of 30 keV - 10 MeV electrons from MagEIS and REPT instruments on the Van Allen Probes, case studies and statistical analysis of the radiation belt electron energy spectra characterization and evolution have been performed. Generally the radiation belt electron energy spectra can be represented by one of the three types of distributions: exponential, power law, and bump-on-tail. Statistical analysis shows that the exponential spectra are usually dominant in the outer radiation belt; as the geomagnetic storms occur, energy spectra in the outer belt soften at first due to injection of lower-energy electrons and loss of higher-energy electrons, and gradually get harder due to loss of lower-energy electrons and delayed enhancement of higher energy electron fluxes. Power law spectra generally dominate the inner belt and higher L region (L>6) during injections. Bump-on-tail spectra commonly exist inside the plasmasphere following the geomagnetic storms and/or the compression of plasmasphere, while the energy of flux maxima is usually 1.8 MeV as the bump-on-tail spectra form and gradually moves to higher energies as the spectra evolve, with the ratio of flux maxima to minima up to >10. Detailed event study indicates that the appearance of bump-on-tail spectra are mainly due to energy-dependent losses caused by the plasmaspheric hiss wave scattering, while the disappearance of these spectra can be attributed to fast flux enhancements of lower-energy electrons during storms.

Testing the Impulsiveness of Solar Flare Heating through Analysis of Dynamic Atmospheric Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, E. K.; Emslie, A. G.; Mariska, J. T.

1996-03-01

One crucial test of a solar flare energy transport model is its ability to reproduce the characteristics of the atmospheric motions inferred from soft X-ray line spectra. Using a recently developed diagnostic, the velocity differential emission measure (VDEM), we can obtain from observations a physical measure of the amount of soft X-ray mitting plasma flowing at each velocity, v, and hence the total momentum of the upflowing plasma, without approximation or parametric fitting. We have correlated solar hard X-ray emission profiles by the Yohkoh Hard X-ray telescope with the mass and momentum histories inferred from soft X-ray line profiles observed by the Yohkoh Bragg crystal spectrometers. For suitably impulsive hard X-ray emission, an analysis of the hydrodynamic equations predicts a proportionality between the hard X-ray intensity and the second time derivative of the soft X-ray mitting plasma's momentum. This relationship is borne out by an analysis of 18 disk-center impulsive flares of varying durations, thereby lending support to the hypothesis that a prompt energy deposition mechanism, such as an energetic electron flux, is indeed responsible for the soft X-ray response observed in the rise phase of sufficiently impulsive solar flares.

The High Energy Photons Emission from Solar Flares Observed by SZ2-XD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huanyu; Li, Xinqiao; Ma, Yuqian; Zhang, Chengmo; Xu, Yupeng; Wang, Jingzhou; Chen, Guoming

The spectra and light curve of near a hundred Solar X-ray Flare events, which were observed by SZ2/XD in the energy band of 10-800 keV during 2001, have been investigated. The events covered from C to X-class flares, which are shown different characters of high energy photons emission. The results will be presented in this paper. The discussions will be made especially for 3 of the brightest X-class solar flares SF010402(X20),SF010406(X5.6) and SF010415 (X14.4, a GLE event).

Statistical research into low-power solar flares. Main phase duration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borovik, Aleksandr; Zhdanov, Anton

2017-12-01

This paper is a sequel to earlier papers on time parameters of solar flares in the Hα line. Using data from the International Flare Patrol, an electronic database of solar flares for the period 1972-2010 has been created. The statistical analysis of the duration of the main phase has shown that it increases with increasing flare class and brightness. It has been found that the duration of the main phase depends on the type and features of development of solar flares. Flares with one brilliant point have the shortest main phase; flares with several intensity maxima and two-ribbon flares, the longest one. We have identified more than 3000 cases with an ultra-long duration of the main phase (more than 60 minutes). For 90% of such flares the duration of the main phase is 2-3 hrs, but sometimes it reaches 12 hrs.

Sun Emits a Mid-Level Flare

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Caption: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of an M5.7 class flare on May 3, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. This image shows light in the 131 Angstrom wavelength, a wavelength of light that can show material at the very hot temperatures of a solar flare and that is typically colorized in teal. Caption: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of an M5.7 class flare on May 3, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. This image shows light in the 131 Angstrom wavelength, a wavelength of light that can show material at the very hot temperatures of a solar flare and that is typically colorized in teal. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO --- The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 1:32 pm EDT on May 3, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, and the radio blackout for this flare has already subsided. This flare is classified as an M5.7 class flare. M-class flares are the weakest flares that can still cause some space weather effects near Earth. Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in late 2013. Updates will be provided as they are available on the flare and whether there was an associated coronal mass ejection (CME), another solar phenomenon that can send solar particles into space and affect electronic systems in satellites and on Earth. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling

On the Nature of Off-limb Flare Continuum Sources Detected by SDO /HMI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinzel, P.; Kašparová, J.; Kleint, L.

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory has provided unique observations of off-limb flare emission. White-light continuum enhancements were detected in the “continuum” channel of the Fe 6173 Å line during the impulsive phase of the observed flares. In this paper we aim to determine which radiation mechanism is responsible for such enhancement being seen above the limb, at chromospheric heights around or below 1000 km. Using a simple analytical approach, we compare two candidate mechanisms, the hydrogen recombination continuum (Paschen) and the Thomson continuum due to scattering of disk radiation on flare electrons. Both mechanismsmore » depend on the electron density, which is typically enhanced during the impulsive phase of a flare as the result of collisional ionization (both thermal and also non-thermal due to electron beams). We conclude that for electron densities higher than 10{sup 12} cm{sup −3}, the Paschen recombination continuum significantly dominates the Thomson scattering continuum and there is some contribution from the hydrogen free–free emission. This is further supported by detailed radiation-hydrodynamical (RHD) simulations of the flare chromosphere heated by the electron beams. We use the RHD code FLARIX to compute the temporal evolution of the flare-heating in a semi-circular loop. The synthesized continuum structure above the limb resembles the off-limb flare structures detected by HMI, namely their height above the limb, as well as the radiation intensity. These results are consistent with recent findings related to hydrogen Balmer continuum enhancements, which were clearly detected in disk flares by the IRIS near-ultraviolet spectrometer.« less

Observation of gamma ray bursts and flares by the EGRET telescope on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneid, E. J.; Bertsch, D. L.; Fichtel, C. E.; Hartman, R. C.; Hunter, S. D.; Kwok, P. W.; Mattox, J. R.; Sreekumar, P.; Thompson, D. J.; Kanbach, G.

1992-01-01

The Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory has observed energetic gamma ray bursts and flares. On May 3, 1991, EGRET detected a gamma ray burst both in the energy measuring NaI (Tl) scintillator and independently in the spark chamber imaging assembly. The NaI spectra were accumulated by a special BURST mode of EGRET. The spectra were measured over a range from 1 to 200 MeV, in three sequential spectra of 1,2, and 4 seconds. During the peak of the burst, six individual gamma rays were detected in the spark chamber, allowing a determination of the burst arrival direction. The intense flares of June were also detected. A solar flare on June 4 was observed to last for several minutes and for a brief time, less than a minute, had significant emission of gamma rays exceeding 150 MeV.

The Soft X-Ray/Microwave Ratio of Solar and Stellar Flares and Coronae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benz, A. O.; Guedel, M.

1994-01-01

We have carried out plasma diagnostics of solar flares using soft X-ray (SXR) and simultaneous microwave observations and have compared the ratio of X-ray to microwave luminosities of solar flares with various active late-type stars available in the published literature. Both the SXR low-level ('quiescent') emission from stellar coronae and the flaring emission from the Sun and stars are generally interpreted as thermal radiations of coronal plasmas. On the other hand, the microwave emission of stars and solar flares is generally attributed to an extremely hot or nonthermal population of electrons. Solar flare SXR are conventionally measured in a narrower and harder passband than the stellar sources. Observations of the GOES-2 satellite in two energy channels have been used to estimate the luminosity of solar flares as it would appear in the ROSAT satellite passband. The solar and stellar flare luminosities fit well at the lower end of the active stellar coronae. The flare SXR/microwave ratio is similar to the ratio for stellar coronae. The average ratio follows a power-law relation L(sub X) varies as L(sub R)(sup 0.73 +/- 0.03) over 10 orders of magnitude from solar microflares to RS CVn and FK Com-type coronae. Dwarf Me and Ke stars, and RS CVn stars are also compatible with a linear SXR/microwave relation, but the ratio is slightly different for each type of star. Considering the differences between solar flares, stellar flares and the various active stellar coronae, the similarity of the SXR/microwave ratios is surprising. It suggests that the energetic electrons in low-level stellar coronae observed in microwaves are related in a similar way to the coronal thermal plasma as flare electrons to the flare thermal plasma, and, consequently, that the heating mechanism of active stellar coronae is a flare-like process.

MAGNETIC-ISLAND CONTRACTION AND PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN SIMULATED ERUPTIVE SOLAR FLARES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guidoni, S. E.; DeVore, C. R.; Karpen, J. T.

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed high-energy impulsive emission in solar flares is not well understood. Drake et al. proposed a mechanism for accelerating electrons in contracting magnetic islands formed by kinetic reconnection in multi-layered current sheets (CSs). We apply these ideas to sunward-moving flux ropes (2.5D magnetic islands) formed during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. A simple analytic model is used to calculate the energy gain of particles orbiting the field lines of the contracting magnetic islands in our ultrahigh-resolution 2.5D numerical simulation. We find that the estimated energy gainsmore » in a single island range up to a factor of five. This is higher than that found by Drake et al. for islands in the terrestrial magnetosphere and at the heliopause, due to strong plasma compression that occurs at the flare CS. In order to increase their energy by two orders of magnitude and plausibly account for the observed high-energy flare emission, the electrons must visit multiple contracting islands. This mechanism should produce sporadic emission because island formation is intermittent. Moreover, a large number of particles could be accelerated in each magnetohydrodynamic-scale island, which may explain the inferred rates of energetic-electron production in flares. We conclude that island contraction in the flare CS is a promising candidate for electron acceleration in solar eruptions.« less

Magnetic-Island Contraction and Particle Acceleration in Simulated Eruptive Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guidoni, S. E.; Devore, C. R.; Karpen, J. T.; Lynch, B. J.

2016-01-01

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed high-energy impulsive emission in solar flares is not well understood. Drake et al. proposed a mechanism for accelerating electrons in contracting magnetic islands formed by kinetic reconnection in multi-layered current sheets (CSs). We apply these ideas to sunward-moving flux ropes (2.5D magnetic islands) formed during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. A simple analytic model is used to calculate the energy gain of particles orbiting the field lines of the contracting magnetic islands in our ultrahigh-resolution 2.5D numerical simulation. We find that the estimated energy gains in a single island range up to a factor of five. This is higher than that found by Drake et al. for islands in the terrestrial magnetosphere and at the heliopause, due to strong plasma compression that occurs at the flare CS. In order to increase their energy by two orders of magnitude and plausibly account for the observed high-energy flare emission, the electrons must visit multiple contracting islands. This mechanism should produce sporadic emission because island formation is intermittent. Moreover, a large number of particles could be accelerated in each magneto hydro dynamic-scale island, which may explain the inferred rates of energetic-electron production in flares. We conclude that island contraction in the flare CS is a promising candidate for electron acceleration in solar eruptions.

Biggest Solar Flare on Record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

View an animation from the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). At 4:51 p.m. EDT, on Monday, April 2, 2001, the sun unleashed the biggest solar flare ever recorded, as observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite. The flare was definitely more powerful than the famous solar flare on March 6, 1989, which was related to the disruption of power grids in Canada. This recent explosion from the active region near the sun's northwest limb hurled a coronal mass ejection into space at a whopping speed of roughly 7.2 million kilometers per hour. Luckily, the flare was not aimed directly towards Earth. Solar flares, among the solar system's mightiest eruptions, are tremendous explosions in the atmosphere of the Sun capable of releasing as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT. Caused by the sudden release of magnetic energy, in just a few seconds flares can accelerate solar particles to very high velocities, almost to the speed of light, and heat solar material to tens of millions of degrees. Solar ejections are often associated with flares and sometimes occur shortly after the flare explosion. Coronal mass ejections are clouds of electrified, magnetic gas weighing billions of tons ejected from the Sun and hurled into space with speeds ranging from 12 to 1,250 miles per second. Depending on the orientation of the magnetic fields carried by the ejection cloud, Earth-directed coronal mass ejections cause magnetic storms by interacting with the Earth's magnetic field, distorting its shape, and accelerating electrically charged particles (electrons and atomic nuclei) trapped within. Severe solar weather is often heralded by dramatic auroral displays, northern and southern lights, and magnetic storms that occasionally affect satellites, radio communications and power systems. The flare and solar ejection has also generated a storm of high-velocity particles, and the number of particles with ten million electron-volts of energy in the space near

A Unified Computational Model for Solar and Stellar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allred, Joel C.; Kowalski, Adam F.; Carlsson, Mats

2015-01-01

We present a unified computational framework that can be used to describe impulsive flares on the Sun and on dMe stars. The models assume that the flare impulsive phase is caused by a beam of charged particles that is accelerated in the corona and propagates downward depositing energy and momentum along the way. This rapidly heats the lower stellar atmosphere causing it to explosively expand and dramatically brighten. Our models consist of flux tubes that extend from the sub-photosphere into the corona. We simulate how flare-accelerated charged particles propagate down one-dimensional flux tubes and heat the stellar atmosphere using the Fokker-Planck kinetic theory. Detailed radiative transfer is included so that model predictions can be directly compared with observations. The flux of flare-accelerated particles drives return currents which additionally heat the stellar atmosphere. These effects are also included in our models. We examine the impact of the flare-accelerated particle beams on model solar and dMe stellar atmospheres and perform parameter studies varying the injected particle energy spectra. We find the atmospheric response is strongly dependent on the accelerated particle cutoff energy and spectral index.

Solar Flares, Type III Radio Bursts, Coronal Mass Ejections, and Energetic Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, Hilary V.; Erickson, W. C.; Prestage, N. P.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In this correlative study between greater than 20 MeV solar proton events, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), flares, and radio bursts it is found that essentially all of the proton events are preceded by groups of type III bursts and all are preceded by CMEs. These type III bursts (that are a flare phenomenon) usually are long-lasting, intense bursts seen in the low-frequency observations made from space. They are caused by streams of electrons traveling from close to the solar surface out to 1 AU. In most events the type III emissions extend into, or originate at, the time when type II and type IV bursts are reported (some 5 to 10 minutes after the start of the associated soft X-ray flare) and have starting frequencies in the 500 to approximately 100 MHz range that often get lower as a function of time. These later type III emissions are often not reported by ground-based observers, probably because of undue attention to type II bursts. It is suggested to call them type III-1. Type III-1 bursts have previously been called shock accelerated (SA) events, but an examination of radio dynamic spectra over an extended frequency range shows that the type III-1 bursts usually start at frequencies above any type II burst that may be present. The bursts sometimes continue beyond the time when type II emission is seen and, furthermore, sometimes occur in the absence of any type II emission. Thus the causative electrons are unlikely to be shock accelerated and probably originate in the reconnection regions below fast CMEs. A search did not find any type III-1 bursts that were not associated with CMEs. The existence of low-frequency type III bursts proves that open field lines extend from within 0.5 radius of the Sun into the interplanetary medium (the bursts start above 100 MHz, and such emission originates within 0.5 solar radius of the solar surface). Thus it is not valid to assume that only closed field lines exist in the flaring regions associated with CMEs and some

Solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zirin, H.

1974-01-01

A review of the knowledge about solar flares which has been obtained through observations from the earth and from space by various methods. High-resolution cinematography is best carried out at H-alpha wavelengths to reveal the structure, time history, and location of flares. The classification flares in H alpha according to either physical or morphological criteria is discussed. The study of flare morphology, which shows where, when, and how flares occur, is important for evaluating theories of flares. Consideration is given to studies of flares by optical spectroscopy, radio emissions, and at X-ray and XUV wavelengths. Research has shown where and possibly why flares occur, but the physics of the instability involved, of the particle acceleration, and of the heating are still not understood.

Evolution of flare ribbons, electric currents, and quasi-separatrix layers during an X-class flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janvier, M.; Savcheva, A.; Pariat, E.; Tassev, S.; Millholland, S.; Bommier, V.; McCauley, P.; McKillop, S.; Dougan, F.

2016-07-01

traces of an eruptive flare, in a complex topology, with direct measurements of electric currents and QSLs from observational data and a magnetic field model. The results, obtained by two different and independent approaches 1) confirm previous results of current increase during the impulsive phase of the flare and 2) show how NLFFF models can capture the essential physical signatures of flares even in a complex magnetic field topology. A movie associated to Fig. 1 is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Neutral pion production in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forrest, D. J.; Vestrand, W. T.; Chupp, E. L.; Rieger, E.; Cooper, J. F.; Share, G. H.

1985-01-01

The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) on SMM has detected more than 130 flares with emission approx 300 keV. More than 10 of these flares were detected at photon energies 10 MeV. Although the majority of the emission at 10 MeV must be from electron bremsstrahlung, at least two of the flares have spectral properties 40 MeV that require gamma rays from the decay of neutral pions. It is found that pion production can occur early in the impulsive phase as defined by hard X-rays near 100 keV. It is also found in one of these flares that a significant portion of this high-energy emission is produced well after the impulsive phase. This extended production phase, most clearly observed at high energies, may be a signature of the acceleration process which produces solar energetic particles (SEP's) in space.

Spectroscopic Observations of a Solar Flare and the Associated Coronal Mass Ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, S.; Tian, H.; McKillop, S.

2013-12-01

We used data from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode to examine a coronal mass ejection and a preceding flare observed on 21 November 2012 between 15:00 and 17:00 UT. Images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on the Solar Dynamics Observatory were used to align the data from EIS with specific events occurring. We analyzed spectra of a few emission lines at three locations on the flare site and one location in the erupting prominence. On the flare site, we found line profiles showing typical characteristics of chromospheric evaporation: downflows at cooler lines and upflows at hotter lines. At one particular location on the flare site, we clearly identified dominant downflows on the order of 100 km/s in lines through Fe VIII to Fe XVI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such strong high-speed downflows have been spectroscopically observed in the impulsive phase of solar flares. The profile of the Fe VIII 184.54 line reveals two peaks and we were able to use the double Gaussian fit to separate the rapid downflows of dense material from the nearly stationary coronal background emission. For the erupting prominence, we were able to analyze multiple lines, cooler and warmer, of interest using this double Gaussian fit to separate the background emission from the emission of the ejected material. Our results show that the LOS velocities of the ejected material are about 100 km/s in the lower corona. Additionally, in each region of interest, we used the ratio of the density-sensitive line pair FeXII 195/186 to determine the electron density. Our results clearly show that the coronal densities were greatly enhanced during the flare. The density of the ejected material is also much larger than the typical coronal density. This research was supported by the NSF grant for the Solar Physics REU Program at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (AGS-1263241).

Oscillations in the 45 - 5000 MHz Radio Spectrum of the 18 April 2014 Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlický, Marian; Rybák, Ján; Monstein, Christian

2017-07-01

Using a new type of oscillation map, made from the radio spectra by the wavelet technique, we study the 18 April 2014 M7.3 flare (SOL2014-04-18T13:03:00L245C017). We find a quasi-periodic character of this flare with periods in the range 65 - 115 seconds. At the very beginning of this flare, in connection with the drifting pulsation structure (plasmoid ejection), we find that the 65 - 115 s oscillation phase slowly drifts towards lower frequencies, which indicates an upward propagating wave initiated at the start of the magnetic reconnection. Many periods (1 - 200 seconds) are found in the drifting pulsation structure, which documents multi-scale and multi-periodic processes. On this drifting structure, fiber bursts with a characteristic period of about one second are superimposed, whose frequency drift is similar to that of the drifting 65 - 115 s oscillation phase. We also checked periods found in this flare by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS)/ Hinode and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) observations. We recognize the type III bursts (electron beams) as proposed, but their time coincidence with the EIS and IRIS peaks is not very good. The reason probably is that the radio spectrum is a whole-disk record consisting of all bursts from any location, while the EIS and IRIS peaks are emitted only from locations of slits in the EIS and IRIS observations.

Electron Spectral Breaking Caused by Magnetic Reconnection in Impulsive Flare Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Lun C.

2018-05-01

Using data from the Wind/3D Plasma and Energetic Particle (3DP) instrument, we have analyzed the energy spectral difference of low-energy electrons between the “impulsive” and “gradual” solar energetic particle (SEP) events during solar cycle 23. Since simulations reveal that in the exhaust of magnetic reconnection sites, electrons could form a beam structure in which the parallel speed is limited by the electron Alfvén speed (V Ae), their spectral steepening should be observable at the electron energy E e, corresponding to V Ae. In addition, the analysis of transversely oscillating coronal loops shows that in the loop-top region, where the reconnection site is located, V Ae corresponds to E e < 15 keV. We hence search for the spectral steepening of electrons in this E e range. In our search we have taken the effect of local particle acceleration at reconnecting current sheets into consideration. The effect may occur in the solar wind and impact the observed time-intensity profiles of SEPs. Our analysis shows that in the impulsive flare event, the electron spectral steepening occurs at E e = 7 ± 2 keV, whereas no steepening is seen in the gradual event. Therefore, the comparison between the impulsive and gradual SEP event lists provided by this work could be important for future investigations of particle acceleration in the corona and the solar wind.

F-region enhancements induced by solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donnelly, R. F.; Davies, K.; Grubb, R. N.; Fritz, R. B.

1976-01-01

ATS-6 total electron content (NT) observations during solar flares exhibit four types of response: (1) a sudden increase in NT (SITEC) for about 2 min with several maxima in growth rate, then a maximum or a distinct slowing in growth, followed by a slow smooth increase to a flat peak, and finally a slow decay in NT; (2) a SITEC that occurs during ionospheric storms, where NT decays abruptly after the first maximum; (3) slow enhancements devoid of distinct impulsive structure in growth rate; and (4) no distinct response in NT, even for relatively large soft X-ray flares. Flare-induced increases in NT are dominated by low-loss F2 ionization produced by 90-911-A emission. The impulsive flare component is relatively intense in the 90-911-A range, but is short lived and weak for flares near the edge of the visible solar disk and for certain slow flares. The impulsive flare component produces the rapid rise, the sharp maxima in growth rate, and the first maximum in SITECs. The slow flare components are strong in the 1-90-A range but relatively weak in the 90-911-A range and accumulatively contribute to the second maximum in type 1 and 3 events, except during storms when F2 loss rates are abnormally high in type 2 events.

BATSE Solar Flare Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, R. A.

1998-01-01

This final report describes the progress originally proposed: (1) the continued improvement of a software and database environment capable of supporting all users of BATSE solar data as well as providing scientific expertise and effort to the BATSE solar community; (2) the continued participation with the PI team and other guest investigators in the detailed analysis of the BATSE detectors' response at low energies; (3) using spectroscopic techniques to fully exploit the potential of electron time-of-flight studies; and, (4) a full search for flare gamma-ray line emission at 2.2 MeV from all GOES X-class flares observed with BATSE.

Evidence for solar flare directivity from the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer aboard the SMM satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vestrand, W. T.; Forrest, D. J.; Chupp, E. L.; Rieger, E.; Share, G. H.

1986-01-01

A number of observations from the SMM Gamma-Ray Spectrometer are presented that altogether strongly indicate that the high-energy emission from flares is anisotropic. They are: (1) the fraction of events detected at energies above 300 keV near the limb is significantly higher than is expected for isotropically emitting flares; (2) there is a statistically significant center-to-limb variation in the 300-1000-keV spectra of flares; and (3) nearly all of the events detected at above 10 MeV are located near the limb.

Models of the Solar Atmospheric Response to Flare Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allred, Joel

2011-01-01

I will present models of the solar atmospheric response to flare heating. The models solve the equations of non-LTE radiation hydrodynamics with an electron beam added as a flare energy source term. Radiative transfer is solved in detail for many important optically thick hydrogen and helium transitions and numerous optically thin EUV lines making the models ideally suited to study the emission that is produced during flares. I will pay special attention to understanding key EUV lines as well the mechanism for white light production. I will also present preliminary results of how the model solar atmosphere responds to Fletcher & Hudson type flare heating. I will compare this with the results from flare simulations using the standard thick target model.

Tunneling spectra for electrons in the lowest Landau level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnell, F. J.; Simon, Steven H.

2010-03-01

The recently developed experimental technique of time dependent capacitance spectroscopy [1] allows for measurements of high-resolution tunneling spectra of 2DEGs in the quantum Hall regime, giving a detailed probe of the single particle spectral function (electron addition and subtraction spectra). These experiments show a number of interesting features including Landau level structure, exchange enhanced Zeeman energy, Coulomb gap physics, effects of fractional quantization, as well as several key features that remain to be explained. While there has been some prior theoretical work[2] towards explaining low energy Coulomb gap features of tunneling spectra found in much earlier tunneling experiments [3], the new experiments[1] have uncovered physics outside of the prior theoretical explanations. Building on a number of these prior theoretical works, we investigate theoretically the expected tunneling spectra for electrons in low Landau levels, including the effects of electron spin and coupling to collective modes. [1] O. E. Dial, R.C. Ashoori, L.N. Pfeiffer, and K.W. West, Nature 448, 176-179 (2007) ; O. E. Dial et al, unpublished. [2] I. Aleiner et al, Phys. Rev. Lett 74 3435; (1994) S. R. E. Yang and A. MacDonald PRL 70 4110 (1993); S. He, P.M. Platzman, and B. I. Halperin, PRL 71 777 (1993). [3] J. P. Eisenstein et al, Phy. Rev. Lett. 69, 3804 (1992).

Flare Clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Title, Alan; DeRosa, Marc

2016-10-01

The continuous full disk observations provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA ) can give an observer the impression that many flare eruptions are causally related to one another. However, both detailed analyses of a number of events as well as several statistical studies have provided only rare examples or weak evidence of causal behavior. Since the mechanisms of flare triggering are not well understood, the lack of hard evidence is not surprising. For this study we looked instead for groups of flares (flare clusters) in which successive flares occur within a fixed time - the selection time. The data set used for the investigation is the flare waiting times provided by the X-ray flare detectors on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). We limited the study to flares of magnitude C5 and greater obtained during cycles 21, 22, 23, and 24. The GOES field of view includes the entire visible surface. While many flares in a cluster may come from the same active region, the larger clusters often have origins in multiple regions. The longest C5 cluster found with a linking window of 36 hours in cycles 21, 22, 23,and 24 was 54, 82, 42, and 18 days, respectively. X flares also cluster. A superposed epoch analyses demonstrates that there is a pronounced enhancement of number of C5 and and above flares that are centered on the X flare clusters. We suggest that this behavior implies that a component of the observed coordinated behavior originates from the MHD processes driven by the solar dynamo that in turn creates unstable states in the solar atmosphere. The relationship between flare clusters and magnetic centers of activity was explored as was the correlation between high flare rates and significant changes in the total solar magnetic flux,

Low-energy Spectra of Gamma-Ray Bursts from Cooling Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Jin-Jun; Huang, Yong-Feng; Wu, Xue-Feng; Zhang, Bing; Zong, Hong-Shi

2018-01-01

The low-energy spectra of gamma-ray bursts’ (GRBs) prompt emission are closely related to the energy distribution of electrons, which is further regulated by their cooling processes. We develop a numerical code to calculate the evolution of the electron distribution with given initial parameters, in which three cooling processes (i.e., adiabatic, synchrotron, and inverse Compton cooling) and the effect of a decaying magnetic field are coherently considered. A sequence of results is presented by exploring the plausible parameter space for both the fireball and the Poynting flux–dominated regime. Different cooling patterns for the electrons can be identified, and they are featured by a specific dominant cooling mechanism. Our results show that the hardening of the low-energy spectra can be attributed to the dominance of synchrotron self-Compton cooling within the internal shock model or to decaying synchrotron cooling within the Poynting flux–dominated jet scenario. These two mechanisms can be distinguished by observing the hard low-energy spectra of isolated short pulses in some GRBs. The dominance of adiabatic cooling can also lead to hard low-energy spectra when the ejecta is moving at an extreme relativistic speed. The information from the time-resolved low-energy spectra can help to probe the physical characteristics of the GRB ejecta via our numerical results.

Microwave imaging of a solar limb flare - Comparison of spectra and spatial geometry with hard X-rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmahl, E. J.; Kundu, M. R.; Dennis, B. R.

