Inverse First Ionization Potential Effects in Giant Solar Flares Found from Earth X-Ray Albedo with Suzaku/XIS

Abstract

Abstract We report X-ray spectroscopic results for four giant solar flares that occurred on 2005 September 7 (X17.0), 2005 September 8 (X5.4), 2005 September 9 (X6.2), and 2006 December 5 (X9.0), obtained from Earth albedo data with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) on board Suzaku. The good energy resolution of the XIS (FWHM ∼ 100 eV) enables us to separate a number of line-like features and detect the underlying continuum emission. These features include Si Heα, Si Lyα, S Heα, S Lyα, Ar Heα, and Ca Heα originating from solar flares as well as fluorescent Ar Kα and Ar Kβ from the Earth’s atmosphere. Absolute elemental abundances (X/H) averaged over the four flares are obtained to be ∼2.0 (Ca), ∼0.7 (Si), ∼0.3 (S), and ∼0.9 (Ar) at around flare peaks. This abundance pattern is similar to those of active stars’ coronae showing inverse first ionization potential (i-FIP) effects, i.e., elemental abundances decrease with decreasing FIP with a turnover at the low end of the FIP. The abundances are almost constant during the flares, with the exception of Si which increases by a factor of ∼2 in the decay phase. The evolution of the Si abundance is consistent with the finding that the i-FIP plasma originates from chromospheric evaporation and then mixes with the surrounding low-FIP biased materials. Flare-to-flare abundance varied by a factor of two, agreeing with past observations of solar flares. Finally, we emphasize that Earth albedo data acquired by X-ray astronomy satellites like Suzaku and the X-Ray Imaging Spectroscopy Mission can significantly contribute to studies of solar physics.