Title of the publication
Analysis of the Evolution of a Multi-Ribbon Flare and Failed Filament Eruption
Publication: Solar Physics
1st Author: Reetika Joshi
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Short summary by the author:
How filaments form and erupt are topics about which solar researchers have wondered for more than a century and they are still open to debate. We present observations of a filament formation, its failed eruption, and the associated flare (SOL2019-05-09T05:51) that occurred in active region (AR) 12740 using data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory A (STEREO-A), the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Learmonth Solar Observatory (LSO) of the National Solar Observatory/Global Oscillation Network Group (NSO/GONG). AR 12740 was a decaying region formed by a very disperse following polarity and a strong leading spot, surrounded by a highly dynamic zone where moving magnetic features (MMFs) were seen constantly diverging from the spot. Our analysis indicates that the filament was formed by the convergence of fibrils at a location where magnetic flux cancellation was observed. Furthermore, we conclude that its destabilisation was also related to flux cancellation associated with the constant shuffling of the MMFs. A two-ribbon flare occurred associated with the filament eruption; however, because the large-scale magnetic configuration of the AR was quadrupolar, two additional flare ribbons developed far from the two main ones. We model the magnetic configuration of the AR using a force-free field approach at the AR scale size. This local model is complemented by a global potential-field source-surface one. Based on the local model, we propose a scenario in which the filament failed eruption and the flare are due to two reconnection processes, one occurring below the erupting filament, leading to the two-ribbon flare, and another one above it between the filament flux-rope configuration and the large-scale closed loops. Our computation of the reconnected magnetic flux added to the erupting flux rope, compared to that of the large-scale field overlying it, allows us to conclude that the latter was large enough to prevent the filament eruption. A similar conjecture can be drawn from the computation of the magnetic tension derived from the global field model.
Title of the publication
Publication: Astronomy & Astrophysics
1st Author: Atul Mohan
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-authors from RoCS:
- Sven Wedemeyer
- Sneha Pandit
- Maryam Saberi
Short summary by the author:
Context. An activity indicator, which can provide a robust quantitative mapping between the stellar activity and the physical properties of its atmosphere, is important in exploring the evolution of the observed active phenomena across main-sequence stars of different spectral types. Common activity indicators do provide qualitative correlations with physical properties such as Teff and the rotation period, among others. However, due to the large variability in their values, even for a single star, defining robust quantitative mappings between activity and physical properties is difficult. Millimetre (mm) wavelengths probe the different atmospheric layers within the stellar chromosphere, providing a tomographic view of the atmospheric dynamics.
Aims: The project aims to define a robust activity indicator by characterising mm brightness temperature spectra (TB(ν)) of the cool main-sequence stars (Teff ∼ 5000-7000 K) compiled by Paper I in this series. The sample contains 13 stars, including the Sun.
Methods: We derived the mm TB(ν) spectral indices (αmm) for cool stars, including the Sun, based on observations in the 30-1000 GHz range. The derived values for αmm are explored as a function of various physical parameters and empirical power-law functions were derived. We also compared αmm estimates with other activity indicators.
Results: Despite the estimation errors, αmm values could distinguish the cool stars well, unlike common activity indicators. The low estimation errors on the derived trends of αmm vs. physical parameters suggest that αmm could be a robust activity indicator.
Conclusions: We note that αmm, which is linked to chromospheric thermal stratification and activity in cool stars, can well distinguish and physically characterise the stars more robustly than common activity indicators. We emphasise the need for multi-frequency data across the mm band for stars, with a range of physical parameters and gathered at multiple epochs during their activity cycles. This will help to explore αmm in a statistically robust manner and to study the emergence of chromospheric heating on the main sequence.
Title of the publication
Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
1st Author: Daniel Nóbrega-Siverio
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Short summary by the author:
Coronal bright points (CBPs) are ubiquitous structures in the solar atmosphere composed of hot small-scale loops observed in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) or X-rays in the quiet Sun and coronal holes. They are key elements to understanding the heating of the corona; nonetheless, basic questions regarding their heating mechanisms, the chromosphere underneath, or the effects of flux emergence in these structures remain open. We have used the Bifrost code to carry out a 2D experiment in which a coronal-hole magnetic null-point configuration evolves perturbed by realistic granulation. To compare with observations, synthetic SDO/AIA, Solar Orbiter EUI-HRI, and IRIS images have been computed. The experiment shows the self-consistent creation of a CBP through the action of stochastic granular motions alone, mediated by magnetic reconnection in the corona. The reconnection is intermittent and oscillatory, and it leads to coronal and transition-region temperature loops that are identifiable in our EUV/UV observables. During the CBP lifetime, convergence and cancellation at the surface of its underlying opposite polarities takes place. The chromosphere below the CBP shows a number of peculiar features concerning its density and the spicules in it. The final stage of the CBP is eruptive: Magnetic flux emergence at the granular scale disrupts the CBP topology, leading to different ejections, such as UV bursts, surges, and EUV coronal jets. Apart from explaining observed CBP features, our results pave the way for further studies combining simulations and coordinated observations in different atmospheric layers.