1985-01-01

A solar limb flare was mapped using the Very Large Array (VLA) together with hard X-ray (HXR) spectral and spatial observations of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. Microwave flux records from 2.8 to 19.6 GHz were instrumental in determining the burst spectrum, which has a maximum at 10 GHz. The flux spectrum and area of the burst sources were used to determine the number of electrons producing gyrosynchrotron emission, magnetic field strength, and the energy distribution of gyrosynchrotron-emitting electrons. Applying the thick target model to the HXR spectrum, the number of high energy electrons responsible for the X-ray bursts was found to be 10 to the 36th, and the electron energy distribution was approximately E exp -5, significantly different from the parameters derived from the microwave observations. The HXR imaging observations exhibit some similiarities in size and structure o the first two burst sources mapped with the VLA. However, during the initial burst, the HXR source was single and lower in the corona than the double 6 cm source. The observations are explained in terms of a single loop with an isotropic high-energy electron distribution which produced the microwaves, and a larger beamed component which produced the HXR at the feet of the loop.

IRIS, Hinode, SDO, and RHESSI Observations of a White Light Flare Produced Directly by Nonthermal Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kyoung-Sun; Imada, Shinsuke; Watanabe, Kyoko; Bamba, Yumi; Brooks, David H.

2017-02-01

An X1.6 flare occurred in active region AR 12192 on 2014 October 22 at 14:02 UT and was observed by Hinode, IRIS, SDO, and RHESSI. We analyze a bright kernel that produces a white light (WL) flare with continuum enhancement and a hard X-ray (HXR) peak. Taking advantage of the spectroscopic observations of IRIS and Hinode/EIS, we measure the temporal variation of the plasma properties in the bright kernel in the chromosphere and corona. We find that explosive evaporation was observed when the WL emission occurred, even though the intensity enhancement in hotter lines is quite weak. The temporal correlation of the WL emission, HXR peak, and evaporation flows indicates that the WL emission was produced by accelerated electrons. To understand the WL emission process, we calculated the energy flux deposited by non-thermal electrons (observed by RHESSI) and compared it to the dissipated energy estimated from a chromospheric line (Mg II triplet) observed by IRIS. The deposited energy flux from the non-thermal electrons is about (3-7.7) × 1010 erg cm-2 s-1 for a given low-energy cutoff of 30-40 keV, assuming the thick-target model. The energy flux estimated from the changes in temperature in the chromosphere measured using the Mg II subordinate line is about (4.6-6.7) × 109 erg cm-2 s-1: ˜6%-22% of the deposited energy. This comparison of estimated energy fluxes implies that the continuum enhancement was directly produced by the non-thermal electrons.

FIRST DETECTION OF >100 MeV GAMMA-RAYS ASSOCIATED WITH A BEHIND-THE-LIMB SOLAR FLARE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pesce-Rollins, M.; Omodei, N.; Petrosian, V.

2015-06-01

We report the first detection of >100 MeV gamma-rays associated with a behind-the-limb solar flare, which presents a unique opportunity to probe the underlying physics of high-energy flare emission and particle acceleration. On 2013 October 11 a GOES M1.5 class solar flare occurred ∼9.°9 behind the solar limb as observed by STEREO-B. RHESSI observed hard X-ray (HXR) emission above the limb, most likely from the flare loop-top, as the footpoints were occulted. Surprisingly, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detected >100 MeV gamma-rays for ∼30 minutes with energies up to 3 GeV. The LAT emission centroid is consistent with themore » RHESSI HXR source, but its uncertainty does not constrain the source to be located there. The gamma-ray spectra can be adequately described by bremsstrahlung radiation from relativistic electrons having a relatively hard power-law (PL) spectrum with a high-energy exponential cutoff, or by the decay of pions produced by accelerated protons and ions with an isotropic pitch-angle distribution and a PL spectrum with a number index of ∼3.8. We show that high optical depths rule out the gamma-rays originating from the flare site and a high-corona trap model requires very unusual conditions, so a scenario in which some of the particles accelerated by the CME shock travel to the visible side of the Sun to produce the observed gamma-rays may be at work.« less

First detection of >100 MeV gamma-rays associated with a behind-the-limb solar flare

DOE PAGES

Pesce-Rollins, Melissa; Omodei, Nicola; Petrosian, V.; ...

2015-05-28

Here, we report the first detection of >100 MeV gamma-rays associated with a behind-the-limb solar flare, which presents a unique opportunity to probe the underlying physics of high-energy flare emission and particle acceleration. On 2013 October 11 a GOES M1.5 class solar flare occurred ~9°.9 behind the solar limb as observed by STEREO-B. RHESSI observed hard X-ray (HXR) emission above the limb, most likely from the flare loop-top, as the footpoints were occulted. Surprisingly, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detected >100 MeV gamma-rays for ~30 minutes with energies up to 3 GeV. The LAT emission centroid is consistent withmore » the RHESSI HXR source, but its uncertainty does not constrain the source to be located there. The gamma-ray spectra can be adequately described by bremsstrahlung radiation from relativistic electrons having a relatively hard power-law (PL) spectrum with a high-energy exponential cutoff, or by the decay of pions produced by accelerated protons and ions with an isotropic pitch-angle distribution and a PL spectrum with a number index of ~3.8. Furthermore, we show that high optical depths rule out the gamma-rays originating from the flare site and a high-corona trap model requires very unusual conditions, so a scenario in which some of the particles accelerated by the CME shock travel to the visible side of the Sun to produce the observed gamma-rays may be at work.« less

Global Energetics of Solar Flares. V. Energy Closure in Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Caspi, Amir; Cohen, Christina M. S.; Holman, Gordon; Jing, Ju; Kretzschmar, Matthieu; Kontar, Eduard P.; McTiernan, James M.; Mewaldt, Richard A.; O'Flannagain, Aidan; Richardson, Ian G.; Ryan, Daniel; Warren, Harry P.; Xu, Yan

2017-02-01

In this study we synthesize the results of four previous studies on the global energetics of solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which include magnetic, thermal, nonthermal, and CME energies in 399 solar M- and X-class flare events observed during the first 3.5 yr of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. Our findings are as follows. (1) The sum of the mean nonthermal energy of flare-accelerated particles ({E}{nt}), the energy of direct heating ({E}{dir}), and the energy in CMEs ({E}{CME}), which are the primary energy dissipation processes in a flare, is found to have a ratio of ({E}{nt}+{E}{dir}+{E}{CME})/{E}{mag}=0.87+/- 0.18, compared with the dissipated magnetic free energy {E}{mag}, which confirms energy closure within the measurement uncertainties and corroborates the magnetic origin of flares and CMEs. (2) The energy partition of the dissipated magnetic free energy is: 0.51 ± 0.17 in nonthermal energy of ≥slant 6 {keV} electrons, 0.17 ± 0.17 in nonthermal ≥slant 1 {MeV} ions, 0.07 ± 0.14 in CMEs, and 0.07 ± 0.17 in direct heating. (3) The thermal energy is almost always less than the nonthermal energy, which is consistent with the thick-target model. (4) The bolometric luminosity in white-light flares is comparable to the thermal energy in soft X-rays (SXR). (5) Solar energetic particle events carry a fraction ≈ 0.03 of the CME energy, which is consistent with CME-driven shock acceleration. (6) The warm-target model predicts a lower limit of the low-energy cutoff at {e}c≈ 6 {keV}, based on the mean peak temperature of the differential emission measure of T e = 8.6 MK during flares. This work represents the first statistical study that establishes energy closure in solar flare/CME events.

Electronic energy transfer through non-adiabatic vibrational-electronic resonance. II. 1D spectra for a dimer.

PubMed

Tiwari, Vivek; Jonas, David M

2018-02-28

Vibrational-electronic resonance in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes invalidates Förster's adiabatic framework for interpreting spectra and energy transfer, thus complicating determination of how the surrounding protein affects pigment properties. This paper considers the combined effects of vibrational-electronic resonance and inhomogeneous variations in the electronic excitation energies of pigments at different sites on absorption, emission, circular dichroism, and hole-burning spectra for a non-degenerate homodimer. The non-degenerate homodimer has identical pigments in different sites that generate differences in electronic energies, with parameters loosely based on bacteriochlorophyll a pigments in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson antenna protein. To explain the intensity borrowing, the excited state vibrational-electronic eigenvectors are discussed in terms of the vibrational basis localized on the individual pigments, as well as the correlated/anti-correlated vibrational basis delocalized over both pigments. Compared to those in the isolated pigment, vibrational satellites for the correlated vibration have the same frequency and precisely a factor of 2 intensity reduction through vibrational delocalization in both absorption and emission. Vibrational satellites for anti-correlated vibrations have their relaxed emission intensity reduced by over a factor 2 through vibrational and excitonic delocalization. In absorption, anti-correlated vibrational satellites borrow excitonic intensity but can be broadened away by the combination of vibronic resonance and site inhomogeneity; in parallel, their vibronically resonant excitonic partners are also broadened away. These considerations are consistent with photosynthetic antenna hole-burning spectra, where sharp vibrational and excitonic satellites are absent. Vibrational-excitonic resonance barely alters the inhomogeneously broadened linear absorption, emission, and circular dichroism spectra from those for a

Electronic energy transfer through non-adiabatic vibrational-electronic resonance. II. 1D spectra for a dimer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Vivek; Jonas, David M.

2018-02-01

Vibrational-electronic resonance in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes invalidates Förster's adiabatic framework for interpreting spectra and energy transfer, thus complicating determination of how the surrounding protein affects pigment properties. This paper considers the combined effects of vibrational-electronic resonance and inhomogeneous variations in the electronic excitation energies of pigments at different sites on absorption, emission, circular dichroism, and hole-burning spectra for a non-degenerate homodimer. The non-degenerate homodimer has identical pigments in different sites that generate differences in electronic energies, with parameters loosely based on bacteriochlorophyll a pigments in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson antenna protein. To explain the intensity borrowing, the excited state vibrational-electronic eigenvectors are discussed in terms of the vibrational basis localized on the individual pigments, as well as the correlated/anti-correlated vibrational basis delocalized over both pigments. Compared to those in the isolated pigment, vibrational satellites for the correlated vibration have the same frequency and precisely a factor of 2 intensity reduction through vibrational delocalization in both absorption and emission. Vibrational satellites for anti-correlated vibrations have their relaxed emission intensity reduced by over a factor 2 through vibrational and excitonic delocalization. In absorption, anti-correlated vibrational satellites borrow excitonic intensity but can be broadened away by the combination of vibronic resonance and site inhomogeneity; in parallel, their vibronically resonant excitonic partners are also broadened away. These considerations are consistent with photosynthetic antenna hole-burning spectra, where sharp vibrational and excitonic satellites are absent. Vibrational-excitonic resonance barely alters the inhomogeneously broadened linear absorption, emission, and circular dichroism spectra from those for a

Advances In Understanding Solar And Stellar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam F.

2016-07-01

Flares result from the sudden reconnection and relaxation of magnetic fields in the coronae of stellar atmospheres. The highly dynamic atmospheric response produces radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from the radio to X-rays, on a range of timescales, from seconds to days. New high resolution data of solar flares have revealed the intrinsic spatial properties of the flaring chromosphere, which is thought to be where the majority of the flare energy is released as radiation in the optical and near-UV continua and emission lines. New data of stellar flares have revealed the detailed properties of the broadband (white-light) continuum emission, which provides straightforward constraints for models of the transformation of stored magnetic energy in the corona into thermal energy of the lower atmosphere. In this talk, we discuss the physical processes that produce several important spectral phenomena in the near-ultraviolet and optical as revealed from new radiative-hydrodynamic models of flares on the Sun and low mass stars. We present recent progress with high-flux nonthermal electron beams in reproducing the observed optical continuum color temperature of T 10,000 K and the Balmer jump properties in the near-ultraviolet. These beams produce dense, heated chromospheric condensations, which can explain the shape and strength of the continuum emission in M dwarf flares and the red-wing asymmetries in the chromospheric emission lines in recent observations of solar flares from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. Current theoretical challenges and future modeling directions will be discussed, as well as observational synergies between solar and stellar flares.

Electron-plasmon and electron-phonon satellites in the angle-resolved photoelectron spectra of n -doped anatase TiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caruso, Fabio; Verdi, Carla; Poncé, Samuel; Giustino, Feliciano

2018-04-01

We develop a first-principles approach based on many-body perturbation theory to investigate the effects of the interaction between electrons and carrier plasmons on the electronic properties of highly doped semiconductors and oxides. Through the evaluation of the electron self-energy, we account simultaneously for electron-plasmon and electron-phonon coupling in theoretical calculations of angle-resolved photoemission spectra, electron linewidths, and relaxation times. We apply this methodology to electron-doped anatase TiO2 as an illustrative example. The simulated spectra indicate that electron-plasmon coupling in TiO2 underpins the formation of satellites at energies comparable to those of polaronic spectral features. At variance with phonons, however, the energy of plasmons and their spectral fingerprints depends strongly on the carrier concentration, revealing a complex interplay between plasmon and phonon satellites. The electron-plasmon interaction accounts for approximately 40% of the total electron-boson interaction strength, and it is key to improve the agreement with measured quasiparticle spectra.

HF Accelerated Electron Fluxes, Spectra, and Ionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Herbert C.; Jensen, Joseph B.

2015-10-01

Wave particle interactions, an essential aspect of laboratory, terrestrial, and astrophysical plasmas, have been studied for decades by transmitting high power HF radio waves into Earth's weakly ionized space plasma, to use it as a laboratory without walls. Application to HF electron acceleration remains an active area of research (Gurevich in Usp Fizicheskikh Nauk 177(11):1145-1177, 2007) today. HF electron acceleration studies began when plasma line observations proved (Carlson et al. in J Atmos Terr Phys 44:1089-1100, 1982) that high power HF radio wave-excited processes accelerated electrons not to ~eV, but instead to -100 times thermal energy (10 s of eV), as a consequence of inelastic collision effects on electron transport. Gurevich et al (J Atmos Terr Phys 47:1057-1070, 1985) quantified the theory of this transport effect. Merging experiment with theory in plasma physics and aeronomy, enabled prediction (Carlson in Adv Space Res 13:1015-1024, 1993) of creating artificial ionospheres once ~GW HF effective radiated power could be achieved. Eventual confirmation of this prediction (Pedersen et al. in Geophys Res Lett 36:L18107, 2009; Pedersen et al. in Geophys Res Lett 37:L02106, 2010; Blagoveshchenskaya et al. in Ann Geophys 27:131-145, 2009) sparked renewed interest in optical inversion to estimate electron spectra in terrestrial (Hysell et al. in J Geophys Res Space Phys 119:2038-2045, 2014) and planetary (Simon et al. in Ann Geophys 29:187-195, 2011) atmospheres. Here we present our unpublished optical data, which combined with our modeling, lead to conclusions that should meaningfully improve future estimates of the spectrum of HF accelerated electron fluxes. Photometric imaging data can significantly improve detection of emissions near ionization threshold, and confirm depth of penetration of accelerated electrons many km below the excitation altitude. Comparing observed to modeled emission altitude shows future experiments need electron density profiles

Explosive Chromospheric Evaporation and Warm Rain in a GOES C3 Flare Observed by IRIS, Hinode/EIS, and RHESSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brosius, J. W.; Inglis, A. R.

2017-12-01

IRIS and Hinode/EIS observed a C3.1 flare in AR 12002 in stare mode on 2014 March 15.GOES observed the flare to start at 00:21:35 UT and peak at 00:26:30 UT. The IRIS slitwas pointed near the center of the flare while the EIS slit was pointed 35 arcsec westof the IRIS slit. About 4 minutes before the GOES flare start, the C II and Si IV lineintensities observed by IRIS became (and remained) significantly greater than theirpre-flare average values; this indicates that the flare had begun and that thechromosphere and transition region were involved. IRIS first detected significant,blueshifted Fe XXI emission at 00:22:42 UT, by which time the C II and Si IV lineintensities had increased by factors around 100 and their profiles were significantlyredshifted. This combination of simultaneous, cospatial blueshifted Fe XXI emissionwith redshifted C II and Si IV emission indicates explosive chromospheric evaporation.SDO's HMI observed a localized area of enhanced magnetic field strength toward thesouthernmost portion of the EIS slit's position that appears to be connected to theflare site by faint loops evident in AIA 131 A emission. EIS spectra at this locationreveal intensity enhancements by factors up to about 1.7 in the Fe XIV and Fe XVI lineemission, and the emergence of faint Fe XXIII emission that is too weak to measurevelocities. Emission lines from the two coronal ions show redshifts of about 9 km/saround 00:24:00 UT. The density sensitive line intensity ratio of Fe XIV 264.7/274.2observed by EIS reveals an increase of electron density from (1.03+/-0.20)X10^9 /cm^3before the flare to (3.58+/-0.68)X10^9 /cm^3 during the flare. This combination ofredshifted coronal line emission and increased coronal electron density is consistentwith explosively evaporated flare material observed by IRIS falling as warm rain andaccumulating in the remote area observed by EIS. A thermal/nonthermal fit to the hardX-ray spectrum observed by RHESSI yields a nonthermal energy injection

The evolution of flaring and non-flaring active regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilcik, A.; Yurchyshyn, V.; Sahin, S.; Sarp, V.; Obridko, V.; Ozguc, A.; Rozelot, J. P.

2018-06-01

According to the modified Zurich classification, sunspot groups are classified into seven different classes (A, B, C, D, E, F and H) based on their morphology and evolution. In this classification, classes A and B, which are small groups, describe the beginning of sunspot evolution, while classes D, E and F describe the large and evolved groups. Class C describes the middle phase of sunspot evolution and the class H describes the end of sunspot evolution. Here, we compare the lifetime and temporal evolution of flaring and non-flaring active regions (ARs), and the flaring effect on ARs in these groups in detail for the last two solar cycles (1996 through 2016). Our main findings are as follows: (i) Flaring sunspot groups have longer lifetimes than non-flaring ones. (ii) Most of the class A, B and C flaring ARs rapidly evolve to higher classes, while this is not applicable for non-flaring ARs. More than 50 per cent of the flaring A, B and C groups changed morphologically, while the remaining D, E, F and H groups did not change remarkably after the flare activity. (iii) 75 per cent of all flaring sunspot groups are large and complex. (iv) There is a significant increase in the sunspot group area in classes A, B, C, D and H after flaring activity. In contrast, the sunspot group area of classes E and F decreased. The sunspot counts of classes D, E and F decreased as well, while classes A, B, C and H showed an increase.

An Intense Polarized Radio Flare from AR Lac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutel, R. L.; Neff, J. E.; Bookbinder, J.; Pagano, I.

1992-12-01

We have detected an intense, highly circularly polarized radio flare from the close binary system AR Lacertae during a 4 day multi-wavelength observing campaign in 1991 December. The flare lasted more than 6 hours and was preceded by a strong CIV flare one day earlier. The peak circular polarization was 70%, 38%,and 39% RCP at 1.4, 4.9, and 8.4 GHz respectively, with ~ 15% LCP at 15 and 22 GHZ. The high degree of circular polarization over such a large time scale and frequency range is highly unusual compared with previously observed radio flares from RS CVn binaries. Given these unusual characteristics, it is difficult to interpret the radiation mechanism either as a result of gyrosynchrotron emission or a coherent process such as an electron cyclotron maser.

Imaging X-Ray Polarimeter for Solar Flares (IXPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosack, Michael; Black, J. Kevin; Deines-Jones, Philip; Dennis, Brian R.; Hill, Joanne E.; Jahoda, Keith; Shih, Albert Y.; Urba, Christian E.; Emslie, A. Gordon

2011-01-01

We describe the design of a balloon-borne Imaging X-ray Polarimeter for Solar flares (IX PS). This novel instrument, a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) for photoelectric polarimetry, will be capable of measuring polarization at the few percent level in the 20-50 keV energy range during an M- or X class flare, and will provide imaging information at the approx.10 arcsec level. The primary objective of such observations is to determine the directivity of nonthermal high-energy electrons producing solar hard X-rays, and hence to learn about the particle acceleration and energy release processes in solar flares. Secondary objectives include the separation of the thermal and nonthermal components of the flare X-ray emissions and the separation of photospheric albedo fluxes from direct emissions.

Radio-flaring Ultracool Dwarf Population Synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Route, Matthew

2017-08-01

Over a dozen ultracool dwarfs (UCDs), low-mass objects of spectral types ≥M7, are known to be sources of radio flares. These typically several-minutes-long radio bursts can be up to 100% circularly polarized and have high brightness temperatures, consistent with coherent emission via the electron cyclotron maser operating in approximately kilogauss magnetic fields. Recently, the statistical properties of the bulk physical parameters that describe these UCDs have become described adequately enough to permit synthesis of the population of radio-flaring objects. For the first time, I construct a Monte Carlo simulator to model the population of these radio-flaring UCDs. This simulator is powered by Intel Secure Key (ISK), a new processor technology that uses a local entropy source to improve random number generation that has heretofore been used to improve cryptography. The results from this simulator indicate that only ˜5% of radio-flaring UCDs within the local interstellar neighborhood (<25 pc away) have been discovered. I discuss a number of scenarios that may explain this radio-flaring fraction and suggest that the observed behavior is likely a result of several factors. The performance of ISK as compared to other pseudorandom number generators is also evaluated, and its potential utility for other astrophysical codes is briefly described.

Simulation of electron energy loss spectra of nanomaterials with linear-scaling density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Tait, E. W.; Ratcliff, L. E.; Payne, M. C.; ...

2016-04-20

Experimental techniques for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) combine high energy resolution with high spatial resolution. They are therefore powerful tools for investigating the local electronic structure of complex systems such as nanostructures, interfaces and even individual defects. Interpretation of experimental electron energy loss spectra is often challenging and can require theoretical modelling of candidate structures, which themselves may be large and complex, beyond the capabilities of traditional cubic-scaling density functional theory. In this work, we present functionality to compute electron energy loss spectra within the onetep linear-scaling density functional theory code. We first demonstrate that simulated spectra agree withmore » those computed using conventional plane wave pseudopotential methods to a high degree of precision. The ability of onetep to tackle large problems is then exploited to investigate convergence of spectra with respect to supercell size. As a result, we apply the novel functionality to a study of the electron energy loss spectra of defects on the (1 0 1) surface of an anatase slab and determine concentrations of defects which might be experimentally detectable.« less

INTERMITTENCY AND MULTIFRACTALITY SPECTRA OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD IN SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abramenko, Valentyna; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl

We present the results of a study of intermittency and multifractality of magnetic structures in solar active regions (ARs). Line-of-sight magnetograms for 214 ARs of different flare productivity observed at the center of the solar disk from 1997 January until 2006 December are utilized. Data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory operating in the high resolution mode, the Big Bear Solar Observatory digital magnetograph, and the Hinode SOT/SP instrument were used. Intermittency spectra were derived from high-order structure functions and flatness functions. The flatness function exponent is a measure of the degreemore » of intermittency. We found that the flatness function exponent at scales below approximately 10 Mm is correlated with flare productivity (the correlation coefficient is -0.63). The Hinode data show that the intermittency regime is extended toward small scales (below 2 Mm) as compared to the MDI data. The spectra of multifractality, derived from the structure functions and flatness functions, are found to be broader for ARs of higher flare productivity as compared to those of low flare productivity. The magnetic structure of high-flaring ARs consists of a voluminous set of monofractals, and this set is much richer than that for low-flaring ARs. The results indicate the relevance of the multifractal organization of the photospheric magnetic fields to the flaring activity. The strong intermittency observed in complex and high-flaring ARs is a hint that we observe a photospheric imprint of enhanced sub-photospheric dynamics.« less

“Orphan” γ-Ray Flares and Stationary Sheaths of Blazar Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, Nicholas R.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Marscher, Alan P.

2017-11-01

Blazars exhibit flares across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Many γ-ray flares are highly correlated with flares detected at longer wavelengths; however, a small subset appears to occur in isolation, with little or no correlated variability at longer wavelengths. These “orphan” γ-ray flares challenge current models of blazar variability, most of which are unable to reproduce this type of behavior. MacDonald et al. have developed the Ring of Fire model to explain the origin of orphan γ-ray flares from within blazar jets. In this model, electrons contained within a blob of plasma moving relativistically along the spine of the jet inverse-Compton scatter synchrotron photons emanating off of a ring of shocked sheath plasma that enshrouds the jet spine. As the blob propagates through the ring, the scattering of the ring photons by the blob electrons creates an orphan γ-ray flare. This model was successfully applied to modeling a prominent orphan γ-ray flare observed in the blazar PKS 1510-089. To further support the plausibility of this model, MacDonald et al. presented a stacked radio map of PKS 1510-089 containing the polarimetric signature of a sheath of plasma surrounding the spine of the jet. In this paper, we extend our modeling and stacking techniques to a larger sample of blazars: 3C 273, 4C 71.01, 3C 279, 1055+018, CTA 102, and 3C 345, the majority of which have exhibited orphan γ-ray flares. We find that the model can successfully reproduce these flares, while our stacked maps reveal the existence of jet sheaths within these blazars.

Electronic spectra from TDDFT and machine learning in chemical space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramakrishnan, Raghunathan; Hartmann, Mia; Tapavicza, Enrico

Due to its favorable computational efficiency, time-dependent (TD) density functional theory (DFT) enables the prediction of electronic spectra in a high-throughput manner across chemical space. Its predictions, however, can be quite inaccurate. We resolve this issue with machine learning models trained on deviations of reference second-order approximate coupled-cluster (CC2) singles and doubles spectra from TDDFT counterparts, or even from DFT gap. We applied this approach to low-lying singlet-singlet vertical electronic spectra of over 20 000 synthetically feasible small organic molecules with up to eight CONF atoms. The prediction errors decay monotonously as a function of training set size. For amore » training set of 10 000 molecules, CC2 excitation energies can be reproduced to within +/- 0.1 eV for the remaining molecules. Analysis of our spectral database via chromophore counting suggests that even higher accuracies can be achieved. Based on the evidence collected, we discuss open challenges associated with data-driven modeling of high-lying spectra and transition intensities.« less

Track Structure Model for Radial Distributions of Electron Spectra and Event Spectra from High-Energy Ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, F. A.; Katz, R.; Wilson, J. W.

1998-01-01

An analytic method is described for evaluating the average radial electron spectrum and the radial and total frequency-event spectrum for high-energy ions. For high-energy ions, indirect events make important contributions to frequency-event spectra. The method used for evaluating indirect events is to fold the radial electron spectrum with measured frequency-event spectrum for photons or electrons. The contribution from direct events is treated using a spatially restricted linear energy transfer (LET). We find that high-energy heavy ions have a significantly reduced frequency-averaged final energy (yF) compared to LET, while relativistic protons have a significantly increased yF and dose-averaged lineal energy (yD) for typical site sizes used in tissue equivalent proportional counters. Such differences represent important factors in evaluating event spectra with laboratory beams, in space- flight, or in atmospheric radiation studies and in validation of radiation transport codes. The inadequacy of LET as descriptor because of deviations in values of physical quantities, such as track width, secondary electron spectrum, and yD for ions of identical LET is also discussed.

Measuring X-ray anisotropy in solar flares. Prospective stereoscopic capabilities of STIX and MiSolFA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casadei, Diego; Jeffrey, Natasha L. S.; Kontar, Eduard P.

2017-09-01

Context. During a solar flare, a large percentage of the magnetic energy released goes into the kinetic energy of non-thermal particles, with X-ray observations providing a direct connection to keV flare-accelerated electrons. However, the electron angular distribution, a prime diagnostic tool of the acceleration mechanism and transport, is poorly known. Aims: During the next solar maximum, two upcoming space-borne X-ray missions, STIX on board Solar Orbiter and MiSolFA, will perform stereoscopic X-ray observations of solar flares at two different locations: STIX at 0.28 AU (at perihelion) and up to inclinations of 25°, and MiSolFA in a low-Earth orbit. The combined observations from these cross-calibrated detectors will allow us to infer the electron anisotropy of individual flares confidently for the first time. Methods: We simulated both instrumental and physical effects for STIX and MiSolFA including thermal shielding, background and X-ray Compton backscattering (albedo effect) in the solar photosphere. We predict the expected number of observable flares available for stereoscopic measurements during the next solar maximum. We also discuss the range of useful spacecraft observation angles for the challenging case of close-to-isotropic flare anisotropy. Results: The simulated results show that STIX and MiSolFA will be capable of detecting low levels of flare anisotropy, for M1-class or stronger flares, even with a relatively small spacecraft angular separation of 20-30°. Both instruments will directly measure the flare X-ray anisotropy of about 40 M- and X-class solar flares during the next solar maximum. Conclusions: Near-future stereoscopic observations with Solar Orbiter/STIX and MiSolFA will help distinguishing between competing flare-acceleration mechanisms, and provide essential constraints regarding collisional and non-collisional transport processes occurring in the flaring atmosphere for individual solar flares.

