Temperature and Electron Density Diagnostics of a Candle-flame-shaped Flare |
|
Silvina Guidoni Submitted: 2015-02-10 08:20
Candle-flame-shaped flares are archetypical structures that provide indirect evidence of magnetic reconnection. A flare resembling Tsuneta's famous 1992 candle-flame flare occurred on 2011 January 28; we present its temperature and electron density diagnostics. This flare was observed with Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA), Hinode/X-Ray Telescope (XRT), and Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead (STEREO-A)/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, resulting in high-resolution, broad temperature coverage, and stereoscopic views of this iconic structure. The high-temperature images reveal a brightening that grows in size to form a tower-like structure at the top of the posteruption flare arcade, a feature that has been observed in other long-duration events. Despite the extensive work on the standard reconnection scenario, there is no complete agreement among models regarding the nature of this high-intensity elongated structure. Electron density maps reveal that reconnected loops that are successively connected at their tops to the tower develop a density asymmetry of about a factor of two between the two legs, giving the appearance of "half-loops." We calculate average temperatures with a new fast differential emission measure (DEM) method that uses SDO/AIA data and analyze the heating and cooling of salient features of the flare. Using STEREO observations, we show that the tower and the half-loop brightenings are not a line-of-sight projection effect of the type studied by Forbes & Acton. This conclusion opens the door for physics-based explanations of these puzzling, recurrent solar flare features, previously attributed to projection effects. We corroborate the results of our DEM analysis by comparing them with temperature analyses from Hinode/XRT.
Authors: S. E. Guidoni, D. E. McKenzie, D. W. Longcope, J. E. Plowman, and K. Yoshimura
Projects: Hinode/XRT,SDO-AIA,STEREO
|
Publication Status: ApJ, published
Last Modified: 2015-02-11 12:23
|
 
 
|
|
Density Enhancements and Voids following Patchy Reconnection |
|
Silvina Guidoni Submitted: 2011-02-04 09:50
We show, through a simple patchy reconnection model, that retracting reconnected flux tubes may present elongated regions relatively devoid of plasma, as well as long lasting, dense central hot regions. Reconnection is assumed to happen in a small patch across a Syrovatski'i (non-uniform) current sheet (CS) with skewed magnetic fields. The background magnetic pressure has its maximum at the center of the CS plane, and decreases toward the edges of the plane. The reconnection patch creates two V-shaped reconnected tubes that shorten as they retract in opposite directions, due to magnetic tension. One of them moves upward toward the top edge of the CS, and the other one moves downward toward the top of the underlying arcade. Rotational discontinuities (RDs) propagate along the legs of the tubes and generate parallel super-sonic flows that collide at the center of the tube. There, gas dynamics shocks that compress and heat the plasma are launched outwardly. The descending tube moves through the bottom part of the CS where it expands laterally in response to the background magnetic pressure. This effect may decrease plasma density by 30 % to 50 % of background levels. This tube will arrive at the top of the arcade that will slow it down to a stop. Here, the perpendicular dynamics is halted, but the parallel dynamics continues along its legs; the RDs are shut down, and the gas is rarified to even lower densities. The hot postshock regions continue evolving, determining a long lasting hot region on top of the arcade. We provide an observational method based on total emission measure and mean temperature, that indicates where in the CS the tube has been reconnected.
Authors: S. E. Guidoni, D. W. Longcope
Projects: None
|
Publication Status: ApJ (accepted)
Last Modified: 2011-02-06 18:43
|
 
 
|
|
Shocks and Thermal Conduction Fronts in Retracting Reconnected Flux Tubes |
|
Silvina Guidoni Submitted: 2010-07-07 10:02
We present a model for plasma heating produced by time-dependent, spatially localized reconnection within a
flare current sheet separating skewed magnetic fields. The reconnection creates flux tubes of new connectivity
which subsequently retract at Alfvénic speeds from the reconnection site. Heating occurs in gas-dynamic shocks
(GDSs) which develop inside these tubes. Here we present generalized thin flux tube equations for the dynamics of
reconnected flux tubes, including pressure-driven parallel dynamics as well as temperature-dependent, anisotropic
viscosity and thermal conductivity. The evolution of tubes embedded in a uniform, skewed magnetic field, following
reconnection in a patch, is studied through numerical solutions of these equations, for solar coronal conditions.
Even though viscosity and thermal conductivity are negligible in the quiet solar corona, the strong GDSs generated
by compressing plasma inside reconnected flux tubes generate large velocity and temperature gradients along the
tube, rendering the diffusive processes dominant. They determine the thickness of the shock that evolves up to a
steady state value, although this condition may not be reached in the short times involved in a flare. For realistic
solar coronal parameters, this steady state shock thickness might be as long as the entire flux tube. For strong
shocks at low Prandtl numbers, typical of the solar corona, the GDS consists of an isothermal sub-shock where all
the compression and cooling occur, preceded by a thermal front where the temperature increases and most of the
heating occurs. We estimate the length of each of these sub-regions and the speed of their propagation.
Authors: Silvina Guidoni and Dana Longcope
Projects: None
|
Publication Status: ApJ (in press)
Last Modified: 2010-07-07 12:07
|
 
 
|
|
|
Key
|
 | Go to main E-Print page. |
 | Download Preprint. |
 | Submitters Homepage. |
 | Edit Entry. |
 | Delete abstract. |
|
|
|