Spectroscopic Diagnostics of the Non-Maxwellian κ-distributions Using SDO/EVE Observations of the 2012 March 7 X-class Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzifčáková, Elena; Zemanová, Alena; Dudík, Jaroslav; Mackovjak, Šimon

2018-02-01

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 κ-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 κ-distributions are calculated using the KAPPA database. We find strong departures (κ ≲ 2) during the early and impulsive phases of the flare, with subsequent thermalization of the flare plasma during the gradual phase. If the temperatures are diagnosed from a single line ratio, the results are strongly dependent on the value of κ. For κ = 2, we find temperatures about a factor of two higher than the commonly used Maxwellian ones. The non-Maxwellian effects could also cause the temperatures diagnosed from line ratios and from the ratio of GOES X-ray channels to be different. Multithermal analysis reveals the plasma to be strongly multithermal at all times with flat DEMs. For lower κ, the {{DEM}}κ are shifted toward higher temperatures. The only parameter that is nearly independent of κ is electron density, where we find log({n}{{e}} [{{cm}}-3]) ≈ 11.5 almost independently of time. We conclude that the non-Maxwellian effects are important and should be taken into account when analyzing solar flare observations, including spectroscopic and imaging ones.

Simulation of femtosecond two-dimensional electronic spectra of conical intersections

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krčmář, Jindřich; Gelin, Maxim F.; Domcke, Wolfgang

2015-08-21

We have simulated femtosecond two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra for an excited-state conical intersection using the wave-function version of the equation-of-motion phase-matching approach. We show that 2D spectra at fixed values of the waiting time provide information on the structure of the vibronic eigenstates of the conical intersection, while the evolution of the spectra with the waiting time reveals predominantly ground-state wave-packet dynamics. The results show that 2D spectra of conical intersection systems differ significantly from those obtained for chromophores with well separated excited-state potential-energy surfaces. The spectral signatures which can be attributed to conical intersections are discussed.

Electron-proton spectrometer: Summary for critical design review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The electron-proton spectrometer (EPS) is mounted external to the Skylab module complex on the command service module. It is designed to make a 2 pi omni-directional measurement of electrons and protons which result from solar flares or enhancement of the radiation belts. The EPS data will provide accurate radiation dose information so that uncertain Relative biological effectiveness factors are eliminated by measuring the external particle spectra. Astronaut radiation safety, therefore, can be ensured, as the EPS data can be used to correct or qualify radiation dose measurements recorded by other radiation measuring instrumentation within the Skylab module complex. The EPS has the capability of measuring and extremely wide dynamic radiation dose rate range, approaching 10 to the 7th power. Simultaneously the EPS has the capability to process data from extremely high radiation fields such as might be encountered in the wake of an intense solar flare.

Spectral Analysis Flare ribbons by NST and IRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Nengyi; Xu, Yan; Wang, Haimin; Jing, Ju

2017-08-01

As one of the most powerful phenomena of solar activities, flares have long been observed and studied extensively. Taking advantages of observing capabilities of modern solar telescopes and focal-plane instruments such as the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at Big Bear Solar observatory (BBSO), we are able to obtain high resolution imaging spectroscopic data in UV, visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Here we present the spectral analysis of an M6.5 flare (SOL2015-06-22T18:23) which was well covered by the joint observation of IRIS and NST. In the visible wavelengths H-alpha and TiO, we can separate the flare ribbon into a very narrow leading front and faint trailing component, of which the former is characterized by the intense emission and significant Doppler signals. In the IRIS UV spectra, the ribbon front shows distinct properties, such as the line broadening, Doppler shifts and central reversal pattern, which are consistent with the visible observations. These characteristics suggest that the ribbon front to be the p

The Electronic Structure and Spectra of Triphenylamines Functionalized by Phenylethynyl Groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baryshnikov, G. V.; Minaeva, V. A.; Minaev, B. F.; Grigoras, M.

2018-01-01

We study the features of the electronic structure and the IR, UV, and visible spectra of a series of triphenylamines substituted with phenylethynyl groups. The analysis is performed at the level of the density functional theory (DFT) and its nonstationary version in comparison with the experimental data of IR and electron spectroscopy. It is shown that, in the excited state, there is a change in the alternation of single, double, and triple bonds in accordance with the character of bonding and antibonding in the lowest vacant molecular orbital. The gradual introduction of additional phenylethynyl groups does not cause frequency shifts in the IR spectra of the molecules under study, but significantly affects the intensity of the corresponding IR bands. A similar effect is also observed in the electronic-absorption spectra of these compounds. This can be used for optical tuning of triphenylamines as promising materials for organic light-emitting diodes and solar cells.

Hydrogen Balmer Line Broadening in Solar and Stellar Flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.; Uitenbroek, Han

2017-03-10

The broadening of the hydrogen lines during flares is thought to result from increased charge (electron, proton) density in the flare chromosphere. However, disagreements between theory and modeling prescriptions have precluded an accurate diagnostic of the degree of ionization and compression resulting from flare heating in the chromosphere. To resolve this issue, we have incorporated the unified theory of electric pressure broadening of the hydrogen lines into the non-LTE radiative-transfer code RH. This broadening prescription produces a much more realistic spectrum of the quiescent, A0 star Vega compared to the analytic approximations used as a damping parameter in the Voigtmore » profiles. We test recent radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of the atmospheric response to high nonthermal electron beam fluxes with the new broadening prescription and find that the Balmer lines are overbroadened at the densest times in the simulations. Adding many simultaneously heated and cooling model loops as a “multithread” model improves the agreement with the observations. We revisit the three-component phenomenological flare model of the YZ CMi Megaflare using recent and new RHD models. The evolution of the broadening, line flux ratios, and continuum flux ratios are well-reproduced by a multithread model with high-flux nonthermal electron beam heating, an extended decay phase model, and a “hot spot” atmosphere heated by an ultrarelativistic electron beam with reasonable filling factors: ∼0.1%, 1%, and 0.1% of the visible stellar hemisphere, respectively. The new modeling motivates future work to understand the origin of the extended gradual phase emission.« less

Hydrogen Balmer Line Broadening in Solar and Stellar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.; Uitenbroek, Han; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel; Brown, Stephen; Carlsson, Mats; Osten, Rachel A.; Wisniewski, John P.; Hawley, Suzanne L.

2017-01-01

The broadening of the hydrogen lines during flares is thought to result from increased charge (electron, proton) density in the flare chromosphere. However, disagreements between theory and modeling prescriptions have precluded an accurate diagnostic of the degree of ionization and compression resulting from flare heating in the chromosphere. To resolve this issue, we have incorporated the unified theory of electric pressure broadening of the hydrogen lines into the non-LTE radiative-transfer code RH. This broadening prescription produces a much more realistic spectrum of the quiescent, A0 star Vega compared to the analytic approximations used as a damping parameter in the Voigt profiles. We test recent radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of the atmospheric response to high nonthermal electron beam fluxes with the new broadening prescription and find that the Balmer lines are overbroadened at the densest times in the simulations. Adding many simultaneously heated and cooling model loops as a 'multithread' model improves the agreement with the observations. We revisit the three component phenomenological flare model of the YZ CMi Megaflare using recent and new RHD models. The evolution of the broadening, line flux ratios, and continuum flux ratios are well-reproduced by a multithread model with high-flux nonthermal electron beam heating, an extended decay phase model, and a 'hot spot' atmosphere heated by an ultra relativistic electron beam with reasonable filling factors: approximately 0.1%, 1%, and 0.1% of the visible stellar hemisphere, respectively. The new modeling motivates future work to understand the origin of the extended gradual phase emission.

Hydrogen Balmer Line Broadening in Solar and Stellar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam F.; Allred, Joel C.; Uitenbroek, Han; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel; Brown, Stephen; Carlsson, Mats; Osten, Rachel A.; Wisniewski, John P.; Hawley, Suzanne L.

2017-03-01

The broadening of the hydrogen lines during flares is thought to result from increased charge (electron, proton) density in the flare chromosphere. However, disagreements between theory and modeling prescriptions have precluded an accurate diagnostic of the degree of ionization and compression resulting from flare heating in the chromosphere. To resolve this issue, we have incorporated the unified theory of electric pressure broadening of the hydrogen lines into the non-LTE radiative-transfer code RH. This broadening prescription produces a much more realistic spectrum of the quiescent, A0 star Vega compared to the analytic approximations used as a damping parameter in the Voigt profiles. We test recent radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of the atmospheric response to high nonthermal electron beam fluxes with the new broadening prescription and find that the Balmer lines are overbroadened at the densest times in the simulations. Adding many simultaneously heated and cooling model loops as a “multithread” model improves the agreement with the observations. We revisit the three-component phenomenological flare model of the YZ CMi Megaflare using recent and new RHD models. The evolution of the broadening, line flux ratios, and continuum flux ratios are well-reproduced by a multithread model with high-flux nonthermal electron beam heating, an extended decay phase model, and a “hot spot” atmosphere heated by an ultrarelativistic electron beam with reasonable filling factors: ˜0.1%, 1%, and 0.1% of the visible stellar hemisphere, respectively. The new modeling motivates future work to understand the origin of the extended gradual phase emission.

Flare activity and photospheric analysis of Proxima Centauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlenko, Y.; Suárez Mascareño, A.; Rebolo, R.; Lodieu, N.; Béjar, V. J. S.; González Hernández, J. I.

2017-10-01

Context. We present the analysis of emission lines in high-resolution optical spectra of the planet-host star Proxima Centauri (Proxima) classified as a M5.5V. Aims: We carry out a detailed analysis of the observed spectra to get a better understanding of the physical conditions of the atmosphere of this star. Methods: We identify the emission lines in a series of 147 high-resolution optical spectra of the star at different levels of activity and compare them with the synthetic spectra computed over a wide spectral range. Results: Our synthetic spectra computed with the PHOENIX 2900/5.0/0.0 model atmosphere fits the observed spectral energy distribution from optical to near-infrared quite well. However, modelling strong atomic lines in the blue spectrum (3900-4200 Å) requires implementing additional opacity. We show that high-temperature layers in Proxima Centauri consist of at least three emitting parts: a) a stellar chromosphere where numerous emission lines form; we suggest that some emission cores of strong absorption lines of metals form there; b) flare regions above the chromosphere, where hydrogen Balmer lines up to high transition levels (10-2) form; and c) a stellar wind component with Vr = -30 km s-1 seen in some Balmer lines as blueshifted emission lines. We believe that the observed He line at 4026 Å in emission can be formed in that very hot region. Conclusions: We show that the real structure of the atmosphere of Proxima is rather complicated. The photosphere of the star is best fit by a normal M5 dwarf spectrum. On the other hand, emission lines form in the chromosphere, flare regions, and extended hot envelope. The movies are available at http://www.aanda.org

Study of optical and electronic properties of nickel from reflection electron energy loss spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, H.; Yang, L. H.; Da, B.; Tóth, J.; Tőkési, K.; Ding, Z. J.

2017-09-01

We use the classical Monte Carlo transport model of electrons moving near the surface and inside solids to reproduce the measured reflection electron energy-loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectra. With the combination of the classical transport model and the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling of oscillator parameters the so-called reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) method was developed, and used to obtain optical constants of Ni in this work. A systematic study of the electronic and optical properties of Ni has been performed in an energy loss range of 0-200 eV from the measured REELS spectra at primary energies of 1000 eV, 2000 eV and 3000 eV. The reliability of our method was tested by comparing our results with the previous data. Moreover, the accuracy of our optical data has been confirmed by applying oscillator strength-sum rule and perfect-screening-sum rule.

Comparing the Chromospheric Response to Different Flare Energy Transport Mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, G. S.; Reep, J. W.; Allred, J. C.; Russell, A. J. B.; Leake, J. E.; Tarr, L.

2017-12-01

The chromosphere is the origin of the bulk of the enhanced radiative output during solar flares, and so the mechanism(s) by which energy is transported from the release site to the chromosphere is a crucial ingredient in our understanding of flare physics. In the standard model of solar flares, non-thermal particle beams (typically electrons) transport energy from the corona to the chromosphere. While this model has been supported by flare observations, and while flare simulations employing this model have been successful in reproducing the observational characteristics of flares, there have been suggestions that electron beams are not the sole energy transport mechanism at play. Originally proposed by Emslie and Sturrock (1982), and revisited by Fletcher and Hudson (2008) the dissipation of downward propagating Alfvénic waves have been posited as an additional, or alternative, energy transport mechanism. Reep & Russell (2016) and Kerr et al (2016) used the WKB approximation to simulate flares in which energy was transported via Alfven waves. This model has been further developed to more realistically model wave energy transport by including the wave travel time (Reep et al, in prep). We present the radiative response of the solar chromosphere to energy input using both the standard electron beam mechanism, and using the updated Alfven wave mechanism, simulated using the radiation hydrodynamics code RADYN. We will show the formation properties of the Mg II and C II resonance lines, and the Mg II subordinate lines, all of which can be observed by the IRIS spacecraft, and the Ca II 8542 line which can be routinely observed from ground based observatories, commenting on any key differences in the formation of these lines in the different simulations that may be present. Finally we discuss other, less observed, chromospheric spectral lines such as Ly-alpha and He II 304 and their potential as tools to discriminate between the models, in order to determine what future

Electronic Spectra from Molecular Dynamics: A Simple Approach.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

82.30.Cr. 33.20K. S2.40.1s The authors provided phototypeset copy for this paper using REFER TlL EON, TOFF On UNIX I ELECTRONIC SPECTRA FROM MOLECULAR...Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, NM 87545 I. INTRODUCTION In this paper we show how molecular dynamics can be used in a simple manner to com...could equally use Monte Carlo or explicit integration over coordinates to compute equilibrium electronic absorption bands. How- ever, molecular

Chromospheric Response during the Precursor and the Main Phase of a B6.4 Flare on 2005 August 20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awasthi, Arun Kumar; Rudawy, Pawel; Falewicz, Robert; Berlicki, Arkadiusz; Liu, Rui

2018-05-01

Solar flare precursors depict a constrained rate of energy release, in contrast to the imminent rapid energy release, which calls for a different regime of plasma processes to be at play. Due to the subtle emission during the precursor phase, its diagnostics remain delusive, revealing either nonthermal electrons (NTEs) or thermal conduction to be the driver. In this regard, we investigate the chromospheric response during various phases of a B6.4 flare on 2005 August 20. Spatiotemporal investigation of flare ribbon enhancement during the precursor phase, carried out using spectra images recorded in several wavelength positions on the Hα line profile, revealed its delayed response (180 s) compared to the X-ray emission, as well as a sequential increment in the width of the line profile, which are indicative of a slow heating process. However, the energy contained in the Hα emission during the precursor phase can reach as high as 80% of that estimated during the main phase. Additionally, the plasma hydrodynamics during the precursor phase, resulting from the application of a single-loop one-dimensional model, revealed the presence of a power-law extension in the model-generated X-ray spectra, with a flux lower than the RHESSI background. Therefore, our multiwavelength diagnostics and hydrodynamical modeling of the precursor emission indicates the role of a two-stage process. First, reconnection-triggered NTEs, although too small in flux to overcome the observational constraints, thermalize in the upper chromosphere. This leads to the generation of a slow conduction front, which causes plasma heating during the precursor phase.

Numerical simulations of loops heated to solar flare temperatures. III - Asymmetrical heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, C.-C.; Doschek, G. A.; Karpen, J. T.

1984-01-01

A numerical model is defined for asymmetric full solar flare loop heating and comparisons are made with observational data. The Dynamic Flux Tube Model is used to describe the heating process in terms of one-dimensional, two fluid conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum. An adaptive grid allows for the downward movement of the transition region caused by an advancing conduction front. A loop 20,000 km long is considered, along with a flare heating system and the hydrodynamic evolution of the loop. The model was applied to generating line profiles and spatial X-ray and UV line distributions, which were compared with SMM, P78-1 and Hintori data for Fe, Ca and Mg spectra. Little agreement was obtained, and it is suggested that flares be treated as multi-loop phenomena. Finally, it is concluded that chromospheric evaporation is not an effective mechanism for generating the soft X-ray bursts associated with flares.

Discovery of decaHz flaring in SAX J1808.4-3658

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bult, P.

2014-01-01

We report on the discovery of strong decaHz flaring in the early decay of two out of five outbursts of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658. The decaHz flaring switches on and, after ~3 days, off again, on a time scale of 1-2 hours. When the flaring is present, the total 0.05-10 Hz variability has a fractional rms amplitude of 20 to 30 percent, well in excess of the 8 to 12 percent rms broad-band noise usually seen in power spectra of SAX J1808 in this frequency range. Coherent 401 Hz pulsations are seen throughout the observations in which the decaHz flaring is detected. We find that the absolute amplitude of the pulsations varies with the flux modulation of the decaHz flaring, indicating that the flaring is caused by an accretion rate modulation already present in the accretion flow prior to matter entering the accretion funnel. We suggest that the decaHz flaring is the result of the Spruit-Taam instability [1]. This instability arises when the inner accretion disk approaches co-rotation. The rotation of the stellar magnetosphere then acts as a propeller, suppressing accretion onto the neutron star. A matter reservoir forms in the inner accretion disk, which episodically empties onto the neutron star, causing flares at a decaHz timescale. A similar explanation was proposed earlier for 1 Hz flaring occurring late in three of five outbursts, mutually exclusive with the decaHz flaring. The 1 Hz flaring was observed at luminosities a factor 5 to 10 below where we see the decaHz flaring. That a different branch of the Spruit-Taam instability could also act at the much higher luminosity levels of the decaHz flaring had recently been predicted by D'Angelo & Spruit [2, 3]. We discuss these findings in the context of the parameters of the Spruit-Taam-d'Angelo model of the instability. If confirmed, after millisecond pulsations, 1 Hz and decaHz flaring would be another diagnostic of the presence of a magnetosphere in accreting low-magnetic field neutron

Calcium ionization balance and argon/calcium abundance in solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonucci, E.; Marocchi, D.; Gabriel, A. H.; Doschek, G. A.

1987-12-01

An earlier analysis of solar flare calcium spectra from XRP and P78-1 aimed at measuring the calcium ionization balance resulted in an ambiguity due to a line blend between the calcium q line and an Ar XVII line. In the present work the calcium line 'r' is included in the analysis in order to resolve this problem. It is shown that the correct calcium ionization balance is that indicated in the earlier paper as corresponding to an argon/calcium abundance ratio of 0.2. The argon/calcium abundance ratio in the group of solar flares studied is shown to be 0.2 + or - 0.2. It is further argued that while the abundance of heavy elements may be enhanced in energetic flare events, this enhancement is less for argon than for calcium, leading to an argon/calcium ratio smaller than that present in the quiet sun.

Observations of H-alpha and microwave brightening caused by a distant solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, M. R.; Bobrowsky, M.; Rust, D. M.

1983-01-01

Synthesized maps with integration times of 10 and 30 sec, based on the observation of three subflares at 6 cm and H-alpha 6563 A, indicate that most of the 6 cm burst emission originated in 10-15 arcsec features coincident with, or adjacent to, H-alpha flare kernels. During the onset of one of the subflares, 6 cm emission was discovered in a loop stretching over 100,000 km from the primary flare site in association with H-alpha flare-like brightness at the remote footpoint of the loop. Assuming a primary flare site origin for the energy of the distant brightening, about 4 x 10 to the 24th ergs/sec propagated along the connecting magnetic loop at a velocity of more than 6000 km/sec. It is suggested that the energy may have been carried by electrons originating in the high energy tail of the electron thermal velocity distribution, escaping from the primary flare site.

On the Spectral Hardening at gsim300 keV in Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, G.; Kong, X.; Zank, G.; Chen, Y.

2013-05-01

It has long been noted that the spectra of observed continuum emissions in many solar flares are consistent with double power laws with a hardening at energies gsim300 keV. It is now widely believed that at least in electron-dominated events, the hardening in the photon spectrum reflects an intrinsic hardening in the source electron spectrum. In this paper, we point out that a power-law spectrum of electrons with a hardening at high energies can be explained by the diffusive shock acceleration of electrons at a termination shock with a finite width. Our suggestion is based on an early analytical work by Drury et al., where the steady-state transport equation at a shock with a tanh profile was solved for a p-independent diffusion coefficient. Numerical simulations with a p-dependent diffusion coefficient show hardenings in the accelerated electron spectrum that are comparable with observations. One necessary condition for our proposed scenario to work is that high-energy electrons resonate with the inertial range of the MHD turbulence and low-energy electrons resonate with the dissipation range of the MHD turbulence at the acceleration site, and the spectrum of the dissipation range ~k -2.7. A ~k -2.7 dissipation range spectrum is consistent with recent solar wind observations.

Interplanetary propagation of flare-associated energetic particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masung, L. L.; Earl, J. A.

1978-01-01

A propagation model which combines a Gaussian profile for particle release from the sun, with interplanetary particle densities predicted by focused diffusion, was proposed to explain the propagation history of flare associated energetic particles. This model, which depends on only two parameters, successfully describes the time-intensity profiles of 30 proton and electron events originating from the western hemisphere of the sun. Generally, particles are released from the sun over a finite interval. In almost all events, particle release begins at the time of flare acceleration.

Exciton Scattering approach for conjugated macromolecules: from electronic spectra to electron-phonon coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tretiak, Sergei

2014-03-01

The exciton scattering (ES) technique is a multiscale approach developed for efficient calculations of excited-state electronic structure and optical spectra in low-dimensional conjugated macromolecules. Within the ES method, the electronic excitations in the molecular structure are attributed to standing waves representing quantum quasi-particles (excitons), which reside on the graph. The exciton propagation on the linear segments is characterized by the exciton dispersion, whereas the exciton scattering on the branching centers is determined by the energy-dependent scattering matrices. Using these ES energetic parameters, the excitation energies are then found by solving a set of generalized ``particle in a box'' problems on the graph that represents the molecule. All parameters can be extracted from quantum-chemical computations of small molecular fragments and tabulated in the ES library for further applications. Subsequently, spectroscopic modeling for any macrostructure within considered molecular family could be performed with negligible numerical effort. The exciton scattering properties of molecular vertices can be further described by tight-binding or equivalently lattice models. The on-site energies and hopping constants are obtained from the exciton dispersion and scattering matrices. Such tight-binding model approach is particularly useful to describe the exciton-phonon coupling, energetic disorder and incoherent energy transfer in large branched conjugated molecules. Overall the ES applications accurately reproduce the optical spectra compared to the reference quantum chemistry results, and make possible to predict spectra of complex macromolecules, where conventional electronic structure calculations are unfeasible.

Solar Flares and the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Solar flares are the biggest explosions in the solar system. They are important both for understanding explosive events in the Universe and for their impact on human technology and communications. The satellite-based HESSI is designed to study the explosive release of energy and the acceleration of electrons, protons, and other charged particles to high energies in solar flares. HESSI produces "color" movies of the Sun in high-energy X rays and gamma rays radiated by these energetic particles. HESSI's X-ray and gamma-ray images of flares are obtained using techniques similar to those used in radio interferometry. Ground-based radio observations of the Sun provide an important complement to the HESSI observations of solar flares. I will describe the HESSI Project and the high-energy aspects of solar flares, and how these relate to radio astronomy techniques and observations.

Radio-flaring Ultracool Dwarf Population Synthesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Route, Matthew, E-mail: mroute@purdue.edu

Over a dozen ultracool dwarfs (UCDs), low-mass objects of spectral types ≥M7, are known to be sources of radio flares. These typically several-minutes-long radio bursts can be up to 100% circularly polarized and have high brightness temperatures, consistent with coherent emission via the electron cyclotron maser operating in approximately kilogauss magnetic fields. Recently, the statistical properties of the bulk physical parameters that describe these UCDs have become described adequately enough to permit synthesis of the population of radio-flaring objects. For the first time, I construct a Monte Carlo simulator to model the population of these radio-flaring UCDs. This simulator ismore » powered by Intel Secure Key (ISK), a new processor technology that uses a local entropy source to improve random number generation that has heretofore been used to improve cryptography. The results from this simulator indicate that only ∼5% of radio-flaring UCDs within the local interstellar neighborhood (<25 pc away) have been discovered. I discuss a number of scenarios that may explain this radio-flaring fraction and suggest that the observed behavior is likely a result of several factors. The performance of ISK as compared to other pseudorandom number generators is also evaluated, and its potential utility for other astrophysical codes is briefly described.« less

Temporal and spectral characteristics of solar flare hard X-ray emission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, B. R.; Kiplinger, A. L.; Orwig, L. E.; Frost, K. J.

1985-01-01

Solar Maximum Mission observations of three flares that impose stringent constraints on physical models of the hard X-ray production during the impulsive phase are presented. Hard X-ray imaging observations of the flares on 1980 November 5 at 22:33 UT show two patches in the 16 to 30 keV images that are separated by 70,000 km and that brighten simultaneously to within 5 s. Observations to O V from one of the footprints show simultaneity of the brightening in this transition zone line and in the total hard X-ray flux to within a second or two. These results suggest but do not require the existence of electron beams in this flare. The rapid fluctuations of the hard X-ray flux within some flares on the time scales of 1 s also provide evidence for electron beams and limits on the time scale of the energy release mechanism. Observations of a flare on 1980 June 6 at 22:34 UT show variations in the 28 keV X-ray counting rate from one 20 ms interval to the next over a period of 10 s. The hard X-ray spectral variations measured with 128 ms time resolution for one 0.5 s spike during this flare are consistent with the predictions of thick-target non-thermal beam model.

High-energy gamma-ray emission from solar flares: Summary of Fermi large area telescope detections and analysis of two m-class flares

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Albert, A.; ...

2014-04-29

Here, we present the detections of 18 solar flares detected in high-energy γ-rays (above 100 MeV) with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) during its first 4 yr of operation. Our work suggests that particle acceleration up to very high energies in solar flares is more common than previously thought, occurring even in modest flares, and for longer durations. Interestingly, all these flares are associated with fairly fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We then describe the detailed temporal, spatial, and spectral characteristics of the first two long-lasting events: the 2011 March 7 flare, a moderate (M3.7) impulsive flare followed bymore » slowly varying γ-ray emission over 13 hr, and the 2011 June 7 M2.5 flare, which was followed by γ-ray emission lasting for 2 hr. We compare the Fermi LAT data with X-ray and proton data measurements from GOES and RHESSI. We argue that the γ-rays are more likely produced through pion decay than electron bremsstrahlung, and we find that the energy spectrum of the proton distribution softens during the extended emission of the 2011 March 7 flare. Furthermore, this would disfavor a trapping scenario for particles accelerated during the impulsive phase of the flare and point to a continuous acceleration process at play for the duration of the flares. CME shocks are known for accelerating the solar energetic particles (SEPs) observed in situ on similar timescales, but it might be challenging to explain the production of γ-rays at the surface of the Sun while the CME is halfway to the Earth. A stochastic turbulence acceleration process occurring in the solar corona is another likely scenario. Detailed comparison of characteristics of SEPs and γ-ray-emitting particles for several flares will be helpful to distinguish between these two possibilities.« less

IRIS , Hinode , SDO , and RHESSI Observations of a White Light Flare Produced Directly by Non-thermal Electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Kyoung-Sun; Imada, Shinsuke; Watanabe, Kyoko

An X1.6 flare occurred in active region AR 12192 on 2014 October 22 at 14:02 UT and was observed by Hinode , IRIS , SDO , and RHESSI . We analyze a bright kernel that produces a white light (WL) flare with continuum enhancement and a hard X-ray (HXR) peak. Taking advantage of the spectroscopic observations of IRIS and Hinode /EIS, we measure the temporal variation of the plasma properties in the bright kernel in the chromosphere and corona. We find that explosive evaporation was observed when the WL emission occurred, even though the intensity enhancement in hotter lines ismore » quite weak. The temporal correlation of the WL emission, HXR peak, and evaporation flows indicates that the WL emission was produced by accelerated electrons. To understand the WL emission process, we calculated the energy flux deposited by non-thermal electrons (observed by RHESSI ) and compared it to the dissipated energy estimated from a chromospheric line (Mg ii triplet) observed by IRIS . The deposited energy flux from the non-thermal electrons is about (3–7.7) × 10{sup 10} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} for a given low-energy cutoff of 30–40 keV, assuming the thick-target model. The energy flux estimated from the changes in temperature in the chromosphere measured using the Mg ii subordinate line is about (4.6–6.7) × 10{sup 9} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}: ∼6%–22% of the deposited energy. This comparison of estimated energy fluxes implies that the continuum enhancement was directly produced by the non-thermal electrons.« less

The contribution of microbunching instability to solar flare emission in the GHz to THz range of frequencies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klopf, J. Michael; Kaufmann, Pierre; Raulin, Jean-Pierre

2014-07-01

Recent solar flare observations in the sub-terahertz range have provided evidence of a new spectral component with fluxes increasing for larger frequencies, separated from the well-known microwave emission that maximizes in the gigahertz range. Suggested interpretations explain the terahertz spectral component but do not account for the simultaneous microwave component. We present a mechanism for producing the observed "double spectra." Based on coherent enhancement of synchrotron emission at long wavelengths in laboratory accelerators, we consider how similar processes may occur within a solar flare. The instability known as microbunching arises from perturbations that produce electron beam density modulations, giving risemore » to broadband coherent synchrotron emission at wavelengths comparable to the characteristic size of the microbunch structure. The spectral intensity of this coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) can far exceed that of the incoherent synchrotron radiation (ISR), which peaks at a higher frequency, thus producing a double-peaked spectrum. Successful CSR simulations are shown to fit actual burst spectral observations, using typical flaring physical parameters and power-law energy distributions for the accelerated electrons. The simulations consider an energy threshold below which microbunching is not possible because of Coulomb repulsion. Only a small fraction of the radiating charges accelerated to energies above the threshold is required to produce the microwave component observed for several events. The ISR/CSR mechanism can occur together with other emission processes producing the microwave component. It may bring an important contribution to microwaves, at least for certain events where physical conditions for the occurrence of the ISR/CSR microbunching mechanism are possible.« less

Multifractality as a Measure of Complexity in Solar Flare Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen, Asok K.

2007-03-01

In this paper we use the notion of multifractality to describe the complexity in H α flare activity during the solar cycles 21, 22, and 23. Both northern and southern hemisphere flare indices are analyzed. Multifractal behavior of the flare activity is characterized by calculating the singularity spectrum of the daily flare index time series in terms of the Hölder exponent. The broadness of the singularity spectrum gives a measure of the degree of multifractality or complexity in the flare index data. The broader the spectrum, the richer and more complex is the structure with a higher degree of multifractality. Using this broadness measure, complexity in the flare index data is compared between the northern and southern hemispheres in each of the three cycles, and among the three cycles in each of the two hemispheres. Other parameters of the singularity spectrum can also provide information about the fractal properties of the flare index data. For instance, an asymmetry to the left or right in the singularity spectrum indicates a dominance of high or low fractal exponents, respectively, reflecting a relative abundance of large or small fluctuations in the total energy emitted by the flares. Our results reveal that in the even (22nd) cycle the singularity spectra are very similar for the northern and southern hemispheres, whereas in the odd cycles (21st and 23rd) they differ significantly. In particular, we find that in cycle 21, the northern hemisphere flare index data have higher complexity than its southern counterpart, with an opposite pattern prevailing in cycle 23. Furthermore, small-scale fluctuations in the flare index time series are predominant in the northern hemisphere in the 21st cycle and are predominant in the southern hemisphere in the 23rd cycle. Based on these findings one might suggest that, from cycle to cycle, there exists a smooth switching between the northern and southern hemispheres in the multifractality of the flaring process. This new

Inference of relativistic electron spectra from measurements of inverse Compton radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, I. J. D.; Brown, J. C.

1980-07-01

The inference of relativistic electron spectra from spectral measurement of inverse Compton radiation is discussed for the case where the background photon spectrum is a Planck function. The problem is formulated in terms of an integral transform that relates the measured spectrum to the unknown electron distribution. A general inversion formula is used to provide a quantitative assessment of the information content of the spectral data. It is shown that the observations must generally be augmented by additional information if anything other than a rudimentary two or three parameter model of the source function is to be derived. It is also pointed out that since a similar equation governs the continuum spectra emitted by a distribution of black-body radiators, the analysis is relevant to the problem of stellar population synthesis from galactic spectra.

Ultraviolet Spectral Behavior of TVCol During and After Flaring Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanad, M. R.; Abdel-Sabour, M. A.

2018-01-01

We studied the intermediate polar TVCol during and after its flare in November 1982 observed in the ultraviolet range with the International Ultraviolet Explorer. Two spectra revealing the variations of emission lines at different times are presented. We have estimated a new value of the reddening from the 2200 Å absorption feature, E ( B - V ) = 0.12 ± 0.02, and calculated the line fluxes of C IV and He II emission lines produced in the outer accretion disk. The average ultraviolet luminosity of emitting region during and after the flare is approximately 4 × 1032 erg s-1 and 9 × 1030 erg s-1, the corresponding average mass accretion rate is nearly 3 × 1015 erg s-1 (4.76 × 10-11 M ⊙ yr-1) and 5 × 1013 erg s-1 (7.93 × 10-13 M ⊙ yr-1), and the average temperature of the emitting region during and after flare is estimated to be of about 3.5 × 103 K and 2 × 103 K. We attribute this flare to a sudden increase in the mass accretion rate leading to the outburst activity.

On the Solution of the Continuity Equation for Precipitating Electrons in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. Gordon; Holman, Gordon D.; Litvinenko, Yuri E.

2014-01-01

Electrons accelerated in solar flares are injected into the surrounding plasma, where they are subjected to the influence of collisional (Coulomb) energy losses. Their evolution is modeled by a partial differential equation describing continuity of electron number. In a recent paper, Dobranskis & Zharkova claim to have found an "updated exact analytical solution" to this continuity equation. Their solution contains an additional term that drives an exponential decrease in electron density with depth, leading them to assert that the well-known solution derived by Brown, Syrovatskii & Shmeleva, and many others is invalid. We show that the solution of Dobranskis & Zharkova results from a fundamental error in the application of the method of characteristics and is hence incorrect. Further, their comparison of the "new" analytical solution with numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation fails to lend support to their result.We conclude that Dobranskis & Zharkova's solution of the universally accepted and well-established continuity equation is incorrect, and that their criticism of the correct solution is unfounded. We also demonstrate the formal equivalence of the approaches of Syrovatskii & Shmeleva and Brown, with particular reference to the evolution of the electron flux and number density (both differential in energy) in a collisional thick target. We strongly urge use of these long-established, correct solutions in future works.

X-ray spectra and electron structure of A15 compounds of transition metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurmaev, E. Z.; Iarmoshenko, Iu. M.

1988-01-01

Results of an X-ray emission spectroscopy study of the electron structure of A15 compounds are reported. In particular, attention is given to the X-ray spectra of A15 compounds of the A3B type with transition and nontransition elements, effect of alloying on the formation of the electron structure of ternary phases, and effect of atomic ordering in the X-ray spectra of A15 compounds with changes in heat treament and concentration. The X-ray spectra of A15 compounds irradiated by fast neutrons are also examined.

The Multiple Continuum Components in the White-Light Flare of 16 January 2009 on the dM4.5e Star YZ CMi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, A. F.; Hawley, S. L.; Holtzman, J. A.; Wisniewski, J. P.; Hilton, E. J.

2012-03-01

The white light during M dwarf flares has long been known to exhibit the broadband shape of a T≈10 000 K blackbody, and the white light in solar-flares is thought to arise primarily from hydrogen recombination. Yet, a current lack of broad-wavelength coverage solar flare spectra in the optical/near-UV region prohibits a direct comparison of the continuum properties to determine if they are indeed so different. New spectroscopic observations of a secondary flare during the decay of a megaflare on the dM4.5e star YZ CMi have revealed multiple components in the white-light continuum of stellar flares, including both a blackbody-like spectrum and a hydrogen-recombination spectrum. One of the most surprising findings is that these two components are anti-correlated in their temporal evolution. We combine initial phenomenological modeling of the continuum components with spectra from radiative hydrodynamic models to show that continuum veiling causes the measured anti-correlation. This modeling allows us to use the components' inferred properties to predict how a similar spatially resolved, multiple-component, white-light continuum might appear using analogies to several solar-flare phenomena. We also compare the properties of the optical stellar flare white light to Ellerman bombs on the Sun.

Flare model sensitivity of the Balmer spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Falchi, A.; Falciani, R.; Smaldone, L. A.; Tozzi, G. P.

1989-01-01

Careful studies of various chromospheric spectral signatures are very important in order to explore their possible sensitivity to the modifications of the thermodynamic quantities produced by the flare occurrence. Pioneer work of Canfield and co-workers have shown how the H alpha behavior is able to indicate different changes in the atmospheric parameters structure associated to the flare event. It was decided to study the behavior of the highest Balmer lines and of the Balmer continuum in different solar flare model atmospheres. These spectral features, originating in the deep photosphere in a quiet area, may have a sensitivity different from H alpha to the modification of a flare atmosphere. The details of the method used to compute the Stark profile of the higher Balmer line (n is greater than or equal to 6) and their merging were extensively given elsewhere (Donati-Falchi et al., 1985; Falchi et al., 1989). The models used were developed by Ricchiazzi in his thesis (1982) evaluating the chromospheric response to both the nonthermal electron flux, for energy greater than 20 kev, (F sub 20) and to the thermal conduction, (F sub c). The effect of the coronal pressure values (P sub O) at the apex of the flare loop is also included.

OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF BALLISTIC DOWNFLOWS IN AN M-CLASS FLARE WITH THE INTERFACE REGION IMAGING SPECTROGRAPH

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brannon, Sean R.

Despite significant advances in instrumentation, there remain no studies that analyze observations of on-disk flare loop plasma flows covering the entire evolution from chromospheric evaporation, through plasma cooling, to draining downflows. We present results from an imaging and spectroscopic observation from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph ( IRIS ) of the SOL2015–03–12T11:50:00 M-class flare, at high spatial resolution and time cadence. Our analysis of this event reveals initial plasma evaporation at flare temperatures indicated by 100–200 km s{sup −1} blueshifts in the Fe xxi line. We subsequently observe plasma cooling into chromospheric lines (Si iv and O iv) with ∼11more » minute delay, followed by loop draining at ∼40 km s{sup −1} as indicated by a “C”-shaped redshift structure and significant (∼60 km s{sup −1}) non-thermal broadening. We use density-sensitive lines to calculate a plasma density for the flare loops, and estimate a theoretical cooling time approximately equal to the observed delay. Finally, we use a simple elliptical free-fall draining model to construct synthetic spectra, and perform what we believe to be the first direct comparison of such synthetic spectra to observations of draining downflows in flare loops.« less

Prompt particle acceleration around moving X-point magnetic field during impulsive phase of solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakai, Jun-Ichi

1992-01-01

We present a model for high-energy solar flares to explain prompt proton and electron acceleration, which occurs around moving X-point magnetic field during the implosion phase of the current sheet. We derive the electromagnetic fields during the strong implosion phase of the current sheets, which is driven by the converging flow derived from the magnetohydrodynamic equations. It is shown that both protons and electrons can be promptly (within 1 second) accelerated to approximately 70 MeV and approximately 200 MeV, respectively. This acceleration mechanism can be applicable for the impulsive phase of the gradual gamma ray and proton flares (gradual GR/P flare), which have been called two-ribbon flares.

Flares of Nearby, Mid-to-late M-dwarfs Characterized by the MEarth Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondrik, Nicholas; Charbonneau, David; Irwin, Jonathan; Newton, Elisabeth R.

2017-01-01

Stellar flares are both a curse and a blessing: Transit and radial velocity searches for exoplanets are hindered by the variability caused by flares, while the characteristics of this variability offer valuable insight into the magnetic properties of the star. We present an analysis of flare events of nearby, mid-to-late M-dwarfs from the MEarth Project. MEarth consists of a northern and a southern array of 8 telescopes each that photometrically monitors most mid-to-late M-dwarfs within 30 parsecs. Although the initial motivation was to search for exoplanet transits, the cadence of approximately 20 minutes is well-suited to capturing long-lived flares. However, MEarth employs a single, wide, red bandpass, which poses challenges to the robust detection of flare events, which are typically bluer in color. Using MEarth data, our team has recently published trigonometric parallaxes and estimates of rotation periods for an unprecedented number of nearby low-mass stars. We also gathered supplementary optical and near infrared spectra of a subset of these stars. We describe here the properties of the flares detected by MEarth, and explore the relation of the presence of flares on individual stars with stellar parameters such as rotational period, mass, and H-alpha equivalent width. We also provide an estimate of flare rate for individual stars by injecting flares into our pipeline.The MEarth project acknowledges funding from the National Science Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering. This work was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

CONTINUUM ENHANCEMENTS IN THE ULTRAVIOLET, THE VISIBLE AND THE INFRARED DURING THE X1 FLARE ON 2014 MARCH 29

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kleint, Lucia; Krucker, Säm; Heinzel, Petr

2016-01-10

Enhanced continuum brightness is observed in many flares (“white light flares”), yet it is still unclear which processes contribute to the emission. To understand the transport of energy needed to account for this emission, we must first identify both the emission processes and the emission source regions. Possibilities include heating in the chromosphere causing optically thin or thick emission from free-bound transitions of Hydrogen, and heating of the photosphere causing enhanced H{sup −} continuum brightness. To investigate these possibilities, we combine observations from Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, and the ground-based Facility Infrared Spectrometer instrument, coveringmore » wavelengths in the far-UV, near-UV (NUV), visible, and infrared during the X1 flare SOL20140329T17:48. Fits of blackbody spectra to infrared and visible wavelengths are reasonable, yielding radiation temperatures ∼6000–6300 K. The NUV emission, formed in the upper photosphere under undisturbed conditions, exceeds these simple fits during the flare, requiring extra emission from the Balmer continuum in the chromosphere. Thus, the continuum originates from enhanced radiation from photosphere (visible-IR) and chromosphere (NUV). From the standard thick-target flare model, we calculate the energy of the nonthermal electrons observed by Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscope Imager (RHESSI) and compare it to the energy radiated by the continuum emission. We find that the energy contained in most electrons >40 keV, or alternatively, of ∼10%–20% of electrons >20 keV is sufficient to explain the extra continuum emission of ∼(4–8) × 10{sup 10} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2}. Also, from the timing of the RHESSI HXR and the IRIS observations, we conclude that the NUV continuum is emitted nearly instantaneously when HXR emission is observed with a time difference of no more than 15 s.« less

Comparison of hard X-ray spectra obtained by spectrometers on Hinotori and SMM and detection of 'superhot' component

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitta, Nariaki

1988-01-01

Hard X-ray spectra in solar flares obtained by the broadband spectrometers aboard Hinotori and SMM are compared. Within the uncertainty brought about by assuming the typical energy of the background X-rays, spectra by the Hinotori spectrometer are usually consistent with those by the SMM spectrometer for flares in 1981. On the contrary, flares in 1982 persistently show 20-50-percent higher flux by Hinotori than by SMM. If this discrepancy is entirely attributable to errors in the calibration of energy ranges, the errors would be about 10 percent. Despite such a discrepancy in absolute flux, in the the decay phase of one flare, spectra revealed a hard X-ray component (probably a 'superhot' component) that could be explained neither by emission from a plasma at about 2 x 10 to the 7th K nor by a nonthermal power-law component. Imaging observations during this period show hard X-ray emission nearly cospatial with soft X-ray emission, in contrast with earlier times at which hard and soft X-rays come from different places.

A ``perfect'' Late Phase Flare Loop: X-ray And Radio Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bain, Hazel; Fletcher, L.

2009-05-01

We present observations of a GOES X3.1 class flare which occurred on the 24th August 2002. The event was observed by a number of instruments including RHESSI, TRACE and NoRH. This flare is particularly interesting due to its position and orientation on the west limb of the Sun. The flare appears to be perpendicular to the line of sight making it possible to ascertain the geometrical parameters of the post flare arcade loops. We investigate the decay phase of the flare by comparing X-ray and radio observations of the post flare arcade loops with models of soft x-ray and thermal gyrosynchrotron emission to characterise the electron distribution present within the loop. HMB gratefully acknowledges the support of an SPD and STFC studentship. LF gratefully acknowledges the support of an STFC Rolling Grant, and financial support by the European Commission through the SOLAIRE Network (MTRN-CT_2006-035484)

The effect of a gamma ray flare on Schumann resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nickolaenko, A. P.; Kudintseva, I. G.; Pechony, O.; Hayakawa, M.; Hobara, Y.; Tanaka, Y. T.

2012-09-01

We describe the ionospheric modification by the SGR 1806-20 gamma flare (27 December 2004) seen in the global electromagnetic (Schumann) resonance. The gamma rays lowered the ionosphere over the dayside of the globe and modified the Schumann resonance spectra. We present the extremely low frequency (ELF) data monitored at the Moshiri observatory, Japan (44.365° N, 142.24° E). Records are compared with the expected modifications, which facilitate detection of the simultaneous abrupt change in the dynamic resonance pattern of the experimental record. The gamma flare modified the current of the global electric circuit and thus caused the "parametric" ELF transient. Model results are compared with observations enabling evaluation of changes in the global electric circuit.

Mechanical energy output of the 5 September 1973 flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, D. F.; Cheng, C.-C.; Dulk, G. A.; Martin, S. F.; Mckenna-Lawlor, S.; Mclean, D. J.; Edberg, S. J.

1980-01-01

The mechanical energy flux of observed macroscopic mass plasma motions in the solar flare of Sept. 5, 1973, is estimated. Consideration is given to the cool eruptive material in the eruptive filament and large surge as revealed by H alpha observations, the moving emission front seen in Ca II as well as H alpha, the piston-driven shock and mass ejection coronal transient observed in radio spectra and flare core motions, and mechanical energy estimates of 5.6 x 10 to the 29th to 8.9 x 10 to the 30th, 9.0 x 10 to the 29th, 2 x 10 to the 30th (thermal) and 10 to the 31st (magnetic), and 9 x 10 to the 24th erg are obtained, respectively, in agreement with previous estimates. It is concluded that the mechanical energy of large-scale mass motions dominates the radiative output of the flare by more than two orders of magnitude, and that a significant portion of the mechanical energy is in the form of magnetic flux delivered to interplanetary space.

Major Solar Flare

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-11

A large sunspot was the source of a powerful solar flare (an X 9.3) and a coronal mass ejection (Sept. 6, 2017). The flare was the largest solar flare of the last decade. For one thing, it created a strong shortwave radio blackout over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Sunspot 2673 has been also the source of several other smaller to medium-sized solar flares over the past few days. Data from the SOHO spacecraft shows the large cloud of particles blasting into space just after the flare. Note: the bright vertical line and the other rays with barred lines are aberrations in our instruments caused by the bright flash of the flare. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21949

High-energy particles associated with solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakurai, K.; Klimas, A. J.

1974-01-01

High-energy particles, the so-called solar cosmic rays, are often generated in association with solar flares, and then emitted into interplanetary space. These particles, consisting of electrons, protons, and other heavier nuclei, including the iron-group, are accelerated in the vicinity of the flare. By studying the temporal and spatial varation of these particles near the earth's orbit, their storage and release mechanisms in the solar corona and their propagation mechanism can be understood. The details of the nuclear composition and the rigidity spectrum for each nuclear component of the solar cosmic rays are important for investigating the acceleration mechanism in solar flares. The timing and efficiency of the acceleration process can also be investigated by using this information. These problems are described in some detail by using observational results on solar cosmic rays and associated phenomena.

Optical flare events on the RS Canum Venaticorum star UX Arietis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Dong-Tao; Gu, Sheng-Hong

2017-05-01

Based on long-term high-resolution spectroscopic observations obtained during five observing runs from 2001 to 2004, we study optical flare events and chromospheric activity variability of the very active RS CVn star UX Ari. By means of the spectral subtraction technique, several optical chromospheric activity indicators (including the He i D3, Na i D1, D2 doublet, Hα and Ca ii IRT lines) covered in our echelle spectra were analyzed. Four large optical flare events were detected on UX Ari during our observations, which show prominent He i D3 line emission together with great enhancement in emission of the Hα and Ca ii IRT lines and strong filled-in or emission reversal features in the Na i D1, D2 doublet lines. The newly detected flares are much more energetic than previous discoveries, especially for the flare identified during the 2002 December observing run. Optical flare events on UX Ari are more likely to be observed around two quadratures of the system, except for our optical flares detected during the 2004 November observing run. Moreover, we have found rotational modulation of chromospheric activity in the Hα and Ca ii IRT lines, which suggests the presence of chromospherically active longitudes over the surface of UX Ari. The change in chromospherically active longitudes among our observing runs, as well as the variation in chromospheric activity level from 2001 to 2004, indicates a long-term evolution of active regions.

Chromospheric evaporation flows and density changes deduced from Hinode/EIS during an M1.6 flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gömöry, P.; Veronig, A. M.; Su, Y.; Temmer, M.; Thalmann, J. K.

2016-04-01

Aims: We study the response of the solar atmosphere during a GOES M1.6 flare using spectroscopic and imaging observations. In particular, we examine the evolution of the mass flows and electron density together with the energy input derived from hard X-ray (HXR) in the context of chromospheric evaporation. Methods: We analyzed high-cadence sit-and-stare observations acquired with the Hinode/EIS spectrometer in the Fe xiii 202.044 Å (log T = 6.2) and Fe xvi 262.980 Å (log T = 6.4) spectral lines to derive temporal variations of the line intensity, Doppler shifts, and electron density during the flare. We combined these data with HXR measurements acquired with RHESSI to derive the energy input to the lower atmosphere by flare-accelerated electrons. Results: During the flare impulsive phase, we observe no significant flows in the cooler Fe xiii line but strong upflows, up to 80-150 km s-1, in the hotter Fe xvi line. The largest Doppler shifts observed in the Fe xvi line were co-temporal with the sharp intensity peak. The electron density obtained from a Fe xiii line pair ratio exhibited fast increase (within two minutes) from the pre-flare level of 5.01 × 109 cm-3 to 3.16 × 1010 cm-3 during the flare peak. The nonthermal energy flux density deposited from the coronal acceleration site to the lower atmospheric layers during the flare peak was found to be 1.34 × 1010 erg s-1 cm-2 for a low-energy cut-off that was estimated to be 16 keV. During the decline flare phase, we found a secondary intensity and density peak of lower amplitude that was preceded by upflows of ~15 km s-1 that were detected in both lines. The flare was also accompanied by a filament eruption that was partly captured by the EIS observations. We derived Doppler velocities of 250-300 km s-1 for the upflowing filament material. Conclusions: The spectroscopic results for the flare peak are consistent with the scenario of explosive chromospheric evaporation, although a comparatively low value of the

Turbulent and directed plasma motions in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fludra, A.; Bentley, R. D.; Lemen, J. R.; Jakimiec, J.; Sylwester, J.

1989-01-01

An improved method for fitting asymmetric soft X-ray line profiles from solar flares is presented. A two-component model is used where one component represents the total emission from directed upflow plasma and the other the emission from the plasma at rest. Unlike previous methods, the width of the moving component is independent from that of the stationary component. Time variations of flare plasma characteristics (i.e., temperature, emission measure of moving and stationary plasma, upflow and turbulent velocities) are derived from the Ca XIX and Fe XXV spectra recorded by the Bent Crystal Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission. The fitting technique provides a statistical estimation for the uncertainties in the fitting parameters. The relationship between the directed and turbulent motions has been studied, and a correlation of the random and directed motions has been found in some flares with intensive plasma upflows. Mean temperatures of the upflowing and stationary plasmas are compared for the first time from ratios of calcium to iron X-ray line intensities. Finally, evidence for turbulent motions and the possibility of plasma upflow late into the decay phase is presented and discussed.

Impact of environmentally induced fluctuations on quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational pigment states in photosynthetic energy transfer and 2D electronic spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fujihashi, Yuta; Ishizaki, Akihito, E-mail: ishizaki@ims.ac.jp; Fleming, Graham R.

2015-06-07

Recently, nuclear vibrational contribution signatures in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy have attracted considerable interest, in particular as regards interpretation of the oscillatory transients observed in light-harvesting complexes. These transients have dephasing times that persist for much longer than theoretically predicted electronic coherence lifetime. As a plausible explanation for this long-lived spectral beating in 2D electronic spectra, quantum-mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states (vibronic excitons) were proposed by Christensson et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B 116, 7449 (2012)] and have since been explored. In this work, we address a dimer which produces little beating of electronic origin in the absence ofmore » vibronic contributions, and examine the impact of protein-induced fluctuations upon electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures by calculating the electronic energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra in a numerically accurate manner. It is found that, at cryogenic temperatures, the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures are rather robust, even under the influence of the fluctuations and despite the small Huang-Rhys factors of the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes. This results in long-lasting beating behavior of vibrational origin in the 2D electronic spectra. At physiological temperatures, however, the fluctuations eradicate the mixing, and hence, the beating in the 2D spectra disappears. Further, it is demonstrated that such electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures do not necessarily play a significant role in electronic energy transfer dynamics, despite contributing to the enhancement of long-lived quantum beating in 2D electronic spectra, contrary to speculations in recent publications.« less

Impact of environmentally induced fluctuations on quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational pigment states in photosynthetic energy transfer and 2D electronic spectra

DOE PAGES

Fujihashi, Yuta; Fleming, Graham R.; Ishizaki, Akihito

2015-03-11

Recently, nuclear vibrational contribution signatures in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy have attracted considerable interest, in particular as regards interpretation of the oscillatory transients observed in light-harvesting complexes. These transients have dephasing times that persist for much longer than theoretically predicted electronic coherence lifetime. As a plausible explanation for this long-lived spectral beating in 2D electronic spectra, quantum-mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states (vibronic excitons) were proposed by Christensson et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B 116, 7449 (2012)] and have since been explored. Here in this work, we address a dimer which produces little beating of electronic origin in the absencemore » of vibronic contributions, and examine the impact of protein-induced fluctuations upon electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures by calculating the electronic energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra in a numerically accurate manner. It is found that, at cryogenic temperatures, the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures are rather robust, even under the influence of the fluctuations and despite the small Huang-Rhys factors of the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes. This results in long-lasting beating behavior of vibrational origin in the 2D electronic spectra. At physiological temperatures, however, the fluctuations eradicate the mixing, and hence, the beating in the 2D spectra disappears. Further, it is demonstrated that such electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures do not necessarily play a significant role in electronic energy transfer dynamics, despite contributing to the enhancement of long-lived quantum beating in 2D electronic spectra, contrary to speculations in recent publications.« less

GRO/OSSE Observations of Nuclear Line Emission from the Intense Flares of June 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, R. J.; Share, G. H.; Johnson, W. N.; Kinzer, R. L.; Kroeger, R.; Kurfess, J. D.; Strickman, M. S.; Grove, J. E.; Cameron, R.; Jung, G.; Grabelsky, D.; Matz, S. M.; Purcell, W.; Ulmer, M. P.; Frye, G.; Jenkins, T.; Jensen, C.

1992-05-01

The Oriented Scintillation Spectroscopy Experiment (OSSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is comprised of 4 independently-oriented large-area ( ~ 500 cm(2) /detector at 511 keV) NaI detectors covering the energy range from 0.050 to 10 MeV. Solar observations are typically performed with two of the detectors staring at the Sun and two alternating between viewing the Sun and viewing background regions on two-minute timescales. In June of 1991, OSSE observed 4 of the X10+ flares from Active Region 6659. Intense gamma-ray line emission at 0.511 MeV (positron annihilation) and 2.223 MeV (neutron capture), and from several deexcitation lines of carbon and oxygen were recorded. Using a combination of data from sunward-pointing and off-pointing detectors to avoid saturation effects during the intense portions of the flares, background-subtracted spectra have been obtained. These spectra were fit to derive photon fluxes for the above-mentioned gamma-ray lines. Preliminary lower limits to the integrated fluxes in the 2.223 MeV line (not accounting for saturation effects and based on data collected only during the OSSE observation times) are about 300, 200, 30 and 100 photons/cm(2) for the June 4, 6, 9 and 11 flares, respectively. This is to be compared to a fluence of about 300 photons/cm(2) for the 1982 June 3 flare observed by the SMM Gamma-Ray Spectrometer. Integrated fluxes for the other lines will be presented and compared to line flux measurements of flares obtained with the SMM/GRS. This work is supported under NASA contract S10987C.

Influences of Quantum Mechanically Mixed Electronic and Vibrational Pigment States in 2D Electronic Spectra of Photosynthetic Systems: Strong Electronic Coupling Cases

DOE PAGES

Fujihashi, Yuta; Fleming, Graham R.; Ishizaki, Akihito

2015-09-07

In 2D electronic spectroscopy studies, long-lived quantum beats have recently been observed in photosynthetic systems, and several theoretical studies have suggested that the beats are produced by quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states. Concerning the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures, the impact of protein-induced fluctuations was examined by calculating the 2D electronic spectra of a weakly coupled dimer with the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes in the resonant condition. This analysis demonstrated that quantum mixtures of the vibronic resonance are rather robust under the influence of the fluctuations at cryogenic temperatures, whereas the mixtures are eradicated by the fluctuations at physiological temperatures.more » However, this conclusion cannot be generalized because the magnitude of the coupling inducing the quantum mixtures is proportional to the inter-pigment electronic coupling. In this paper, we explore the impact of the fluctuations on electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures in a strongly coupled dimer with an off-resonant vibrational mode. Toward this end, we calculate energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra of a model dimer that corresponds to the most strongly coupled bacteriochlorophyll molecules in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex in a numerically accurate manner. The quantum mixtures are found to be robust under the exposure of protein-induced fluctuations at cryogenic temperatures, irrespective of the resonance. At 300 K, however, the quantum mixing is disturbed more strongly by the fluctuations, and therefore, the beats in the 2D spectra become obscure even in a strongly coupled dimer with a resonant vibrational mode. Further, the overall behaviors of the energy transfer dynamics are demonstrated to be dominated by the environment and coupling between the 0 0 vibronic transitions as long as the Huang-Rhys factor of the vibrational mode is small. Finally, the electronic-vibrational quantum

PREDICTION OF SOLAR FLARE SIZE AND TIME-TO-FLARE USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE REGRESSION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boucheron, Laura E.; Al-Ghraibah, Amani; McAteer, R. T. James

We study the prediction of solar flare size and time-to-flare using 38 features describing magnetic complexity of the photospheric magnetic field. This work uses support vector regression to formulate a mapping from the 38-dimensional feature space to a continuous-valued label vector representing flare size or time-to-flare. When we consider flaring regions only, we find an average error in estimating flare size of approximately half a geostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES) class. When we additionally consider non-flaring regions, we find an increased average error of approximately three-fourths a GOES class. We also consider thresholding the regressed flare size for the experimentmore » containing both flaring and non-flaring regions and find a true positive rate of 0.69 and a true negative rate of 0.86 for flare prediction. The results for both of these size regression experiments are consistent across a wide range of predictive time windows, indicating that the magnetic complexity features may be persistent in appearance long before flare activity. This is supported by our larger error rates of some 40 hr in the time-to-flare regression problem. The 38 magnetic complexity features considered here appear to have discriminative potential for flare size, but their persistence in time makes them less discriminative for the time-to-flare problem.« less

Comparison of measured electron energy spectra for six matched, radiotherapy accelerators.

PubMed

McLaughlin, David J; Hogstrom, Kenneth R; Neck, Daniel W; Gibbons, John P

2018-05-01

This study compares energy spectra of the multiple electron beams of individual radiotherapy machines, as well as the sets of spectra across multiple matched machines. Also, energy spectrum metrics are compared with central-axis percent depth-dose (PDD) metrics. A lightweight, permanent magnet spectrometer was used to measure energy spectra for seven electron beams (7-20 MeV) on six matched Elekta Infinity accelerators with the MLCi2 treatment head. PDD measurements in the distal falloff region provided R 50 and R 80-20 metrics in Plastic Water ® , which correlated with energy spectrum metrics, peak mean energy (PME) and full-width at half maximum (FWHM). Visual inspection of energy spectra and their metrics showed whether beams on single machines were properly tuned, i.e., FWHM is expected to increase and peak height decrease monotonically with increased PME. Also, PME spacings are expected to be approximately equal for 7-13 MeV beams (0.5-cm R 90 spacing) and for 13-16 MeV beams (1.0-cm R 90 spacing). Most machines failed these expectations, presumably due to tolerances for initial beam matching (0.05 cm in R 90 ; 0.10 cm in R 80-20 ) and ongoing quality assurance (0.2 cm in R 50 ). Also, comparison of energy spectra or metrics for a single beam energy (six machines) showed outlying spectra. These variations in energy spectra provided ample data spread for correlating PME and FWHM with PDD metrics. Least-squares fits showed that R 50 and R 80-20 varied linearly and supralinearly with PME, respectively; however, both suggested a secondary dependence on FWHM. Hence, PME and FWHM could serve as surrogates for R 50 and R 80-20 for beam tuning by the accelerator engineer, possibly being more sensitive (e.g., 0.1 cm in R 80-20 corresponded to 2.0 MeV in FWHM). Results of this study suggest a lightweight, permanent magnet spectrometer could be a useful beam-tuning instrument for the accelerator engineer to (a) match electron beams prior to beam commissioning

Multifrequency observations of AB Doradus. X-ray flaring and rotational modulation of a young star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilhu, O.; Tsuru, T.; Collier Cameron, A.; Budding, E.; Banks, T.; Slee, B.; Ehrenfreund, P.; Foing, B. H.

1993-11-01

X-ray observations of AB Doradus, performed by the Large Area Counter (LAC) instrument of the GINGA satellite on January 1990, are reported. The observations covered 5 rotations of the star (2.6 days) during which 4 flares were detected. When added to the previously observed EINSTEIN and EXOSAT flares, a total of 7 X-ray flares in AB Dor have been observed so far. The flares seem to cluster around rotational phases 0.1-0.25 and 0.6-0.75 although the statistics are poor. The mean flare energies were around (1-3) x 1034 erg with peak luminosities (4-6) x 1030 ergs/s. The flaring loops were compact (ne = 1012/cu cm) and extended (1-2) x 1010 cm above the surface. Flare masses (1018 g) and frequencies (two per day) are similar to prominence-like cloud formations discovered previously in the star. The flare spectra can be best-fitted either by thermal Bremstrahlung with kT = 3-6 keV or with a power-law, with photon index gamma = 2.2-2.6. During the strongest flare peaks AB Dor is a 10 mCrab source with a Crab-like spectrum. The 3 sigma upper limit for the 6.7 keV iron line during the flares is somewhat smaller than predicted by thin plasma models. We discuss the possibility of lowering the equivalent width by an extra non-thermal continuum due to mildly relativistic electrons. Simultaneous 8.4 GHz observations during flare No. 1 gave only a marginal detection, constraining the magnetic field strength to less than 50 Gauss if the total X-ray continuum is non-thermal in origin. The sensitivity was not good enough to detect any clear modulation in the X-ray light curve, folded over the 0.514 d rotation period. Simultaneous 8.4 GHz observations were performed with the 64 m antenna of the Australia Telescope National Facility at Parkes and reveal a clear variability with two maxima at phases 0.0 (spot A) and 0.5 (spot B). Nearly simultaneous optical photometry can be modeled by a cool extended photospheric spot at the phase 0.0 (spot A). Simultaneous H-alpha photometry

Predicting Arrival Of Protons Emitted In Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spagnuolo, John N., Jr.; Schwuttke, Ursula M.; Han, Cecilia S.; Hervias, Felipe

1996-01-01

Visual Utility for Localization of Corona Accelerated Nuclei (VULCAN) computer program provides both advance warnings and insight for post-event analyses of effects of solar flares. Using measurements of peak fluxes, times of detection, flare location, solar wind velocities, and x-ray emissions from Sun, as electronically sent by NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration), VULCAN predicts resulting intensities of proton fluxes at various user-chosen points (spacecraft or planets) of solar system. Also predicts times of onset of fluxes of protons and peak values of fluxes.

A systematic Chandra study of Sgr A⋆: II. X-ray flare statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Qiang; Wang, Q. Daniel; Liu, Siming; Wu, Kinwah

2018-01-01

The routinely flaring events from Sgr A⋆ trace dynamic, high-energy processes in the immediate vicinity of the supermassive black hole. We statistically study temporal and spectral properties, as well as fluence and duration distributions, of the flares detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory from 1999 to 2012. The detection incompleteness and bias are carefully accounted for in determining these distributions. We find that the fluence distribution can be well characterized by a power law with a slope of 1.73^{+0.20}_{-0.19}, while the durations (τ in seconds) by a lognormal function with a mean log (τ)=3.39^{+0.27}_{-0.24} and an intrinsic dispersion σ =0.28^{+0.08}_{-0.06}. No significant correlation between the fluence and duration is detected. The apparent positive correlation, as reported previously, is mainly due to the detection bias (i.e. weak flares can be detected only when their durations are short). These results indicate that the simple self-organized criticality model has difficulties in explaining these flares. We further find that bright flares usually have asymmetric light curves with no statistically evident difference/preference between the rising and decaying phases in terms of their spectral/timing properties. Our spectral analysis shows that although a power-law model with a photon index of 2.0 ± 0.4 gives a satisfactory fit to the joint spectra of strong and weak flares, there is weak evidence for a softer spectrum of weaker flares. This work demonstrates the potential to use statistical properties of X-ray flares to probe their trigger and emission mechanisms, as well as the radiation propagation around the black hole.

The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) and its Contributions to Space Weather Research, the Flare Energy Budget, and Instrument Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlin, Phillip

2008-01-01

The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) is an empirical model of the solar irradiance spectrum from 0.1 to 190 nm at 1 nm spectral resolution and on a 1-minute time cadence. The goal of FISM is to provide accurate solar spectral irradiances over the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV: 0-200 nm) range as input for ionospheric and thermospheric models. The seminar will begin with a brief overview of the FISM model, and also how the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) will contribute to improving FISM. Some current studies will then be presented that use FISM estimations of the solar VUV irradiance to quantify the contributions of the increased irradiance from flares to Earth's increased thermospheric and ionospheric densites. Initial results will also be presented from a study looking at the electron density increases in the Martian atmosphere during a solar flare. Results will also be shown quantifying the VUV contributions to the total flare energy budget for both the impulsive and gradual phases of solar flares. Lastly, an example of how FISM can be used to simplify the design of future solar VUV irradiance instruments will be discussed, using the future NOAA GOES-R Extreme Ultraviolet and X-Ray Sensors (EXIS) space weather instrument.

Classification of Solar Flares

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

34proton flares," and flares which cause ground level effects are often called "GLE events" or " cosmic - ray flares." However, the term "proton flares...34 in general refers to both groups. Ellison et al (54) first noticed that cosmic - ray flares are typically two- ribbon flares, with two large Ha ribbons...atmosphere and combine with protons to produce deuterons and the 2.2 MeV gamma- ray line. Pions produced by nuclear interactions decay to muons , which in

A giant X-ray flare on Lambda Eridani (B2e)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Myron A.; Grady, Carol A.; Peters, Geraldine J.; Feigelson, Eric D.

1993-01-01

A 30 ks observation with the ROSAT PSPC distributed over 39 hr shows that the putatively single, mild B2e star Lambda Eri emits at most times a soft X-ray flux at a rate and temperature consistent with other B stars. However, during the middle of our observations, this star's X-ray flux increased by a factor of 6 before returning to the basal level. This brightening, due entirely to photon energies of 0.7 keV or greater, can be fitted well to a Raymond-Smith temperature parameter of 14 MK and luminosity 4 x 10 exp 31 ergs/s; these are characteristics of giant stellar flares. With an estimated duration of about 50,000 s, this event is arguably the strongest X-ray flare yet observed. We consider several possible scenarios for the site of the flare, including several with an active cool secondary or degenerate companion. We find that IUE and optical spectra do not support a binary picture and that it is most probable that the flare site is on or related to Lambda Eri itself. This supports other evidence for violent magnetic activity on some B-type stars.

Fibromyalgia Flares: A Qualitative Analysis.

PubMed

Vincent, Ann; Whipple, Mary O; Rhudy, Lori M

2016-03-01

Patients with fibromyalgia report periods of symptom exacerbation, colloquially referred to as "flares" and despite clinical observation of flares, no research has purposefully evaluated the presence and characteristics of flares in fibromyalgia. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe fibromyalgia flares in a sample of patients with fibromyalgia. Using seven open-ended questions, patients were asked to describe how they perceived fibromyalgia flares and triggers and alleviating factors associated with flares. Patients were also asked to describe how a flare differs from their typical fibromyalgia symptoms and how they cope with fibromyalgia flares. Content analysis was used to analyze the text. A total of 44 participants completed the survey. Responses to the seven open-ended questions revealed three main content areas: causes of flares, flare symptoms, and dealing with a flare. Participants identified stress, overdoing it, poor sleep, and weather changes as primary causes of flares. Symptoms characteristic of flares included flu-like body aches/exhaustion, pain, fatigue, and variety of other symptoms. Participants reported using medical treatments, rest, activity and stress avoidance, and waiting it out to cope with flares. Our results demonstrate that periods of symptom exacerbation (i.e., flares) are commonly experienced by patients with fibromyalgia and symptoms of flares can be differentiated from every day or typical symptoms of fibromyalgia. Our study is the first of its kind to qualitatively explore characteristics, causes, and management strategies of fibromyalgia flares. Future studies are needed to quantitatively characterize fibromyalgia flares and evaluate mechanisms of flares. © 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Exact analytical solutions of continuity equation for electron beams precipitating in Coulomb collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dobranskis, R. R.; Zharkova, V. V., E-mail: valentina.zharkova@northumbria.ac.uk

2014-06-10

The original continuity equation (CE) used for the interpretation of the power law energy spectra of beam electrons in flares was written and solved for an electron beam flux while ignoring an additional free term with an electron density. In order to remedy this omission, the original CE for electron flux, considering beam's energy losses in Coulomb collisions, was first differentiated by the two independent variables: depth and energy leading to partial differential equation for an electron beam density instead of flux with the additional free term. The analytical solution of this partial differential continuity equation (PDCE) is obtained bymore » using the method of characteristics. This solution is further used to derive analytical expressions for mean electron spectra for Coulomb collisions and to carry out numeric calculations of hard X-ray (HXR) photon spectra for beams with different parameters. The solutions revealed a significant departure of electron densities at lower energies from the original results derived from the CE for the flux obtained for Coulomb collisions. This departure is caused by the additional exponential term that appeared in the updated solutions for electron differential density leading to its faster decrease at lower energies (below 100 keV) with every precipitation depth similar to the results obtained with numerical Fokker-Planck solutions. The effects of these updated solutions for electron densities on mean electron spectra and HXR photon spectra are also discussed.« less

On the solution of the continuity equation for precipitating electrons in solar flares

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Emslie, A. Gordon; Holman, Gordon D.; Litvinenko, Yuri E., E-mail: emslieg@wku.edu, E-mail: gordon.d.holman@nasa.gov

2014-09-01

Electrons accelerated in solar flares are injected into the surrounding plasma, where they are subjected to the influence of collisional (Coulomb) energy losses. Their evolution is modeled by a partial differential equation describing continuity of electron number. In a recent paper, Dobranskis and Zharkova claim to have found an 'updated exact analytical solution' to this continuity equation. Their solution contains an additional term that drives an exponential decrease in electron density with depth, leading them to assert that the well-known solution derived by Brown, Syrovatskii and Shmeleva, and many others is invalid. We show that the solution of Dobranskis andmore » Zharkova results from a fundamental error in the application of the method of characteristics and is hence incorrect. Further, their comparison of the 'new' analytical solution with numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation fails to lend support to their result. We conclude that Dobranskis and Zharkova's solution of the universally accepted and well-established continuity equation is incorrect, and that their criticism of the correct solution is unfounded. We also demonstrate the formal equivalence of the approaches of Syrovatskii and Shmeleva and Brown, with particular reference to the evolution of the electron flux and number density (both differential in energy) in a collisional thick target. We strongly urge use of these long-established, correct solutions in future works.« less

Two-dimensional spectra of electron collisions with acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile reveal nuclear dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regeta, K.; Allan, M.

2015-05-01

Detailed experimental information on the motion of a nuclear packet on a complex (resonant) anion potential surface is obtained by measuring 2-dimensional (2D) electron energy loss spectra. The cross section is plotted as a function of incident electron energy, which determines which resonant anion state is populated, i.e., along which normal coordinate the wave packet is launched, and of the electron energy loss, which reveals into which final states each specific resonant state decays. The 2D spectra are presented for acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile, at the incident energy range 0.095-1.0 eV, where the incoming electron is temporarily captured in the lowest π∗ orbital. The 2D spectra reveal selectivity patterns with respect to which vibrations are excited in the attachment and de-excited in the detachment. Further insight is gained by recording 1D spectra measured along horizontal, vertical, and diagonal cuts of the 2D spectrum. The methyl group in methacrylonitrile increases the resonance width 7 times. This converts the sharp resonances of acrylonitrile into boomerang structures but preserves the essence of the selectivity patterns. Selectivity of vibrational excitation by higher-lying shape resonances up to 8 eV is also reported.

Solar flare impulsive phase emission observed with SDO/EVE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennedy, Michael B.; Milligan, Ryan O.; Mathioudakis, Mihalis

2013-12-10

Differential emission measures (DEMs) during the impulsive phase of solar flares were constructed using observations from the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) and the Markov-Chain Monte Carlo method. Emission lines from ions formed over the temperature range log T{sub e} = 5.8-7.2 allow the evolution of the DEM to be studied over a wide temperature range at 10 s cadence. The technique was applied to several M- and X-class flares, where impulsive phase EUV emission is observable in the disk-integrated EVE spectra from emission lines formed up to 3-4 MK and we use spatially unresolved EVE observations to infer the thermalmore » structure of the emitting region. For the nine events studied, the DEMs exhibited a two-component distribution during the impulsive phase, a low-temperature component with peak temperature of 1-2 MK, and a broad high-temperature component from 7 to 30 MK. A bimodal high-temperature component is also found for several events, with peaks at 8 and 25 MK during the impulsive phase. The origin of the emission was verified using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly images to be the flare ribbons and footpoints, indicating that the constructed DEMs represent the spatially average thermal structure of the chromospheric flare emission during the impulsive phase.« less

Auger electron and characteristic energy loss spectra for electro-deposited americium-241

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varma, Matesh N.; Baum, John W.

1983-07-01

Auger electron energy spectra for electro-deposited americium-241 on platinum substrate were obtained using a cylindrical mirror analyzer. Characteristic energy loss spectra for this sample were also obtained at primary electron beam energies of 990 and 390 eV. From these measurements PI, PII, and PIII energy levels for americium-241 are determined. Auger electron energies are compared with theoretically calculated values. Minimum detectability under the present condition of sample preparation and equipment was estimated at approximately 1.2×10-8 g/cm2 or 3.9×10-8 Ci/cm2. Minimum detectability for plutonium-239 under similar conditions was estimated at about 7.2×10-10 Ci/cm2.

Dynamic molecular structure retrieval from low-energy laser-induced electron diffraction spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Dinh-Duy T.; Phan, Ngoc-Loan T.; Hoang, Van-Hung; Le, Van-Hoang

2017-12-01

A recently developed quantitative rescattering theory showed that a laser-free elastic cross section can be separated from laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) spectra. Based upon this idea, Blaga et al investigated the possibility of reconstructing molecular structure from LIED spectra (2012 Nature 483 7388). In the above study, an independent atoms model (IAM) was used to interpret high-energy electron-molecule collisions induced by a mid-infrared laser. Our research aims to extend the application range of this structural retrieval method to low-energy spectra induced by more common near-infrared laser sources. The IAM is insufficient in this case, so we switch to a more comprehensive model—the multiple scattering (MS) theory. From the original version concerning only neutral targets, we upgrade the model so that it is compatible with electron-ion collisions at low energy. With available LIED experiment data of CO2 and O2, the upgraded MS is shown to be greatly effective as a tool for molecular imaging from spectra induced by a near-infrared laser. The captured image is at about 2 fs after the ionization, shorter than the period 4-6 fs by using the mid-infrared laser in Blaga’s experiment.

Discovery of powerful gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula.

PubMed

Tavani, M; Bulgarelli, A; Vittorini, V; Pellizzoni, A; Striani, E; Caraveo, P; Weisskopf, M C; Tennant, A; Pucella, G; Trois, A; Costa, E; Evangelista, Y; Pittori, C; Verrecchia, F; Del Monte, E; Campana, R; Pilia, M; De Luca, A; Donnarumma, I; Horns, D; Ferrigno, C; Heinke, C O; Trifoglio, M; Gianotti, F; Vercellone, S; Argan, A; Barbiellini, G; Cattaneo, P W; Chen, A W; Contessi, T; D'Ammando, F; DePris, G; Di Cocco, G; Di Persio, G; Feroci, M; Ferrari, A; Galli, M; Giuliani, A; Giusti, M; Labanti, C; Lapshov, I; Lazzarotto, F; Lipari, P; Longo, F; Fuschino, F; Marisaldi, M; Mereghetti, S; Morelli, E; Moretti, E; Morselli, A; Pacciani, L; Perotti, F; Piano, G; Picozza, P; Prest, M; Rapisarda, M; Rappoldi, A; Rubini, A; Sabatini, S; Soffitta, P; Vallazza, E; Zambra, A; Zanello, D; Lucarelli, F; Santolamazza, P; Giommi, P; Salotti, L; Bignami, G F

2011-02-11

The well-known Crab Nebula is at the center of the SN1054 supernova remnant. It consists of a rotationally powered pulsar interacting with a surrounding nebula through a relativistic particle wind. The emissions originating from the pulsar and nebula have been considered to be essentially stable. Here, we report the detection of strong gamma-ray (100 mega-electron volts to 10 giga-electron volts) flares observed by the AGILE satellite in September 2010 and October 2007. In both cases, the total gamma-ray flux increased by a factor of three compared with the non-flaring flux. The flare luminosity and short time scale favor an origin near the pulsar, and we discuss Chandra Observatory x-ray and Hubble Space Telescope optical follow-up observations of the nebula. Our observations challenge standard models of nebular emission and require power-law acceleration by shock-driven plasma wave turbulence within an approximately 1-day time scale.

A Large-scale Plume in an X-class Solar Flare

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fleishman, Gregory D.; Nita, Gelu M.; Gary, Dale E.

Ever-increasing multi-frequency imaging of solar observations suggests that solar flares often involve more than one magnetic fluxtube. Some of the fluxtubes are closed, while others can contain open fields. The relative proportion of nonthermal electrons among those distinct loops is highly important for understanding energy release, particle acceleration, and transport. The access of nonthermal electrons to the open field is also important because the open field facilitates the solar energetic particle (SEP) escape from the flaring site, and thus controls the SEP fluxes in the solar system, both directly and as seed particles for further acceleration. The large-scale fluxtubes aremore » often filled with a tenuous plasma, which is difficult to detect in either EUV or X-ray wavelengths; however, they can dominate at low radio frequencies, where a modest component of nonthermal electrons can render the source optically thick and, thus, bright enough to be observed. Here we report the detection of a large-scale “plume” at the impulsive phase of an X-class solar flare, SOL2001-08-25T16:23, using multi-frequency radio data from Owens Valley Solar Array. To quantify the flare’s spatial structure, we employ 3D modeling utilizing force-free-field extrapolations from the line of sight SOHO /MDI magnetograms with our modeling tool GX-Simulator. We found that a significant fraction of the nonthermal electrons that accelerated at the flare site low in the corona escapes to the plume, which contains both closed and open fields. We propose that the proportion between the closed and open fields at the plume is what determines the SEP population escaping into interplanetary space.« less

Pion-decay radiation and two-phase acceleration in the June 3, 1982 solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, R.; Dermer, C. D.; Murphy, R. J.

1986-01-01

The June 3, 1982 flare is unique in the wealth of observed neutron, gamma-ray and energetic-particle emission that it produced. Using calculations of high-energy emissions to fit the various time-dependent gamma-ray fluxes, a self-consistent interaction model for the June 3 flare is constructed in which the observed fluxes are produced by two distinct particle populations with different acceleration and interaction time histories as well as different but time-independent energy spectra. The two populations are associated with first- and second-phase particle acceleration, respectively.

Correlative analysis of hard and soft x ray observations of solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zarro, Dominic M.

1994-01-01

We have developed a promising new technique for jointly analyzing BATSE hard X-ray observations of solar flares with simultaneous soft X-ray observations. The technique is based upon a model in which electric currents and associated electric fields are responsible for the respective heating and particle acceleration that occur in solar flares. A useful by-product of this technique is the strength and evolution of the coronal electric field. The latter permits one to derive important flare parameters such as the current density, the number of current filaments composing the loop, and ultimately the hard X-ray spectrum produced by the runaway electrons. We are continuing to explore the technique by applying it to additional flares for which we have joint BATSE/Yohkoh observations. A central assumption of our analysis is the constant of proportionality alpha relating the hard X-ray flux above 50 keV and the rate of electron acceleration. For a thick-target model of hard X-ray production, it can be shown that cv is in fact related to the spectral index and low-energy cutoff of precipitating electrons. The next step in our analysis is to place observational constraints on the latter parameters using the joint BATSE/Yohkoh data.

Statistical study of spatio-temporal distribution of precursor solar flares associated with major flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyenge, N.; Ballai, I.; Baranyi, T.

2016-07-01

The aim of the present investigation is to study the spatio-temporal distribution of precursor flares during the 24 h interval preceding M- and X-class major flares and the evolution of follower flares. Information on associated (precursor and follower) flares is provided by Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Flare list, while the major flares are observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system satellites between 2002 and 2014. There are distinct evolutionary differences between the spatio-temporal distributions of associated flares in about one-day period depending on the type of the main flare. The spatial distribution was characterized by the normalized frequency distribution of the quantity δ (the distance between the major flare and its precursor flare normalized by the sunspot group diameter) in four 6 h time intervals before the major event. The precursors of X-class flares have a double-peaked spatial distribution for more than half a day prior to the major flare, but it changes to a lognormal-like distribution roughly 6 h prior to the event. The precursors of M-class flares show lognormal-like distribution in each 6 h subinterval. The most frequent sites of the precursors in the active region are within a distance of about 0.1 diameter of sunspot group from the site of the major flare in each case. Our investigation shows that the build-up of energy is more effective than the release of energy because of precursors.

Effects of chirp on two-dimensional Fourier transform electronic spectra.

PubMed

Tekavec, Patrick F; Myers, Jeffrey A; Lewis, Kristin L M; Fuller, Franklin D; Ogilvie, Jennifer P

2010-05-24

We examine the effect that pulse chirp has on the shape of two- dimensional electronic spectra through calculations and experiments. For the calculations we use a model two electronic level system with a solvent interaction represented by a simple Gaussian correlation function and compare the resulting spectra to experiments carried out on an organic dye molecule (Rhodamine 800). Both calculations and experiments show that distortions due to chirp are most significant when the pulses used in the experiment have different amounts of chirp, introducing peak shape asymmetry that could be interpreted as spectrally dependent relaxation. When all pulses have similar chirp the distortions are reduced but still affect the anti-diagonal symmetry of the peak shapes and introduce negative features that could be interpreted as excited state absorption.

Electronic spectra of the tetraphenylcyclobutadienecyclopentadienylnickel(II) cation and radical

DOE PAGES

Peter R. Craig; Miller, John R.; Havlas, Zdenek; ...

2016-05-02

In this study, properties of the tetraphenylcyclobutadienecyclopentadienylnickel(II) cation 1 and its tetra-o-fluoro derivative 1a have been measured and calculated. The B3LYP/TZP optimized geometry of the free cation 1 agrees with a single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure except that in the crystal one of the phenyl substituents is strongly twisted to permit a close-packing interaction of two of its hydrogens with a nearby BF – 4 anion. The low-energy parts of the solution electronic absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of 1 and 1a have been interpreted by comparison with TD-DFT (B3LYP/TZP) results. Reduction or pulse radiolysis lead to a neutralmore » 19-electron radical, whose visible absorption and MCD spectra have been recorded and interpreted as well. The reduction is facilitated by ~0.1 V upon going from 1 to 1a« less

Deep Flare Net (DeFN) Model for Solar Flare Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizuka, N.; Sugiura, K.; Kubo, Y.; Den, M.; Ishii, M.

2018-05-01

We developed a solar flare prediction model using a deep neural network (DNN) named Deep Flare Net (DeFN). This model can calculate the probability of flares occurring in the following 24 hr in each active region, which is used to determine the most likely maximum classes of flares via a binary classification (e.g., ≥M class versus flare occurrence labels of X-, M-, and C-class were attached. We adopted the features used in Nishizuka et al. (2017) and added some features for operational prediction: coronal hot brightening at 131 Å (T ≥ 107 K) and the X-ray and 131 Å intensity data 1 and 2 hr before an image. For operational evaluation, we divided the database into two for training and testing: the data set in 2010–2014 for training, and the one in 2015 for testing. The DeFN model consists of deep multilayer neural networks formed by adapting skip connections and batch normalizations. To statistically predict flares, the DeFN model was trained to optimize the skill score, i.e., the true skill statistic (TSS). As a result, we succeeded in predicting flares with TSS = 0.80 for ≥M-class flares and TSS = 0.63 for ≥C-class flares. Note that in usual DNN models, the prediction process is a black box. However, in the DeFN model, the features are manually selected, and it is possible to analyze which features are effective for prediction after evaluation.

Formation of electron energy spectra during magnetic reconnection in laser-produced plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Kai; Lu, Quanming; Huang, Can; Dong, Quanli; Wang, Huanyu; Fan, Feibin; Sheng, Zhengming; Wang, Shui; Zhang, Jie

2017-10-01

Energetic electron spectra formed during magnetic reconnection between two laser-produced plasma bubbles are investigated by the use of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that the evolution of such an interaction between the two plasma bubbles can be separated into two distinct stages: squeezing and reconnection stages. In the squeezing stage, when the two plasma bubbles expand quickly and collide with each other, the magnetic field in the inflow region is greatly enhanced. In the second stage, a thin current sheet is formed between the two plasma bubbles, and then, magnetic reconnection occurs therein. During the squeezing stage, electrons are heated in the perpendicular direction by betatron acceleration due to the enhancement of the magnetic field around the plasma bubbles. Meanwhile, non-thermal electrons are generated by the Fermi mechanism when these electrons bounce between the two plasma bubbles approaching quickly and get accelerated mainly by the convective electric field associated with the plasma bubbles. During the reconnection stage, electrons get further accelerated mainly by the reconnection electric field in the vicinity of the X line. When the expanding speed of the plasma bubbles is sufficiently large, the formed electron energy spectra have a kappa distribution, where the lower energy part satisfies a Maxwellian function and the higher energy part is a power-law distribution. Moreover, the increase in the expanding speed will result in the hardening of formed power-law spectra in both the squeezing and reconnection stages.

Temporal and Periodic Variations of Sunspot Counts in Flaring and Non-Flaring Active Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilcik, A.; Yurchyshyn, V.; Donmez, B.; Obridko, V. N.; Ozguc, A.; Rozelot, J. P.

2018-04-01

We analyzed temporal and periodic variations of sunspot counts (SSCs) in flaring (C-, M-, or X-class flares), and non-flaring active regions (ARs) for nearly three solar cycles (1986 through 2016). Our main findings are as follows: i) temporal variations of monthly means of the daily total SSCs in flaring and non-flaring ARs behave differently during a solar cycle and the behavior varies from one cycle to another; during Solar Cycle 23 temporal SSC profiles of non-flaring ARs are wider than those of flaring ARs, while they are almost the same during Solar Cycle 22 and the current Cycle 24. The SSC profiles show a multi-peak structure and the second peak of flaring ARs dominates the current Cycle 24, while the difference between peaks is less pronounced during Solar Cycles 22 and 23. The first and second SSC peaks of non-flaring ARs have comparable magnitude in the current solar cycle, while the first peak is nearly absent in the case of the flaring ARs of the same cycle. ii) Periodic variations observed in the SSCs profiles of flaring and non-flaring ARs derived from the multi-taper method (MTM) spectrum and wavelet scalograms are quite different as well, and they vary from one solar cycle to another. The largest detected period in flaring ARs is 113± 1.6 days while we detected much longer periodicities (327± 13, 312 ± 11, and 256± 8 days) in the non-flaring AR profiles. No meaningful periodicities were detected in the MTM spectrum of flaring ARs exceeding 55± 0.7 days during Solar Cycles 22 and 24, while a 113± 1.3 days period was detected in flaring ARs of Solar Cycle 23. For the non-flaring ARs the largest detected period was only 31± 0.2 days for Cycle 22 and 72± 1.3 days for the current Cycle 24, while the largest measured period was 327± 13 days during Solar Cycle 23.

Effect of enhanced x-ray flux on the ionosphere over Cyprus during solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mostafa, Md. Golam; Haralambous, Haris

2015-06-01

In this work we study the effect of solar flares on the ionosphere over Cyprus. Solar flares are impulsive solar activity events usually coupled with Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The arrival and the subsequent impact of solar flares on geospace, following an eruption on the Sun's surface is almost immediate (around 9 min) whereas the impact of CMEs is rather delayed (2-3 days) as the former is based on X-ray radiation whereas the latter phenomenon is related with particles and magnetic fields travelling at lower speeds via the Solar Wind. The penetration of X-rays down to the Dregion following such an event enhances the electron density. This increase can be monitored by ionosondes, which measure the electron density up to the maximum electron density NmF2. The significance of this increase lies on the increase of signal absorption causing limited window of operating frequencies for HF communications. In this study the effect of enhanced X-ray flux on the ionosphere over Cyprus during solar flares has been investigated. To establish the correlation and extent of impact on different layers, data of X-ray intensity from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and ionospheric characteristics (D & F layer) over Nicosia station (35° N, 33° E) were examined for all solar flares during the period 2011-2014. The analysis revealed a positive and good correlation between frequency of minimum reflection, fmin and X-ray intensity for D layer demonstrating that X-rays play a dominant role in the ionization of lower ionosphere. Hence, X-ray flux can be used as a good proxy for studying the solar flare effects on lower ionosphere. The correlation coefficient between maximum electron density of F layer, NmF2 and X-ray intensity was found to be poor.

Electronic structure of some adenosine receptor antagonists. III. Quantitative investigation of the electronic absorption spectra of alkyl xanthines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moustafa, H.; Shalaby, Samia H.; El-sawy, K. M.; Hilal, Rifaat

2002-07-01

Quantitative and comparative investigation of the electronic absorption spectra of theophylline, caffeine and their derivatives is reported. The spectra of theophylline, caffeine and theobromine were compared to establish the predominant tautomeric species in solution. This comparison, analysis of solvent effects and assignments of the observed transitions via MO computations indicate the exits of only one tautomeric species in solution that is the N7 form. A low-lying triplet state was identified which corresponds to a HOMO-LUMO transition. This relatively long-lived T 1 state is always less polar than the ground state and may very well underlie the photochemical reactivity of alkyl xanthines. Substituents of different electron donating or withdrawing strengths and solvent effects are investigated and analyzed. The present analysis is facilitated via computer deconvolution of the observed spectra and MO computation.

Understanding the inelastic electron-tunneling spectra of alkanedithiols on gold.

PubMed

Solomon, Gemma C; Gagliardi, Alessio; Pecchia, Alessandro; Frauenheim, Thomas; Di Carlo, Aldo; Reimers, Jeffrey R; Hush, Noel S

2006-03-07

We present results for a simulated inelastic electron-tunneling spectra (IETS) from calculations using the "gDFTB" code. The geometric and electronic structure is obtained from calculations using a local-basis density-functional scheme, and a nonequilibrium Green's function formalism is employed to deal with the transport aspects of the problem. The calculated spectrum of octanedithiol on gold(111) shows good agreement with experimental results and suggests further details in the assignment of such spectra. We show that some low-energy peaks, unassigned in the experimental spectrum, occur in a region where a number of molecular modes are predicted to be active, suggesting that these modes are the cause of the peaks rather than a matrix signal, as previously postulated. The simulations also reveal the qualitative nature of the processes dominating IETS. It is highly sensitive only to the vibrational motions that occur in the regions of the molecule where there is electron density in the low-voltage conduction channel. This result is illustrated with an examination of the predicted variation of IETS with binding site and alkane chain length.

Local re-acceleration and a modified thick target model of solar flare electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, J. C.; Turkmani, R.; Kontar, E. P.; MacKinnon, A. L.; Vlahos, L.

2009-12-01

Context: The collisional thick target model (CTTM) of solar hard X-ray (HXR) bursts has become an almost “standard model” of flare impulsive phase energy transport and radiation. However, it faces various problems in the light of recent data, particularly the high electron beam density and anisotropy it involves. Aims: We consider how photon yield per electron can be increased, and hence fast electron beam intensity requirements reduced, by local re-acceleration of fast electrons throughout the HXR source itself, after injection. Methods: We show parametrically that, if net re-acceleration rates due to e.g. waves or local current sheet electric (E) fields are a significant fraction of collisional loss rates, electron lifetimes, and hence the net radiative HXR output per electron can be substantially increased over the CTTM values. In this local re-acceleration thick target model (LRTTM) fast electron number requirements and anisotropy are thus reduced. One specific possible scenario involving such re-acceleration is discussed, viz, a current sheet cascade (CSC) in a randomly stressed magnetic loop. Results: Combined MHD and test particle simulations show that local E fields in CSCs can efficiently accelerate electrons in the corona and and re-accelerate them after injection into the chromosphere. In this HXR source scenario, rapid synchronisation and variability of impulsive footpoint emissions can still occur since primary electron acceleration is in the high Alfvén speed corona with fast re-acceleration in chromospheric CSCs. It is also consistent with the energy-dependent time-of-flight delays in HXR features. Conclusions: Including electron re-acceleration in the HXR source allows an LRTTM modification of the CTTM in which beam density and anisotropy are much reduced, and alleviates theoretical problems with the CTTM, while making it more compatible with radio and interplanetary electron numbers. The LRTTM is, however, different in some respects such as

Electronic and Vibrational Spectra of InP Quantum Dots Formed by Sequential Ion Implantation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, C.; Mu, R.; Tung, Y. S.; Ueda, A.; Henderson, D. O.; White, C. W.

1997-01-01

We have performed sequential ion implantation of indium and phosphorus into silica combined with controlled thermal annealing to fabricate InP quantum dots in a dielectric host. Electronic and vibrational spectra were measured for the as-implanted and annealed samples. The annealed samples show a peak in the infrared spectra near 320/cm which is attributed to a surface phonon mode and is in good agreement with the value calculated from Frolich's theory of surface phonon polaritons. The electronic spectra show the development of a band near 390 nm that is attributed to quantum confined InP.

Statistical aspects of solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.

1987-01-01

A survey of the statistical properties of 850 H alpha solar flares during 1975 is presented. Comparison of the results found here with those reported elsewhere for different epochs is accomplished. Distributions of rise time, decay time, and duration are given, as are the mean, mode, median, and 90th percentile values. Proportions by selected groupings are also determined. For flares in general, mean values for rise time, decay time, and duration are 5.2 + or - 0.4 min, and 18.1 + or 1.1 min, respectively. Subflares, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the flares, had mean values lower than those found for flares of H alpha importance greater than 1, and the differences are statistically significant. Likewise, flares of bright and normal relative brightness have mean values of decay time and duration that are significantly longer than those computed for faint flares, and mass-motion related flares are significantly longer than non-mass-motion related flares. Seventy-three percent of the mass-motion related flares are categorized as being a two-ribbon flare and/or being accompanied by a high-speed dark filament. Slow rise time flares (rise time greater than 5 min) have a mean value for duration that is significantly longer than that computed for fast rise time flares, and long-lived duration flares (duration greater than 18 min) have a mean value for rise time that is significantly longer than that computed for short-lived duration flares, suggesting a positive linear relationship between rise time and duration for flares. Monthly occurrence rates for flares in general and by group are found to be linearly related in a positive sense to monthly sunspot number. Statistical testing reveals the association between sunspot number and numbers of flares to be significant at the 95 percent level of confidence, and the t statistic for slope is significant at greater than 99 percent level of confidence. Dependent upon the specific fit, between 58 percent and 94 percent of

Analysis and modelling of recurrent solar flares observed with Hinode/EIS on March 9, 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polito, V.; Del Zanna, G.; Valori, G.; Pariat, E.; Mason, H. E.; Dudík, J.; Janvier, M.

2017-05-01

Three homologous C-class flares and one last M-class flare were observed by both the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Hinode EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) in the AR 11429 on March 9, 2012. All the recurrent flares occurred within a short interval of time (less than 4 h), showed very similar plasma morphology and were all confined, until the last one when a large-scale eruption occurred. The C-class flares are characterized by the appearance, at approximatively the same locations, of two bright and compact footpoint sources of ≈3-10 MK evaporating plasma, and a semi-circular ribbon. During all the flares, the continuous brightening of a spine-like hot plasma (≈10 MK) structure is also observed. Spectroscopic observations with Hinode/EIS are used to measure and compare the blueshift velocities in the Fe xxiii emission line and the electron number density at the flare footpoints for each flare. Similar velocities, of the order of 150-200 km s-1, are observed during the C2.0 and C4.7 confined flares, in agreement with the values reported by other authors in the study of the last M1.8 class flare. On the other hand, lower electron number densities and temperatures tend to be observed in flares with lower peak soft X-ray flux. In order to investigate the homologous nature of the flares, we performed a non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) extrapolation of the 3D magnetic field configuration in the corona. The NLFFF extrapolation and the Quasi-Separatrix Layers (QSLs) provide the magnetic field context which explains the location of the kernels, spine-like hot plasma and semi-circular brightenings observed in the (non-eruptive) flares. Given the absence of a coronal null point, we argue that the homologous flares were all generated by the continuous recurrence of bald patch reconnection. The movie associated to Fig. 2 is available at http://www.aanda.org

Discovery of 1-5 Hz Flaring at High Luminosity in SAX J1808.4-3658

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bult, Peter; van der Klis, Michiel

2014-07-01

We report the discovery of a 1-5 Hz X-ray flaring phenomenon observed at >30 mCrab near peak luminosity in the 2008 and 2011 outbursts of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 in observations with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. In each of the two outbursts this high luminosity flaring is seen for ~3 continuous days and switches on and off on a timescale of 1-2 hr. The flaring can be seen directly in the light curve, where it shows sharp spikes of emission at quasi-regular separation. In the power spectrum it produces a broad noise component, which peaks at 1-5 Hz. The total 0.05-10 Hz variability has a fractional rms amplitude of 20%-45%, well in excess of the 8%-12% rms broadband noise usually seen in power spectra of SAX J1808.4-3658. We perform a detailed timing analysis of the flaring and study its relation to the 401 Hz pulsations. We find that the pulse amplitude varies proportionally with source flux through all phases of the flaring, indicating that the flaring is likely due to mass density variations created at or outside the magnetospheric boundary. We suggest that this 1-5 Hz flaring is a high mass accretion rate version of the 0.5-2 Hz flaring which is known to occur at low luminosity (<13 mCrab), late in the tail of outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658. We propose the dead-disk instability, previously suggested as the mechanism for the 0.5-2 Hz flaring, as a likely mechanism for the high luminosity flaring reported here.

The Dependence of Solar Flare Limb Darkening on Emission Peak Formation Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiemann, Edward; Epp, Luke; Eparvier, Francis; Chamberlin, Phillip C.

2017-08-01

Solar limb effects are local brightening or darkening of an emission that depend on where in the Sun's atmosphere it forms. Near the solar limb, optically thick (thin) emissions will darken (brighten) as the column of absorbers (emitters) along the line-of-sight increases. Note that in limb brightening, emission sources are re-arranged whereas in limb darkening they are obscured. Thus, only limb darkening is expected to occur in disk integrated observations. Limb darkening also results in center-to-limb variations of disk-integrated solar flare spectra, with important consequences for how planetary atmospheres are affected by flares. Flares are typically characterized by their flux in the optically thin 0.1-0.8 nm band measured by the X-ray Sensor (XRS) on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). On the other hand, Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) line emissions can limb darken because they are sensitive to resonant scattering, resulting in a flare's location on the solar disk controlling the amount of ionizing radiation that reaches a planet. For example, an X-class flare originating from disk center may significantly heat a planet's thermosphere, whereas the same flare originating near the limb may have no effect because much of the effective emissions are scattered in the solar corona.To advance the relatively poor understanding of flare limb darkening, we use over 300 M-class or larger flares observed by the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to characterize limb darkening as a function of emission peak formation temperature, Tf. For hot coronal emissions (Tf>2 MK), these results show a linear relationship between the degree of limb darkening and Tf where lines with Tf=2 MK darken approximately 7 times more than lines with Tf=16 MK. Because the extent of limb darkening is dependent on the height of the source plasma, we use simple Beer-Lambert radiative transfer analysis to interpret these results

The evolution of energetic particles and the emitted radiation in solar flares. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Edward Tsang

1989-01-01

The evolution of accelerated particle distributions in a magnetized plasma and the resulting radiation are calculated, and the results are applied to solar flares. To study the radiation on timescales of order the particle lifetimes, the evolution of the particle distribution is determined by the use of the Fokker-Planck equation including Coulomb collisions and magnetic mirroring. Analytic solution to the equations are obtained for limiting cases such as homogeneous injection in a homogeneous plasma, and for small pitch angle. These analytic solutions are then used to place constraints on flare parameters such as density, loop length, and the injection timescale for very short implusive solar flares. For general particle distributions in arbitrary magnetic field and background density, the equation is solved numerically. The relative timing of microwaves and X-rays during individual flares is investigated. A number of possible sources for excessive microwave flux are discussed including a flattening in the electron spectrum above hard X-ray energies, thermal synchrotron emission, and trapping of electron by converging magnetic fields. Over shorter timescales, the Fokker-Planck equation is solved numerically to calculate the temporal evolution of microwaves and X-rays from nonthermal thick target models. It is shown that magnetic trapping will not account for the observed correlation of microwaves of approximately 0.15 seconds behind X-rays in flares with rapid time variation, and thus higher energy electrons must be accelerated later than lower energy electrons.

Limiting Superluminal Electron and Neutrino Velocities Using the 2010 Crab Nebula Flare and the IceCube PeV Neutrino Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, Floyd W.

2014-01-01

The observation of two PetaelectronVolt (PeV)-scale neutrino events reported by Ice Cube allows one to place constraints on Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) in the neutrino sector. After first arguing that at least one of the PetaelectronVolt IceCube events was of extragalactic origin, I derive an upper limit for the difference between putative superluminal neutrino and electron velocities of less than or equal to approximately 5.6 x 10(exp -19) in units where c = 1, confirming that the observed PetaelectronVolt neutrinos could have reached Earth from extragalactic sources. I further derive a new constraint on the superluminal electron velocity, obtained from the observation of synchrotron radiation from the Crab Nebula flare of September, 2010. The inference that the greater than 1 GigaelectronVolt gamma-rays from synchrotron emission in the flare were produced by electrons of energy up to approx. 5.1 PetaelectronVolt indicates the nonoccurrence of vacuum Cerenkov radiation by these electrons. This implies a new, strong constraint on superluminal electron velocities delta(sub e) less than or equal to approximately 5 x 10(exp -21). It immediately follows that one then obtains an upper limit on the superluminal neutrino velocity alone of delta(sub v) less than or equal to approximately 5.6 x 10(exp -19), many orders of magnitude better than the time-of-flight constraint from the SN1987A neutrino burst. However, if the electrons are subluminal the constraint on the absolute value of delta(sub e) less than or equal to approximately 8 x 10(exp -17), obtained from the Crab Nebula gamma-ray spectrum, places a weaker constraint on superluminal neutrino velocity of delta(sub v) less than or equal to approximately 8 x 10(exp -17).

Chromospheric Evaporation and Decimetric Radio Emission in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Benz, Arnold O.

1995-01-01

We have discovered decimetric signatures of the chromospheric evaporation process. Evidence for the radio detection of chromospheric evaporation is based on the radio-inferred values of (1) the electron density, (2) the propagation speed, and (3) the timing, which are found to be in good agreement with statistical values inferred from the blueshifted Ca xix soft X-ray line. The physical basis of our model is that free-free absorption of plasma emission is strongly modified by the steep density gradient and the large temperature increase in the upflowing flare plasma. The steplike density increase at the chromospheric evaporation front causes a local discontinuity in the plasma frequency, manifested as almost infinite drift rate in decimetric type III bursts. The large temperature increase of the upflowing plasma considerably reduces the local free-free opacity (due to the T-(exp -3/2) dependence) and thus enhances the brightness of radio bursts emitted at the local plasma frequency near the chromospheric evaporation front, while a high-frequency cutoff is expected in the high-density regions behind the front, which can be used to infer the velocity of the upflowing plasma. From model calculations we find strong evidence that decimetric bursts with a slowly drifting high-frequency cutoff are produced by fundamental plasma emission, contrary to the widespread belief that decimetric bursts are preferentially emitted at the harmonic plasma level. We analyzed 21 flare episodes from 1991-1993 for which broadband (100-3000 MHz) radio dynamic spectra from Phoenix, hard X-ray data from BATSE/CGRO, and soft X-ray data from GOES were available. We detected slowly drifting high-frequency cutoffs between 1.1 and 3.0 GHz, with drift rates of -41 +/- 32 MHz/s, extending over time intervals of 24 +/- 23 s. Developing a density model for type III-emitting flare loops based on the statistically observed drift rate of type III bursts by Alvarez & Haddock, we infer velocities of up to

On the spectrum and polarization of magnetar flare emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taverna, R.; Turolla, R.

2017-08-01

Bursts and flares are among the distinctive observational manifestations of magnetars, isolated neutron stars endowed with an ultrastrong magnetic field (B ≈ 1014-1015 G). It is believed that these events arise in a hot electron-positron plasma that remains trapped within the closed magnetic field lines. We developed a simple radiative transfer model to simulate magnetar flare emission in the case of a steady trapped fireball. After dividing the fireball surface in a number of plane-parallel slabs, the local spectral and polarization properties are obtained integrating the radiative transfer equations for the two normal modes. We assume that magnetic Thomson scattering is the dominant source of opacity, and neglect contributions from second-order radiative processes, although double-Compton scattering is accounted for in establishing local thermal equilibrium in the fireball atmospheric layers. The observed spectral and polarization properties as measured by a distant observer are obtained by summing the contributions from the patches that are visible for a given viewing geometry by means of a ray-tracing code. The spectra we obtained in the 1-100 keV energy range are thermal and can be described in terms of the superposition of two blackbodies. The blackbody temperature and the emitting area ratio are in broad agreement with the available observations. The predicted linear polarization degree is, in general, greater than 80 per cent over the entire energy range and should be easily detectable by new-generation X-ray polarimeters, such as IXPE, XIPE and eXTP.

Aluminum oxide in stellar spectra - An infrared electronic transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luck, R. E.; Lambert, D. L.

1974-01-01

Review of recent research on the possibility of detecting the infrared electronic transition of aluminum oxide in the spectra of cool stars. It is shown that this transition may be of considerable significance for the study of Mira-type variables. Specific targets of further laboratory investigation of the transition are pointed out.

Elongation of Flare Ribbons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qiu, Jiong; Longcope, Dana W.; Cassak, Paul A.

2017-03-20

We present an analysis of the apparent elongation motion of flare ribbons along the polarity inversion line (PIL), as well as the shear of flare loops in several two-ribbon flares. Flare ribbons and loops spread along the PIL at a speed ranging from a few to a hundred km s{sup −1}. The shear measured from conjugate footpoints is consistent with the measurement from flare loops, and both show the decrease of shear toward a potential field as a flare evolves and ribbons and loops spread along the PIL. Flares exhibiting fast bidirectional elongation appear to have a strong shear, whichmore » may indicate a large magnetic guide field relative to the reconnection field in the coronal current sheet. We discuss how the analysis of ribbon motion could help infer properties in the corona where reconnection takes place.« less

Transition Region Emission and the Energy Input to Thermal Plasma in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.; Holman, Gordon D.; Dennis, Brian R.; Haga, Leah; Raymond, John C.; Panasyuk, Alexander

2005-01-01

Understanding the energetics of solar flares depends on obtaining reliable determinations of the energy input to flare plasma. X-ray observations of the thermal bremsstrahlung from hot flare plasma provide temperatures and emission measures which, along with estimates of the plasma volume, allow the energy content of this hot plasma to be computed. However, if thermal energy losses are significant or if significant energy goes directly into cooler plasma, this is only a lower limit on the total energy injected into thermal plasma during the flare. We use SOHO UVCS observations of O VI flare emission scattered by coronal O VI ions to deduce the flare emission at transition region temperatures between 100,000 K and 1 MK for the 2002 July 23 and other flares. We find that the radiated energy at these temperatures significantly increases the deduced energy input to the thermal plasma, but by an amount that is less than the uncertainty in the computed energies. Comparisons of computed thermal and nonthermal electron energies deduced from RHESSI, GOES, and UVCS are shown.

Pulsations in the Earth's Lower Ionosphere Synchronized With Solar Flare Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Laura A.; Gallagher, Peter T.; McCauley, Joseph; Dennis, Brian R.; Ireland, Jack; Inglis, Andrew

2017-10-01

Solar flare emission at X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) energies can cause substantial enhancements in the electron density in the Earth's lower ionosphere. It has now become clear that flares exhibit quasi-periodic pulsations with timescales of minutes at X-ray energies, but to date, it has not been known if the ionosphere is sensitive to this variability. Here using a combination of very low frequency (24 kHz) measurement together with space-based X-ray and EUV observations, we report pulsations of the ionospheric D region, which are synchronized with a set of pulsating flare loops. Modeling of the ionosphere show that the D region electron density varies by up to an order of magnitude over the timescale of the pulsations (˜ 20 min). Our results reveal that the Earth's ionosphere is more sensitive to small-scale changes in solar soft X-ray flux than previously thought and implies that planetary ionospheres are closely coupled to small-scale changes in solar/stellar activity.

TIME-DEPENDENT DENSITY DIAGNOSTICS OF SOLAR FLARE PLASMAS USING SDO/EVE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milligan, Ryan O.; Kennedy, Michael B.; Mathioudakis, Mihalis

2012-08-10

Temporally resolved electron density measurements of solar flare plasmas are presented using data from the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The EVE spectral range contains emission lines formed between 10{sup 4} and 10{sup 7} K, including transitions from highly ionized iron ({approx}>10 MK). Using three density-sensitive Fe XXI ratios, peak electron densities of 10{sup 11.2}-10{sup 12.1} cm{sup -3} were found during four X-class flares. While previous measurements of densities at such high temperatures were made at only one point during a flaring event, EVE now allows the temporal evolution of these high-temperature densities to bemore » determined at 10 s cadence. A comparison with GOES data revealed that the peak of the density time profiles for each line ratio correlated well with that of the emission measure time profile for each of the events studied.« less

Interrelation of soft and hard X-ray emissions during solar flares. I - Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winglee, R. M.; Kiplinger, A. L.; Zarro, D. M.; Dulk, G. A.; Lemen, J. R.

1991-01-01

The interrelation between the acceleration and heating of electrons and ions during impulsive solar flares is determined on the basis of simulataneous observations of hard and soft X-ray emission from the Solar Maximum Mission at high time resolution (6 s). For all the flares, the hard X-rays are found to have a power-law spectrum which breaks down during the rise phase and beginning of the decay phase. After that, the spectrum changes to either a single power law or a power law that breaks up at high energies. The characteristics of the soft X-ray are found to depend on the flare position. It is suggested that small-scale quasi-static electric fields are important for determining the acceleration of the X-ray-producing electrons and the outflowing chromospheric ions.

Building Big Flares: Constraining Generating Processes of Solar Flare Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyse Jackson, T.; Kashyap, V.; McKillop, S.

2015-12-01

We address mechanisms which seek to explain the observed solar flare distribution, dN/dE ~ E1.8. We have compiled a comprehensive database, from GOES, NOAA, XRT, and AIA data, of solar flares and their characteristics, covering the year 2013. These datasets allow us to probe how stored magnetic energy is released over the course of an active region's evolution. We fit power-laws to flare distributions over various attribute groupings. For instance, we compare flares that occur before and after an active region reaches its maximum area, and show that the corresponding flare distributions are indistinguishable; thus, the processes that lead to magnetic reconnection are similar in both cases. A turnover in the distribution is not detectable at the energies accessible to our study, suggesting that a self-organized critical (SOC) process is a valid mechanism. However, we find changes in the distributions that suggest that the simple picture of an SOC where flares draw energy from an inexhaustible reservoir of stored magnetic energy is incomplete. Following the evolution of the flare distribution over the lifetimes of active regions, we find that the distribution flattens with time, and for larger active regions, and that a single power-law model is insufficient. This implies that flares that occur later in the lifetime of the active region tend towards higher energies. We conclude that the SOC process must have an upper bound. Increasing the scope of the study to include data from other years and more instruments will increase the robustness of these results. This work was supported by the NSF-REU Solar Physics Program at SAO, grant number AGS 1263241, NASA Contract NAS8-03060 to the Chandra X-ray Center and by NASA Hinode/XRT contract NNM07AB07C to SAO

Formation of the 0.511.-MeV line in solar flares. [statistical mechanics of line spectra for gamma rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crannell, C. J.; Joyce, G.; Ramaty, R.; Werntz, C.

1976-01-01

The gamma-ray line produced at 0.51-MeV was studied and is shown to be the result of either of free annihilation of positrons with electrons or of the decay of positronium by 2-photon emission. Positron annihilation from the bound state of positronium may also proceed by 3-photon emission, resulting in a continuum with energies up to 0.51-MeV. Accurate calculations of the rates of free annihilation and positronium formation in a solar-flare plasma are presented. Estimates of the positronium-formulation rates by charge exchange and the rates of dissociation and quenching are also considered. The temperature and density dependence of the ratio of 3-photon to 2-photon emission was obtained. It is shown that when the ratio of free electrons to neutral atoms in the plasma is approximately unity or greater, the Doppler width of the 0.51-MeV line is a function of the temperature of the annihilation region. For the small ion densities characteristics of the photosphere, the width is predominantly a function of the density.

Particle propagation, wave growth and energy dissipation in a flaring flux tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, S. M.; Melrose, D. B.; Dulk, G. A.

1986-01-01

Wave amplification by downgoing particles in a common flare model is investigated. The flare is assumed to occur at the top of a coronal magnetic flux loop, and results in the heating of plasma in the flaring region. The hot electrons propagate down the legs of the flux tube towards increasing magnetic field. It is simple to demonstrate that the velocity distributions which result in this model are unstable to both beam instabilities and cyclotron maser action. An explanation is presented for the propagation effects on the distribution, and the properties of the resulting amplified waves are explored, concentrating on cyclotron maser action, which has properties (emission in the z mode below the local gyrofrequency) quite different from maser action by other distributions considered in the context of solar flares. The z mode waves will be damped in the coronal plasma surrounding the flaring flux tube and lead to heating there. This process may be important in the overall energy budget of the flare. The downgoing maser is compared with the loss cone maser, which is more likely to produce observable bursts.

A Mechanism for Bulk Energization in the Impulsive Phase of Solar Flares: MHD Turbulent Cascade

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaRosa, T. N.; Moore, R. L.

1993-01-01

We propose that the large production rate (approximately 10(exp 36)/s) of energetic electrons (greater than or approximately equal to 25 keV) required to account for the impulsive-phase hard X-ray burst in large flares is achieved through MHD turbulent cascade of the bulk kinetic energy of the outflows from many separate reconnection events. Focusing on large two- ribbon eruptive flares as representative of most large flares, we envision the reconnection events to be the driven reconnection of oppositely directed elementary flux tubes pressing into the flare-length current-sheet interface that forms in the wake of the eruption of the sheared core of the preflare bipolar field configuration. We point out that, because the outflows from these driven reconnection events have speeds of order the Alfven speed and because the magnetic field reduces the shear viscosity of the plasma, it is reasonable that the outflows are unstable and turbulent, so that the kinetic energy of an outflow is rapidly dissipated through turbulent cascade. If the largest eddies in the turbulence have diameters of order the expected widths of the outflows (10(exp 7)-10(exp 8)cm), then the cascade dissipation of each of these eddies could produce approximately 10(exp 26) erg burst of energized electrons (approximately 3 x (10(exp 33) 25 keV electrons) in approximately 0.3 s, which agrees well with hard X-ray and radio sub-bursts commonly observed during the impulsive phase. Of order 10(exp 2) simultaneous reconnection events with turbulent outflow would produce the observed rate of impulsive-phase plasma energization in the most powerful flares (approximately 10(exp 36) 25 keV electrons/ s); this number of reconnection sites can easily fit within the estimated 3 x 10(exp 9) cm span of the overall current-sheet dissipation region formed in these large flares. We therefore conclude that MHD turbulent cascade is a promising mechanism for the plasma energization observed in the impulsive phase of

Solar Flare Termination Shock and Synthetic Emission Line Profiles of the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å Line

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Lijia; Li, Gang; Reeves, Kathy

Solar flares are among the most energetic phenomena that occur in the solar system. In the standard solar flare model, a fast mode shock, often referred to as the flare termination shock (TS), can exist above the loop-top source of hard X-ray emissions. The existence of the TS has been recently related to spectral hardening of a flare’s hard X-ray spectra at energies >300 keV. Observations of the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å line during solar flares by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph ( IRIS ) spacecraft have found significant redshifts with >100 km s{sup −1}, which is consistent with amore » reconnection downflow. The ability to detect such a redshift with IRIS suggests that one may be able to use IRIS observations to identify flare TSs. Using a magnetohydrodynamic simulation to model magnetic reconnection of a solar flare and assuming the existence of a TS in the downflow of the reconnection plasma, we model the synthetic emission of the Fe xxi 1354.08 line in this work. We show that the existence of the TS in the solar flare may manifest itself in the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å line.« less

Two-dimensional electronic spectra of the photosynthetic apparatus of green sulfur bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramer, Tobias; Rodriguez, Mirta

2017-03-01

Advances in time resolved spectroscopy have provided new insight into the energy transmission in natural photosynthetic complexes. Novel theoretical tools and models are being developed in order to explain the experimental results. We provide a model calculation for the two-dimensional electronic spectra of Cholorobaculum tepidum which correctly describes the main features and transfer time scales found in recent experiments. From our calculation one can infer the coupling of the antenna chlorosome with the environment and the coupling between the chlorosome and the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. We show that environment assisted transport between the subunits is the required mechanism to reproduce the experimental two-dimensional electronic spectra.

The Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar Flares (GRIPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Albert Y.; Lin, Robert P.; Hurford, Gordon J.; Duncan, Nicole A.; Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Bain, Hazel M.; Boggs, Steven E.; Zoglauer, Andreas C.; Smith, David M.; Tajima, Hiroyasu;

The isotropic condition of energetic particles emitted from a large solar flare. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalding, J.

1983-01-01

Isotope abundance ratios for 5 to 50 MeV/nuc nuclei from a large solar flare were measured. The measurements were made by the heavy isotope spectrometer telescope (HIST) on the ISEE-3 satellite orbiting the Sun near an Earth-Sun liberation point approximately one million miles sunward of the Earth. Finite values for the isotope abundance ratios C-13/C-12, N-15/N-14, O-18/O-16, Ne-22/Ne-20, Mg-25/Mg-24, and Mg-26/Mg-24, and upper limits for the isotope abundance ratios He-3/He-4, C-14/C-12, O-17/O-16 and Ne-21/Ne-20 were reported. Element abundances and spectra were measured to compare the flare with other reported flares. The flare is a typical large flare with low Fe/O abundance or = to 0.1). For C-13/C-12, N-15/N-14, O-18/O-16, Mg-25/Mg-24 and Mg-26/Mg-24 isotope abundance ratios agree with the solar system abundance ratios. Measurement for Ne-22/Ne-20 agree with the isotopic composition of the meteoritic component neon-A.

A Multiwavelength Study of Flaring Activity in the High-energy Peaked BL Lac Object 1ES 1959+650 During 2015-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Navpreet; Chandra, S.; Baliyan, Kiran S.; Sameer; Ganesh, S.

2017-09-01

We present the results from a multiwavelength study of the flaring activity in the high-energy peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 during 2015 January-2016 June. The source underwent two major outbursts, during 2015 March and 2015 October, across the whole electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). We used data from Fermi-LAT and Swift-XRT/UVOT, and optical data from Mt. Abu InfraRed Observatory and Steward Observatory to look for possible correlations between the emissions at different energies and the nature of the variability during the flaring state. During the 2015 October outburst, the nightly averaged V-band brightest magnitude, 14.45(0.03), and faintest magnitude, 14.45(0.03), were recorded. Apart from long-term flares, rapid and short-term variabilities were noticed at all energies. Our study suggests that the flaring activities at all frequencies, with diverse flare durations and time lags, are correlated. The magnetic field strength is estimated to be 4 G using the synchrotron-cooling timescale (2.3 hr), and the upper limits on the sizes of both emission regions, γ-ray and optical, are estimated to be of the order of 1016 cm. The quasi-simultaneous flux enhancements in 15 GHz and VHE γ-ray emissions indicate a fresh injection of plasma into the jet, which interacts with a standing submillimeter core, resulting in co-spatial emissions across the EMS. The synchrotron peak shifts to higher frequency in the spectral energy distribution while the γ-ray spectra softens during the flaring. The shape of the inverse-Compton spectra indicates a change in the particle energy distribution pre- and post-flare.

A Large-scale Search for Evidence of Quasi-periodic Pulsations in Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inglis, A. R.; Ireland, J.; Dennis, B. R.; Hayes, L.; Gallagher, P.

2016-12-01

The nature of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) in solar flares is poorly constrained, and critically the general prevalence of such signals in solar flares is unknown. Therefore, we perform a large-scale search for evidence of signals consistent with QPP in solar flares, focusing on the 1-300 s timescale. We analyze 675 M- and X-class flares observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series in 1-8 Å soft X-rays between 2011 February 1 and 2015 December 31. Additionally, over the same era we analyze Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) 15-25 keV X-ray data for each of these flares associated with a Fermi/GBM solar flare trigger, a total of 261 events. Using a model comparison method, we determine whether there is evidence for a substantial enhancement in the Fourier power spectrum that may be consistent with a QPP signature, based on three tested models; a power-law plus a constant, a broken power-law plus constant, and a power-law-plus-constant with an additional QPP signature component. From this, we determine that ˜30% of GOES events and ˜8% of Fermi/GBM events show strong signatures consistent with classical interpretations of QPP. For the remaining events either two or more tested models cannot be strongly distinguished from each other, or the events are well-described by single power-law or broken power-law Fourier power spectra. For both instruments, a preferred characteristic timescale of ˜5-30 s was found in the QPP-like events, with no dependence on flare magnitude in either GOES or GBM data. We also show that individual events in the sample show similar characteristic timescales in both GBM and GOES data sets. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of solar flares and possible QPP mechanisms.

A Large-Scale Search for Evidence of Quasi-Periodic Pulsations in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inglis, A. R.; Ireland, J.; Dennis, B. R..; Hayes, L.; Gallagher, P.

2016-01-01

The nature of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) in solar flares is poorly constrained, and critically the general prevalence of such signals in solar flares is unknown. Therefore, we perform a large-scale search for evidence of signals consistent with QPP in solar flares, focusing on the 1300 s timescale. We analyze 675 M- and X-class flares observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series in 18 soft X-rays between 2011 February 1 and 2015 December 31. Additionally, over the same era we analyze Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) 1525 keV X-ray data for each of these flares associated with a Fermi/GBM solar flare trigger, a total of 261 events. Using a model comparison method, we determine whether there is evidence for a substantial enhancement in the Fourier power spectrum that may be consistent with a QPP signature, based on three tested models; a power-law plus a constant, a broken power-law plus constant, and a power-law-plus-constant with an additional QPP signature component. From this, we determine that approx. 30% of GOES events and approx. 8% of Fermi/GBM events show strong signatures consistent with classical interpretations of QPP. For the remaining events either two or more tested models cannot be strongly distinguished from each other, or the events are well-described by single power-law or broken power-law Fourier power spectra. For both instruments, a preferred characteristic time-scale of approx. 5-30 s was found in the QPP-like events, with no dependence on flare magnitude in either GOES or GBM data. We also show that individual events in the sample show similar characteristic time-scales in both GBM and GOES data sets. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of solar flares and possible QPP mechanisms.

A mechanism for deep chromospheric heating during solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Machado, M. E.; Emslie, A. G.; Mauas, P. J.

1986-01-01

The role of the negative hydrogen ion, H(-), in the energy balance of the deep solar chromosphere is reexamined and it is found, in contrast with earlier authors, that H(-) is a source of heating at these levels. The response of this region to an ionizing flux of flare-associated UV radiation (1500 to 1900 A) is then addressed: it is found that the excess ionization of Si to Si(+) increases the local electron number density considerably, since most species are largely neutral at deep chromospheric levels. This in turn increases the electron-hydrogen atom association rate, the H(-) abundance, and the rate of absorption of photospheric radiation by this ion. It is found that the excess absorption by this process may lead to a substantial temperature enhancement at temperature minimum levels during flares.

Vibrationally high-resolved electronic spectra of MCl2 (M=C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) and photoelectron spectra of MCl2(.).

PubMed

Ran, Yibin; Pang, Min; Shen, Wei; Li, Ming; He, Rongxing

2016-10-05

We systematically studied the vibrational-resolved electronic spectra of group IV dichlorides using the Franck-Condon approximation combined with the Duschinsky and Herzberg-Teller effects in harmonic and anharmonic frameworks (only the simulation of absorption spectra includes the anharmonicity). Calculated results showed that the band shapes of simulated spectra are in accordance with those of the corresponding experimental or theoretical ones. We found that the symmetric bend mode in progression of absorption is the most active one, whereas the main contributor in photoelectron spectra is the symmetric stretching mode. Moreover, the Duschinsky and anharmonic effects exert weak influence on the absorption spectra, except for PbCl2 molecule. The theoretical insights presented in this work are significant in understanding the photophysical properties of MCl2 (M=C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) and studying the Herzberg-Teller and the anharmonic effects on the absorption spectra of new dichlorides of this main group. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE TOPOLOGY OF CANONICAL FLUX TUBES IN FLARED JET GEOMETRY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lavine, Eric Sander; You, Setthivoine, E-mail: Slavine2@uw.edu, E-mail: syou@aa.washington.edu

2017-01-20

Magnetized plasma jets are generally modeled as magnetic flux tubes filled with flowing plasma governed by magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). We outline here a more fundamental approach based on flux tubes of canonical vorticity, where canonical vorticity is defined as the circulation of the species’ canonical momentum. This approach extends the concept of magnetic flux tube evolution to include the effects of finite particle momentum and enables visualization of the topology of plasma jets in regimes beyond MHD. A flared, current-carrying magnetic flux tube in an ion-electron plasma with finite ion momentum is thus equivalent to either a pair of electron andmore » ion flow flux tubes, a pair of electron and ion canonical momentum flux tubes, or a pair of electron and ion canonical vorticity flux tubes. We examine the morphology of all these flux tubes for increasing electrical currents, different radial current profiles, different electron Mach numbers, and a fixed, flared, axisymmetric magnetic geometry. Calculations of gauge-invariant relative canonical helicities track the evolution of magnetic, cross, and kinetic helicities in the system, and show that ion flow fields can unwind to compensate for an increasing magnetic twist. The results demonstrate that including a species’ finite momentum can result in a very long collimated canonical vorticity flux tube even if the magnetic flux tube is flared. With finite momentum, particle density gradients must be normal to canonical vorticities, not to magnetic fields, so observations of collimated astrophysical jets could be images of canonical vorticity flux tubes instead of magnetic flux tubes.« less

Which of Kepler's Stars Flare?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

The habitability of distant exoplanets is dependent upon many factors one of which is the activity of their host stars. To learn about which stars are most likely to flare, a recent study examines tens of thousands of stellar flares observed by Kepler.Need for a Broader SampleArtists rendering of a flaring dwarf star. [NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger]Most of our understanding of what causes a star to flare is based on observations of the only star near enough to examine in detail the Sun. But in learning from a sample size of one, a challenge arises: we must determine which conclusions are unique to the Sun (or Sun-like stars), and which apply to other stellar types as well.Based on observations and modeling, astronomers think that stellar flares result from the reconnection of magnetic field lines in a stars outer atmosphere, the corona. The magnetic activity is thought to be driven by a dynamo caused by motions in the stars convective zone.HR diagram of the Kepler stars, with flaring main-sequence (yellow), giant (red) and A-star (green) stars in the authors sample indicated. [Van Doorsselaere et al. 2017]To test whether these ideas are true generally, we need to understand what types of stars exhibit flares, and what stellar properties correlate with flaring activity. A team of scientists led by Tom Van Doorsselaere (KU Leuven, Belgium) has now used an enormous sample of flares observed by Kepler to explore these statistics.Intriguing TrendsVan Doorsselaere and collaborators used a new automated flare detection and characterization algorithm to search through the raw light curves from Quarter 15 of the Kepler mission, building a sample of 16,850 flares on 6,662 stars. They then used these to study the dependence of the flare occurrence rate, duration, energy, and amplitude on the stellar spectral type and rotation period.This large statistical study led the authors to several interesting conclusions, including:Flare star incidence rate as a a

A Yohkoh search for `black-light flares'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Driel-Gesztelyi, Lidia; Hudson, Hugh S.; Anwar, Bachtiar; Hiei, Eijiro

1994-01-01

Calculations which predict that a phenomenon analogous to stellar negative pre-flares could also exist on the Sun were published by Henoux et al. (1990), and Aboudarham et al., (1990), who showed at the beginning of a solar white-light flare (WLF) event an electron beam can cause a transient darkening before the WLF emission starts, under certain conditions. They named this event a `black light flare' (BLF). Such a BLF event should appear as diffuse dark patches lasting for about 20 seconds preceding the WLF emission, which would coincide with intense and impulsive hard X-ray bursts. The BLF location would be at (or in the vicinity of ) the forthcoming bright patches. Their predicted contrast depends on the position of the flare on the solar disk and on the wavelength band of the observation. The Yohkoh satellite provided white-light data from the aspect camera of the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) instrument (Tsuneta et al., 1991), at 431 nm and with a typical image interval of 10 - 12 s. We have studied nine white-light flares observed with this instrument, with X-ray class larger than M6. We have found a few interesting episodes, but no unambiguous example of the predicted BLF event. This study, although the best survey to date, was not ideal from the observational point of view. We therefore encourage further searches. Successful observations of this phenomenon on the Sun would greatly strengthen our knowledge of the lower solar atmosphere and its effects on solar luminosity variations.

Unfolding linac photon spectra and incident electron energies from experimental transmission data, with direct independent validation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ali, E. S. M.; McEwen, M. R.; Rogers, D. W. O.

2012-11-15

Purpose: In a recent computational study, an improved physics-based approach was proposed for unfolding linac photon spectra and incident electron energies from transmission data. In this approach, energy differentiation is improved by simultaneously using transmission data for multiple attenuators and detectors, and the unfolding robustness is improved by using a four-parameter functional form to describe the photon spectrum. The purpose of the current study is to validate this approach experimentally, and to demonstrate its application on a typical clinical linac. Methods: The validation makes use of the recent transmission measurements performed on the Vickers research linac of National Research Councilmore » Canada. For this linac, the photon spectra were previously measured using a NaI detector, and the incident electron parameters are independently known. The transmission data are for eight beams in the range 10-30 MV using thick Be, Al and Pb bremsstrahlung targets. To demonstrate the approach on a typical clinical linac, new measurements are performed on an Elekta Precise linac for 6, 10 and 25 MV beams. The different experimental setups are modeled using EGSnrc, with the newly added photonuclear attenuation included. Results: For the validation on the research linac, the 95% confidence bounds of the unfolded spectra fall within the noise of the NaI data. The unfolded spectra agree with the EGSnrc spectra (calculated using independently known electron parameters) with RMS energy fluence deviations of 4.5%. The accuracy of unfolding the incident electron energy is shown to be {approx}3%. A transmission cutoff of only 10% is suitable for accurate unfolding, provided that the other components of the proposed approach are implemented. For the demonstration on a clinical linac, the unfolded incident electron energies and their 68% confidence bounds for the 6, 10 and 25 MV beams are 6.1 {+-} 0.1, 9.3 {+-} 0.1, and 19.3 {+-} 0.2 MeV, respectively. The unfolded

Momentum balance in four solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, Richard C.; Metcalf, Thomas R.; Zarro, Dominic M.; Lemen, James R.

1990-01-01

Solar Maximum Mission soft X-ray spectra and National Solar Observatory (Sacramento Peak) H-alpha spectra were combined in a study of high-speed flows during the impulsive phase of four solar flares. In all events, a blue asymmetry (indicative of upflows) was observed in the coronal Ca XIX line during the soft X-ray rise phase. In all events a red asymmetry (indicative of downflows) was observed simultaneously in chromospheric H-alpha. These oppositely directed flows were concurrent with impulsive hard X-ray emission. Combining the velocity data with estimates of the density based on emission measurements and volume estimates, it is shown that for the impulsive phase as a whole the total momentum of upflowing soft X-ray plasma equaled that of the downflowing H-alpha plasma, to within an order of magnitude, in all four events. Only the chromospheric evaporation model predicts equal total momentum in the upflowing soft X-ray-emitting and downflowing H-alphba-emitting materials.

Prompt acceleration of ions by oblique turbulent shocks in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decker, R. B.; Vlahos, L.

1985-01-01

Solar flares often accelerate ions and electrons to relativistic energies. The details of the acceleration process are not well understood, but until recently the main trend was to divide the acceleration process into two phases. During the first phase elctrons and ions are heated and accelerated up to several hundreds of keV simultaneously with the energy release. These mildly relativistic electrons interact with the ambient plasma and magnetic fields and generate hard X-ray and radio radiation. The second phase, usually delayed from the first by several minutes, is responsible for accelerating ions and electrons to relativistic energies. Relativistic electrons and ions interact with the solar atmosphere or escape from the Sun and generate gamma ray continuum, gamma ray line emission, neutron emission or are detected in space by spacecraft. In several flares the second phase is coincident with the start of a type 2 radio burst that is believed to be the signature of a shock wave. Observations from the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft have shown, for the first time, that several flares accelerate particles to all energies nearly simultaneously. These results posed a new theoretical problem: How fast are shocks and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence formed and how quickly can they accelerate ions to 50 MeV in the lower corona? This problem is discussed.

Sixteen years of X-ray monitoring of Sagittarius A*: Evidence for a decay of the faint flaring rate from 2013 August, 13 months before a rise in the bright flaring rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mossoux, Enmanuelle; Grosso, Nicolas

2017-08-01

Context. X-ray flaring activity from the closest supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) located at the center of our Galaxy has been observed since 2000 October 26 thanks to the current generation of X-ray facilities. In a study of X-ray flaring activity from Sgr A* using Chandra and XMM-Newton public observations from 1999 to 2014 and Swift monitoring in 2014, it was argued that the "bright and very bright" flaring rate has increased from 2014 August 31. Aims: As a result of additional observations performed in 2015 with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift (total exposure of 482 ks), we seek to test the significance and persistence of this increase of flaring rate and to determine the threshold of unabsorbed flare flux or fluence leading to any change of flaring rate. Methods: We reprocessed the Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift data from 1999 to 2015 November 2. From these data, we detected the X-ray flares via our two-step Bayesian blocks algorithm with a prior on the number of change points properly calibrated for each observation. We improved the Swift data analysis by correcting the effects of the target variable position on the detector and we detected the X-ray flares with a 3σ threshold on the binned light curves. The mean unabsorbed fluxes of the 107 detected flares were consistently computed from the extracted spectra and the corresponding calibration files, assuming the same spectral parameters. We constructed the observed distribution of flare fluxes and durations from the XMM-Newton and Chandra detections. We corrected this observed distribution from the detection biases to estimate the intrinsic distribution of flare fluxes and durations. From this intrinsic distribution, we determined the average flare detection efficiency for each XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Swift observation. We finally applied the Bayesian blocks algorithm on the arrival times of the flares corrected from the corresponding efficiency. Results: We confirm a constant overall flaring

Pre-flare coronal dimmings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q. M.; Su, Y. N.; Ji, H. S.

2017-02-01

Context. Coronal dimmings are regions of decreased extreme-ultravoilet (EUV) and/or X-ray (originally Skylab, then Yohkoh/SXT) intensities, which are often associated with flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The large-scale impulsive dimmings have been thoroughly observed and investigated. The pre-flare dimmings before the flare impulsive phase, however, have rarely been studied in detail. Aims: We focus on the pre-flare coronal dimmings. We report our multiwavelength observations of the GOES X1.6 solar flare and the accompanying halo CME that was produced by the eruption of a sigmoidal magnetic flux rope (MFR) in NOAA active region (AR) 12158 on 2014 September 10. Methods: The eruption was observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO). The photospheric line-of-sight magnetograms were observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board SDO. The soft X-ray (SXR) fluxes were recorded by the GOES spacecraft. The halo CME was observed by the white-light coronagraphs of the Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph (LASCO) on board SOHO. Results: About 96 min before the onset of the flare/CME, narrow pre-flare coronal dimmings appeared at the two ends of the twisted MFR. They extended very slowly, with their intensities decreasing with time, while their apparent widths (8-9 Mm) continued to be nearly constant. During the impulsive and decay phases of flare, typical fan-like twin dimmings appeared and expanded, with a much larger extent and lower intensities than the pre-flare dimmings. The percentage of the 171 Å intensity decrease reaches 40%. The pre-flare dimmings are most striking in 171, 193, and 211 Å with formation temperatures of 0.6-2.5 MK. The northern part of the pre-flare dimmings could also be recognized in 131 and 335 Å. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first detailed study of pre-flare coronal dimmings; they can be explained by density depletion as a result of the gradual

Evidence for Magnetic Reconnection in Three Homologous Solar Flares Observed by RHESSI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sui, Lin-Hui; Holman, Gordon D.; Dennis, Brian R.

2004-01-01

We present RHESSI observF5oss of three homologous flares, which occurred between April 14 and 16, 2002. We find that the RHESSI images of all three flares at energies between 6 and 25 keV had some common features: (1) A. separate coronal source up to approx. 30 deg. above the flare loop appeared in the early impulsive phase and stayed stationary for several minutes. (2) Before the flare loop moved upward; previously reported by others, the flare loop-top centroid moved downward for 2-4 minutes during the early impulsive phase of the Ears: falling by 13 - 30% of its initial height with a speed between 8 and 23 km/s. We conclude that these features are associated with the formation and development of a current sheet between the loop-top and the coronal source. In the April 14-15 flare, we find that the hard X-ray flux (greater than 25 keV) is correlated with the rate at which the flare loop moves upward, indicating that the faster the loop grows, the faster the reconnection rate, and therefore, the greater the flux of accelerated electrons. Subject headings: Sun: L'iaies-Sun: X-1-ay-s -

Effects of Electronic-State-Dependent Solute Polarizability: Application to Solute-Pump/Solvent-Probe Spectra.

PubMed

Sun, Xiang; Ladanyi, Branka M; Stratt, Richard M

2015-07-23

Experimental studies of solvation dynamics in liquids invariably ask how changing a solute from its electronic ground state to an electronically excited state affects a solution's dynamics. With traditional time-dependent-fluorescence experiments, that means looking for the dynamical consequences of the concomitant change in solute-solvent potential energy. But if one follows the shift in the dynamics through its effects on the macroscopic polarizability, as recent solute-pump/solvent-probe spectra do, there is another effect of the electronic excitation that should be considered: the jump in the solute's own polarizability. We examine the spectroscopic consequences of this solute polarizability change in the classic example of the solvation dye coumarin 153 dissolved in acetonitrile. After demonstrating that standard quantum chemical methods can be used to construct accurate multisite models for the polarizabilities of ground- and excited-state solvation dyes, we show via simulation that this polarizability change acts as a contrast agent, significantly enhancing the observable differences in optical-Kerr spectra between ground- and excited-state solutions. A comparison of our results with experimental solute-pump/solvent-probe spectra supports our interpretation and modeling of this spectroscopy. We predict, in particular, that solute-pump/solvent-probe spectra should be sensitive to changes in both the solvent dynamics near the solute and the electronic-state-dependence of the solute's own rotational dynamics.

PROBING DYNAMICS OF ELECTRON ACCELERATION WITH RADIO AND X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY, IMAGING, AND TIMING IN THE 2002 APRIL 11 SOLAR FLARE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fleishman, Gregory D.; Nita, Gelu M.; Gary, Dale E.

Based on detailed analysis of radio and X-ray observations of a flare on 2002 April 11 augmented by realistic three-dimensional modeling, we have identified a radio emission component produced directly at the flare acceleration region. This acceleration region radio component has distinctly different (1) spectrum, (2) light curves, (3) spatial location, and, thus, (4) physical parameters from those of the separately identified trapped or precipitating electron components. To derive evolution of physical parameters of the radio sources we apply forward fitting of the radio spectrum time sequence with the gyrosynchrotron source function with five to six free parameters. At themore » stage when the contribution from the acceleration region dominates the radio spectrum, the X-ray- and radio-derived electron energy spectral indices agree well with each other. During this time the maximum energy of the accelerated electron spectrum displays a monotonic increase with time from {approx}300 keV to {approx}2 MeV over roughly one minute duration indicative of an acceleration process in the form of growth of the power-law tail; the fast electron residence time in the acceleration region is about 2-4 s, which is much longer than the time of flight and so requires a strong diffusion mode there to inhibit free-streaming propagation. The acceleration region has a relatively strong magnetic field, B {approx} 120 G, and a low thermal density, n{sub e} {approx}< 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} cm{sup -3}. These acceleration region properties are consistent with a stochastic acceleration mechanism.« less

Study of the behaviour of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) during solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aggarwal, Malini; Astafyeva, Elvira

2014-05-01

A solar flare occurring in the sun's chromosphere is observed in various wavebands (radio to x-rays). The response of the solar flare which causes sudden changes in the earth's ionosphere is not yet well understood though investigations suggested that its impact depends on the size and location of occurrence of solar flare on sun. Considering this, we have carried an investigation to study the response of two strong and gradual solar flares: 2 Apr 2001 (X20, limb) and 7 Feb 2010 (M6.4, disk) on the earth's equatorial-low latitude regions using multi-technique observations of satellite and ground-based instruments. We found a weakening of strength of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) in total electron content during both the flares as observed by TOPEX, JASON-1 and JASON-2 altimeter measurements. The H component of the geomagnetic field also shows a sudden change at equatorial and low latitude stations in the sunlit hemisphere during the flare. The observations of ionosonde at low-latitudes indicate a strong absorption of higher-frequency radio signals. The detail response of these flare on EIA of the earth's ionosphere will be presented and discussed.

Study of solar flare induced D-region ionosphere changes using VLF amplitude observations at a low latitude site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, L. M.; Thu, N. N.; Ha, T. Q.; Marbouti, M.

2014-06-01

About 26 solar flare events from C2.56 to X3.2 classes were obtained and analyzed at Tay Nguyen University, Vietnam (12.56°N, 108.02°E) during May - December 2013 using very low frequency remote sensing to understand the responses of low latitude D-region ionosphere during solar flares. The observed VLF amplitude perturbations are used as the input parameters for the simulated Long Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC) program, using Wait's model of lower ionosphere, to calculate two Wait's parameters, viz. the reflection height (H') and the sharpness factor (?). The results reveal that when X-ray irradiance is increased, ? increased from 0.3 to 0.506 km-1, while H' decreased from 74 to 60 km. The electron density increased at the height of 74 km with 1-3 orders of magnitude during solar flares. These phenomena can be explained as: the ionization due to X-ray irradiance becomes greater than that due to cosmic rays and Lyman-α radiation, which increases the electron density profile. The present results are in agreement with the earlier results. The 3D representation of the electron density changes with altitude and time supports to fully understand the shape of the electron density changes due to X-ray flares. The shape variation of electron density is roughly followed to the variation of the amplitude perturbation and keeps this rule for different altitudes. It is also found that the electron density versus the height in lower latitude D-region ionosphere increases more rapidly during solar flares.

A Multiwavelength Study of Flaring Activity in the High-energy Peaked BL Lac Object 1ES 1959+650 During 2015–2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaur, Navpreet; Chandra, S.; Baliyan, Kiran S

We present the results from a multiwavelength study of the flaring activity in the high-energy peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 during 2015 January–2016 June. The source underwent two major outbursts, during 2015 March and 2015 October, across the whole electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). We used data from Fermi -LAT and Swift -XRT/UVOT, and optical data from Mt. Abu InfraRed Observatory and Steward Observatory to look for possible correlations between the emissions at different energies and the nature of the variability during the flaring state. During the 2015 October outburst, the nightly averaged V -band brightest magnitude, 14.45(0.03), and faintest magnitude,more » 14.45(0.03), were recorded. Apart from long-term flares, rapid and short-term variabilities were noticed at all energies. Our study suggests that the flaring activities at all frequencies, with diverse flare durations and time lags, are correlated. The magnetic field strength is estimated to be 4 G using the synchrotron-cooling timescale (2.3 hr), and the upper limits on the sizes of both emission regions, γ -ray and optical, are estimated to be of the order of 10{sup 16} cm. The quasi-simultaneous flux enhancements in 15 GHz and VHE γ -ray emissions indicate a fresh injection of plasma into the jet, which interacts with a standing submillimeter core, resulting in co-spatial emissions across the EMS. The synchrotron peak shifts to higher frequency in the spectral energy distribution while the γ -ray spectra softens during the flaring. The shape of the inverse-Compton spectra indicates a change in the particle energy distribution pre- and post-flare.« less

Constraining the location of rapid gamma-ray flares in the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 273 [Constraining the location of rapid gamma-ray flares in the FSRQ 3C 273

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rani, B.; Lott, B.; Krichbaum, T. P.

2013-09-02

Here, we present a γ-ray photon flux and spectral variability study of the flat-spectrum radio quasar 3C 273 over a rapid flaring activity period between September 2009 to April 2010. Five major flares were observed in the source during this period. The most rapid flare observed in the source has a flux doubling time of 1.1 hr. The rapid γ-ray flares allow us to constrain the location and size of the γ-ray emission region in the source. The γγ-opacity constrains the Doppler factor δ γ ≥ 10 for the highest energy (15 GeV) photon observed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescopemore » (LAT). Causality arguments constrain the size of the emission region to 1.6 × 10 15 cm. The γ-ray spectra measured over this period show clear deviations from a simple power law with a break in the 1–2 GeV energy range. We discuss possible explanations for the origin of the γ-ray spectral breaks. Our study suggests that the γ-ray emission region in 3C 273 is located within the broad line region (< 1.6 pc). As a result, the spectral behavior and temporal characteristics of the individual flares indicate the presence of multiple shock scenarios at the base of the jet.« less

Energy spectra variations of high energy electrons in magnetic storms observed by ARASE and HIMAWARI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takashima, T.; Higashio, N.; Mitani, T.; Nagatsuma, T.; Yoshizumi, M.

2017-12-01

The ARASE spacecraft was launched in December 20, 2016 to investigate mechanisms for acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts during space storms. The six particle instruments with wide energy range (a few eV to 10MeV) are onboard the ARASE spacecraft. Especially, two particle instruments, HEP and XEP observe high energy electron with energy range from 70keV to over 10Mev. Those instruments observed several geomagnetic storms caused by coronal hole high speed streams or coronal mass ejections from March in 2017. The relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt were disappeared/increased and their energy spectra were changed dynamically in some storms observed by XEP/HEP onboard the ARASE spacecraft. In the same time, SEDA-e with energy range 200keV-4.5MeV for electron on board the HIMAWARI-8, Japanese weather satellite on GEO, observed increase of relativistic electron in different local time. We will report on energy spectra variations of high energy electrons including calibrations of differential flux between XEP and HEP and discuss comparisons with energy spectra between ARAE and HIMAWARI that observed each storm in different local time.

Calculation of Vibrational and Electronic Excited-State Absorption Spectra of Arsenic-Water Complexes Using Density Functional Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-03

Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC 20375-5320 NRL/MR/6390--16-9681 Calculation of Vibrational and Electronic Excited-State Absorption Spectra...NUMBER OF PAGES 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT Calculation of Vibrational and Electronic Excited-State Absorption Spectra of Arsenic-Water Complexes Using...Unclassified Unlimited Unclassified Unlimited 59 Samuel G. Lambrakos (202) 767-2601 Calculations are presented of vibrational and electronic excited-state

Plasma parameters and structures of the X4 flare of 19 May 1984 as observed by SMM-XRP.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmelz, J. T.; Saba, J. L. R.; Strong, K. T.

The eruption of a large flare on the east limb of the Sun was observed by the X-ray Polychromator (XRP) on board the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) on 19 May 1984. The XRP Flat Crystal Spectrometer (FCS) made polychromatic soft X-ray images during the preflare, flare and postflare phases. The XRP Bent Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) provided information on the temperature and dynamics of the hot (Te > 8×106K) coronal plasma from spectra integrated spatially over the whole region.

The morphology of flare phenomena, magnetic fields, and electric currents in active regions. I - Introduction and methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, Richard C.; De La Beaujardiere, J.-F.; Fan, Yuhong; Leka, K. D.; Mcclymont, A. N.; Metcalf, Thomas R.; Mickey, Donald L.; Wuelser, Jean-Pierre; Lites, Bruce W.

1993-01-01

Electric current systems in solar active regions and their spatial relationship to sites of electron precipitation and high-pressure in flares were studied with the purpose of providing observational evidence for or against the flare models commonly discussed in the literature. The paper describes the instrumentation, the data used, and the data analysis methods, as well as improvements made upon earlier studies. Several flare models are overviewed, and the predictions yielded by each model for the relationships of flares to the vertical current systems are discussed.

Assessment of electron propagator methods for the simulation of vibrationally-resolved valence and core photoionization spectra

PubMed Central

Baiardi, A.; Paoloni, L.; Barone, V.; Zakrzewski, V.G.; Ortiz, J.V.

2017-01-01

The analysis of photoelectron spectra is usually facilitated by quantum mechanical simulations. Due to the recent improvement of experimental techniques, the resolution of experimental spectra is rapidly increasing, and the inclusion of vibrational effects is usually mandatory to obtain a reliable reproduction of the spectra. With the aim of defining a robust computational protocol, a general time-independent formulation to compute different kinds of vibrationally-resolved electronic spectra has been generalized to support also photoelectron spectroscopy. The electronic structure data underlying the simulation are computed using different electron propagator approaches. In addition to the more standard approaches, a new and robust implementation of the second-order self-energy approximation of the electron propagator based on a transition operator reference (TOEP2) is presented. To validate our implementation, a series of molecules has been used as test cases. The result of the simulations shows that, for ultraviolet photoionization spectra, the more accurate non-diagonal approaches are needed to obtain a reliable reproduction of vertical ionization energies, but diagonal approaches are sufficient for energy gradients and pole strengths. For X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the TOEP2 approach, besides being more efficient, is also the most accurate in the reproduction of both vertical ionization energies and vibrationally-resolved bandshapes. PMID:28521087

Electron spectra of xenon clusters irradiated with a laser-driven plasma soft-x-ray laser pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Namba, S.; Takiyama, K.; Hasegawa, N.

Xenon clusters were irradiated with plasma soft-x-ray laser pulses (having a wavelength of 13.9 nm, time duration of 7 ps, and intensities of up to 10 GW/cm{sup 2}). The laser photon energy was high enough to photoionize 4d core electrons. The cross section is large due to a giant resonance. The interaction was investigated by measuring the electron energy spectra. The photoelectron spectra for small clusters indicate that the spectral width due to the 4d hole significantly broadens with increasing cluster size. For larger clusters, the electron energy spectra evolve into a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, as a strongly coupled cluster nanoplasmamore » is generated.« less

LEPTONIC AND LEPTO-HADRONIC MODELING OF THE 2010 NOVEMBER FLARE FROM 3C 454.3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diltz, C.; Böttcher, M.

In this study, we use a one-zone leptonic and a lepto-hadronic model to investigate the multi-wavelength emission and prominent flare of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 in 2010 November. We perform a parameter study with both models to obtain broadband fits to the spectral energy distribution (SED) of 3C 454.3. Starting with the baseline parameters obtained from the fits, we then investigate different flaring scenarios for both models to explain an extreme outburst and spectral hardening of 3C 454.3 that occurred in 2010 November. We find that the one-zone lepto-hadronic model can successfully explain both the broadband multi-wavelengthmore » SED and light curves in the optical R, Swift X-Ray Telescope, and Fermi γ -ray band passes for 3C 454.3 during quiescence and the peak of the 2010 November flare. We also find that the one-zone leptonic model produces poor fits to the broadband spectra in the X-ray and high-energy γ -ray band passes for the 2010 November flare.« less

Incidence and factors related to flare-ups in a graduate endodontic programme.

PubMed

Iqbal, M; Kurtz, E; Kohli, M

2009-02-01

To investigate the incidence and factors related to endodontic flare-ups in nonsurgical root canal treatment (NSRCT) cases completed by graduate endodontic residents at University of Pennsylvania, USA. Residents at University of Pennsylvania enter all clinical patient records into an electronic database called PennEndo database. Analysis of records of 6580 patients treated from September 2000 to July 2005 revealed a total of 26 patients with flare-ups (0.39%). Patients were categorized to have undergone flare-up when they attended for an unscheduled visit and active treatment, and when they suffered from severe pain and or swelling after initiation or continuation of NSRCT. SAS software was used to develop a logistic regression model with flare-up as a dependent variable. Independent variables included in the model were: history of previous pain, one vs. two visit NSRCT, periapical diagnosis, tooth type, rotary versus hand instrumentation, and lateral versus vertical compaction of gutta-percha. The odds for developing a flare-up in teeth with a periapical radiolucency were 9.64 times greater than teeth without a periapical radiolucency (P = 0.0090). There was no statistically significant difference in flare-ups between one and two visits NSRCT. The odds of developing a flare-up increased 40 fold when NSRCT was completed in three or more visits. However, this result may have been confounded by addition of an unscheduled visit in patients suffering from flare-ups. Other independent variables did not have any statistically significant correlations. A low percentage of patients experienced flare-ups during NSRCT procedures. The presence of a periapical lesion was the single most important predictor of flare-ups during NSRCT.

Chromospheric evaporation and decimetric radio emission in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Benz, Arnold O.

1995-01-01

We have discovered decimetric signatures of the chromospheric evaporation process. Evidence for the radio detection of chromospheric evaporation is based on the radio-inferred values of (1) the electron density, (2) the propagation speed, and (3) the timing, which are found to be in good agreement with statistical values inferred from the blueshifted Ca XIX soft X-ray line. The physical basis of our model is that free-free absorption of plasma emission is strongly modified by the steep density gradient and the large temperature increase in the upflowing flare plasma. The steplike density increase at the chromospheric evaporation front causes a local discontinuity in the plasma frequency, manifested as almost infinite drift rate in decimetric type III bursts. The large temperature increase of the upflowing plasma considerably reduces the local free-free opacity (due to the T(exp -3/2) dependence) and thus enhances the brightness of radio bursts emitted at the local plasma frequency near the chromospheric evaporation front, while a high-frequency cutoff is expected in the high-density regions behind the front, which can be used to infer the velocity of the upflowing plasma. From model calculations we find strong evidence that decimetric bursts with a slowly drifting high-frequency cutoff are produced by fundamental plasma emission, contrary to the widespread belief that decimetric bursts are preferentially emitted at the harmonic plasma level. We analyze 21 flare episodes from 1991-1993 for which broadband (100-3000 MHz) radio dynamic spectra from Pheonix, hard X-ray data from (BATSE/CGRO) and soft X-ray data from Burst and Transient Source Experiment/Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GOES) were available.

Magnetic Flux Transients during Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasubramaniam, K. S.; Delgado, F.; Hock, R. A.

2013-12-01

Solar flares result from the sudden release of energy stored in the magnetic field of the solar atmosphere, attributed to magnetic reconnection. In this work, we use line-of-sight magnetograms to study the changes in photospheric magnetic field during large solar flares. The magnetograms are derived from observations using NASA's Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and have a cadence of 3 minutes at a 0.5 arcsecond spatial resolution. We studied the inferred magnetic flux changes in 11 X-class flares from (2011-2012) and 26 M-class flares (2011). Of the 37 flares, 32 exhibited short-lived (less than 30 minutes) magnetic flux transients (MFTs) during the progress of the flare, similar to those by Maurya et al. (2012). We note that MFTs were co-temporal with GOES X-ray peaks. Flares with rapid rises (impulsive flares) had stronger transients while those with slower rises (gradual flares) had weak or no MFTs. Finally, flares with stronger GOES X-ray peaks (flare class) showed stronger MFTs. We believe that these changes are non-physical because the changes in the magnetic field are transient (the magnetic field returns to the pre-flare state) and coincide with the impulsive phase of the flare. This work supported by the US Airforce Office of Scientific Research and the AFRL/RV Space Scholar Program.

Center-to-Limb Variability of Hot Coronal EUV Emissions During Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiemann, E. M. B.; Chamberlin, P. C.; Eparvier, F. G.; Epp, L.

2018-02-01

It is generally accepted that densities of quiet-Sun and active region plasma are sufficiently low to justify the optically thin approximation, and this is commonly used in the analysis of line emissions from plasma in the solar corona. However, the 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. Furthermore, the model demonstrates that the observed line intensity should exhibit center-to-limb variability (CTLV), with flares observed near the limb being dimmer than those occurring near disk center. The model predictions are validated with an analysis of over 200 flares observed by the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which uses six lines, with peak formation temperatures between 8.9 and 15.8 MK, to show that limb flares are systematically dimmer than disk-center flares. The data are then used to show that the electron column density along the line of sight typically increases by 1.76 × 10^{19} cm^{-2} for limb flares over the disk-center flare value. It is shown that the CTLV of hot coronal emissions reduces the amount of ionizing radiation propagating into the solar system, and it changes the relative intensities of lines and bands commonly used for spectral analysis.

Observational evidence for thermal wave fronts in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.; Simnett, G. M.; Smith, D. F.

1985-01-01

Images in 3.5-30 keV X-rays obtained during the first few minutes of seven solar flares show rapid motions. In each case X-ray emission first appeared at one end of a magnetic field structure, and then propagated along the field at a velocity between 800 and 1700 km/s. The observed X-ray structures were 45,000-230,000 km long. Simultaneous H-alpha images were available in three cases; they showed brightenings when the fast-moving fronts arrived at the chromosphere. The fast-moving fronts are interpreted as electron thermal conduction fronts since their velocities are consistent with conduction at the observed temperatures of 1-3 x 10 to the 7th K. The inferred conductive heat flux of up to 10-billion ergs/s sq cm accounts for most of the energy released in the flares, implying that the flares were primarily thermal phenomena.

THE X-RAY LINE FEATURE AT 3.5 KeV IN GALAXY CLUSTER SPECTRA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phillips, K. J. H.; Sylwester, B.; Sylwester, J., E-mail: kennethjhphillips@yahoo.com, E-mail: bs@cbk.pan.wroc.pl, E-mail: js@cbk.pan.wroc.pl

2015-08-10

Recent work by Bulbul et al. and Boyarsky et al. has suggested that a line feature at ∼3.5 keV in the X-ray spectra of galaxy clusters and individual galaxies seen with XMM-Newton is due to the decay of sterile neutrinos, a dark matter candidate. This identification has been criticized by Jeltema and Profumo on the grounds that model spectra suggest that atomic transitions in helium-like potassium (K xviii) and chlorine (Cl xvi) are more likely to be the emitters. Here it is pointed out that the K xviii lines have been observed in numerous solar flare spectra at high spectralmore » resolution with the RESIK crystal spectrometer and also appear in Chandra HETG spectra of the coronally active star σ Gem. In addition, the solar flare spectra at least indicate a mean coronal potassium abundance, which is a factor between 9 and 11 higher than the solar photospheric abundance. This fact, together with the low statistical quality of the XMM-Newton spectra, completely account for the ∼3.5 keV feature and there is therefore no need to invoke a sterile neutrino interpretation of the observed line feature at ∼3.5 keV.« less

Plasma Heating in Solar Flares and their Soft and Hard X-Ray Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falewicz, R.

2014-07-01

In this paper, the energy budgets of two single-loop-like flares observed in X-ray are analyzed under the assumption that nonthermal electrons (NTEs) are the only source of plasma heating during all phases of both events. The flares were observed by RHESSI and GOES on 2002 February 20 and June 2, respectively. Using a one-dimensional (1D) hydrodynamic code for both flares, the energy deposited in the chromosphere was derived applying RHESSI observational data. The use of the Fokker-Planck formalism permits the calculation of distributions of the NTEs in flaring loops and thus spatial distributions of the X-ray nonthermal emissions and integral fluxes for the selected energy ranges that were compared with the observed ones. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the spatial distributions of the signals in the RHESSI images was conducted for the footpoints and for all the flare loops in selected energy ranges with these quantities' fluxes obtained from the models. The best compatibility of the model and observations was obtained for the 2002 June 2 event in the 0.5-4 Å GOES range and total fluxes in the 6-12 keV, 12-25 keV, 20-25 keV, and 50-100 keV energy bands. Results of photometry of the individual flaring structures in a high energy range show that the best compliance occurred for the 2002 June 2 flare, where the synthesized emissions were at least 30% higher than the observed emissions. For the 2002 February 20 flare, synthesized emission is about four times lower than the observed one. However, in the low energy range the best conformity was obtained for the 2002 February 20 flare, where emission from the model is about 11% lower than the observed one. The larger inconsistency occurs for the 2002 June 2 solar flare, where synthesized emission is about 12 times greater or even more than the observed emission. Some part of these differences may be caused by inevitable flaws of the applied methodology, like by an assumption that the model of the flare is

X-ray line coincidence photopumping in a solar flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keenan, F. P.; Poppenhaeger, K.; Mathioudakis, M.; Rose, S. J.; Flowerdew, J.; Hynes, D.; Christian, D. J.; Nilsen, J.; Johnson, W. R.

2018-03-01

Line coincidence photopumping is a process where the electrons of an atomic or molecular species are radiatively excited through the absorption of line emission from another species at a coincident wavelength. There are many instances of line coincidence photopumping in astrophysical sources at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, with the most famous example being Bowen fluorescence (pumping of O III 303.80 Å by He II), but none to our knowledge in X-rays. However, here we report on a scheme where a He-like line of Ne IX at 11.000 Å is photopumped by He-like Na X at 11.003 Å, which predicts significant intensity enhancement in the Ne IX 82.76 Å transition under physical conditions found in solar flare plasmas. A comparison of our theoretical models with published X-ray observations of a solar flare obtained during a rocket flight provides evidence for line enhancement, with the measured degree of enhancement being consistent with that expected from theory, a truly surprising result. Observations of this enhancement during flares on stars other than the Sun would provide a powerful new diagnostic tool for determining the sizes of flare loops in these distant, spatially unresolved, astronomical sources.

Short duration flares in GALEX data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasseur, Clara; Osten, Rachel A.

2018-06-01

Flares on cool stars indicate short time-scale magnetic reconnection processes that provide temporary increases in the stellar radiative output. While recent work has focused on long-duration flares from solar-like stars and those of lower mass, the existence of short-duration flares in the ultraviolet has not been systematically probed before. We will present an interesting population of short duration flares we discovered in a sample of ~37,000 light curves observed from 2009-2012 by the GALEX and Kepler missions. These flares range in duration from under a minute to a few minutes and are almost entirely distinct from a previous flare survey of Kepler data. We were able to detect this unique population of flares because the time resolution of the GALEX data allowed us to construct light curves with a 10 second cadence and thus detect shorter duration flares than could be detected within Kepler data. We applied algorithmic flare detection to a sample of ~37,000 stars, and identified a final count of 2,065 flares on 1,121 stars. We discuss the implication of these events for the flare frequency distributions of solar-like stars.

Equatorial electrojet responses to intense solar flares under geomagnetic disturbance time electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdu, M. A.; Nogueira, P. A. B.; Souza, J. R.; Batista, I. S.; Dutra, S. L. G.; Sobral, J. H. A.

2017-03-01

Large enhancement in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) current can occur due to sudden increase in the E layer density arising from solar flare associated ionizing radiations, as also from background electric fields modified by magnetospheric disturbances when present before or during a solar flare. We investigate the EEJ responses at widely separated longitudes during two X-class flares that occurred at different activity phases surrounding the magnetic super storm sequences of 28-29 October 2003. During the 28 October flare we observed intense reverse electrojet under strong westward electric field in the sunrise sector over Jicamarca. Sources of westward disturbance electric fields driving large EEJ current are identified for the first time. Model calculations on the E layer density, with and without flare, and comparison of the results between Jicamarca and Sao Luis suggested enhanced westward electric field due to the flare occurring close to sunrise (over Jicamarca). During the flare on 29 October, which occurred during a rapid AE recovery, a strong overshielding electric field of westward polarity over Jicamarca delayed an expected EEJ eastward growth due to flare-induced ionization enhancement in the afternoon. This EEJ response yielded a measure of the overshielding decay time determined by the storm time Region 2 field-aligned current. This paper will present a detailed analysis of the EEJ responses during the two flares, including a quantitative evaluation of the flare-induced electron density enhancements and identification of electric field sources that played dominant roles in the large westward EEJ at the sunrise sector over Jicamarca.

Enrichment of heavy nuclei in the April 17, 1972 solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleischer, R. L.; Hart, H. R., Jr.; Renshaw, A.; Woods, R. T.

1974-01-01

Cosmic ray nuclei from the April 17, 1972 solar flare were recorded in polycarbonate plastic and phosphate glass track detectors exposed on the Apollo 16 flight. The energy spectra of iron group nuclei and of carbon and heavier nuclei were measured down to about 0.02 MeV/nucleon, revealing that the enrichment of iron relative to carbon and heavier nuclei increases markedly in this very low energy region.

On the analysis of photo-electron spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, C.-Z., E-mail: gao@irsamc.ups-tlse.fr; CNRS, LPT; Dinh, P.M.

2015-09-15

We analyze Photo-Electron Spectra (PES) for a variety of excitation mechanisms from a simple mono-frequency laser pulse to involved combination of pulses as used, e.g., in attosecond experiments. In the case of simple pulses, the peaks in PES reflect the occupied single-particle levels in combination with the given laser frequency. This usual, simple rule may badly fail in the case of excitation pulses with mixed frequencies and if resonant modes of the system are significantly excited. We thus develop an extension of the usual rule to cover all possible excitation scenarios, including mixed frequencies in the attosecond regime. We find thatmore » the spectral distributions of dipole, monopole and quadrupole power for the given excitation taken together and properly shifted by the single-particle energies provide a pertinent picture of the PES in all situations. This leads to the derivation of a generalized relation allowing to understand photo-electron yields even in complex experimental setups.« less

Realistic radiative MHD simulation of a solar flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rempel, Matthias D.; Cheung, Mark; Chintzoglou, Georgios; Chen, Feng; Testa, Paola; Martinez-Sykora, Juan; Sainz Dalda, Alberto; DeRosa, Marc L.; Viktorovna Malanushenko, Anna; Hansteen, Viggo H.; De Pontieu, Bart; Carlsson, Mats; Gudiksen, Boris; McIntosh, Scott W.

2017-08-01

We present a recently developed version of the MURaM radiative MHD code that includes coronal physics in terms of optically thin radiative loss and field aligned heat conduction. The code employs the "Boris correction" (semi-relativistic MHD with a reduced speed of light) and a hyperbolic treatment of heat conduction, which allow for efficient simulations of the photosphere/corona system by avoiding the severe time-step constraints arising from Alfven wave propagation and heat conduction. We demonstrate that this approach can be used even in dynamic phases such as a flare. We consider a setup in which a flare is triggered by flux emergence into a pre-existing bipolar active region. After the coronal energy release, efficient transport of energy along field lines leads to the formation of flare ribbons within seconds. In the flare ribbons we find downflows for temperatures lower than ~5 MK and upflows at higher temperatures. The resulting soft X-ray emission shows a fast rise and slow decay, reaching a peak corresponding to a mid C-class flare. The post reconnection energy release in the corona leads to average particle energies reaching 50 keV (500 MK under the assumption of a thermal plasma). We show that hard X-ray emission from the corona computed under the assumption of thermal bremsstrahlung can produce a power-law spectrum due to the multi-thermal nature of the plasma. The electron energy flux into the flare ribbons (classic heat conduction with free streaming limit) is highly inhomogeneous and reaches peak values of about 3x1011 erg/cm2/s in a small fraction of the ribbons, indicating regions that could potentially produce hard X-ray footpoint sources. We demonstrate that these findings are robust by comparing simulations computed with different values of the saturation heat flux as well as the "reduced speed of light".

Powerful Solar Flares in September 2017. Comparison with the Largest Flares in Cycle 24

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruevich, E. A.; Bruevich, V. V.

2018-06-01

Solar flare activity in cycle 24 is studied. Satellite observations of x-ray fluxes from GOES-15 and UV emission lines from the SDO/EVE experiment are used. The most powerful flares of cycle 24 in classes X9.3 and X8.2 in September 2017 are compared with powerful flares in classes M5-X6.9. The times at which the fluxes in the 30.4 and 9.4 nm lines and in the 0.1-0.8 nm x-ray range begin to increase are compared for 21 of the large flares. The total energies arriving at the earth from flares in the 30.4 and 9.4 nm lines and in the 0.1-0.9 nm x-ray range, E30.4, E9.4, and E0.1-0.8, from 25 flares during 2011 and 2012 are calculated. It is shown that the calculated energies of the flares in the analyzed lines from SDO/EVE and in the x-ray range from GOES-15 are closely interrelated.

Time-resolved spectroscopic observations of an M-dwarf flare star EV Lacertae during a flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Satoshi; Notsu, Yuta; Namekata, Kosuke; Notsu, Shota; Maehara, Hiroyuki; Ikuta, Kai; Nogami, Daisaku; Shibata, Kazunari

2018-05-01

We have performed five night spectroscopic observations of the Hα line of EV Lac with a medium wavelength resolution (R ˜ 10000) using the 2 m Nayuta telescope at the Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory. EV Lac always possesses the Hα emission line; however, its intensity was stronger on 2015 August 15 than during the other four night periods. On this night, we observed a rapid rise (˜20 min) and a subsequent slow decrease (˜1.5 hr) of the emission-line intensity of Hα, which was probably caused by a flare. We also found an asymmetrical change in the Hα line on the same night. The enhancement has been observed in the blue wing of the Hα line during each phase of this flare (from the flare start to the flare end), and absorption components were present in its red wing during the early and later phases of the flare. Such blue enhancement (blue asymmetry) of the Hα line is sometimes seen during solar flares, but only during the early phases. Even for solar flares, little is known about the origin of the blue asymmetry. Compared with solar flare models, the presented results can lead to better understanding of the dynamics of stellar flares.

Computational Prediction of Electron Ionization Mass Spectra to Assist in GC/MS Compound Identification.

PubMed

Allen, Felicity; Pon, Allison; Greiner, Russ; Wishart, David

2016-08-02

We describe a tool, competitive fragmentation modeling for electron ionization (CFM-EI) that, given a chemical structure (e.g., in SMILES or InChI format), computationally predicts an electron ionization mass spectrum (EI-MS) (i.e., the type of mass spectrum commonly generated by gas chromatography mass spectrometry). The predicted spectra produced by this tool can be used for putative compound identification, complementing measured spectra in reference databases by expanding the range of compounds able to be considered when availability of measured spectra is limited. The tool extends CFM-ESI, a recently developed method for computational prediction of electrospray tandem mass spectra (ESI-MS/MS), but unlike CFM-ESI, CFM-EI can handle odd-electron ions and isotopes and incorporates an artificial neural network. Tests on EI-MS data from the NIST database demonstrate that CFM-EI is able to model fragmentation likelihoods in low-resolution EI-MS data, producing predicted spectra whose dot product scores are significantly better than full enumeration "bar-code" spectra. CFM-EI also outperformed previously reported results for MetFrag, MOLGEN-MS, and Mass Frontier on one compound identification task. It also outperformed MetFrag in a range of other compound identification tasks involving a much larger data set, containing both derivatized and nonderivatized compounds. While replicate EI-MS measurements of chemical standards are still a more accurate point of comparison, CFM-EI's predictions provide a much-needed alternative when no reference standard is available for measurement. CFM-EI is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/cfm-id/ for download and http://cfmid.wishartlab.com as a web service.