Low-Frequency Pulsations of Coronal Magnetic Loops

Abstract

We analyze low-frequency intensity fluctuations of the microwave emission from solar flares at frequencies 22 and 37 GHz. The three microwave bursts of durations of about 1 h, observed at the Metsahovi Radio Observatory (Finland) with the time resolution of 0.1 and 0.05 s, are studied. To obtain spectral-temporal characteristics of the low-frequency fluctuations, we apply the Wigner-Ville method, i.e., the time-lag Fourier transform of the “local” autocorrelation function of an analytical signal. As a result, we obtain for the first time the dynamical spectra of the low-frequency fluctuations, which are identified as MHD eigenoscillations of coronal magnetic loops. The features of the dynamical spectra testify that several types of low-frequency pulsations are excited in coronal magnetic loops during solar flares: 1) Fast and slow magnetosonic oscillations with periods of 1-1.5 s and 200-280 s, respectively. Fast magnetosonic oscillations appear as pulse trains of duration 100-200 s and have the positive frequency drift dν/ dt≈ 0.125 Hz/min and the frequency splitting δν≈ 0.05 Hz; 2) The eigenoscillations of a coronal magnetic loop as an equivalent electric circuit. The period of these oscillations is about 1 s during the initial stage of a microwave burst and increases gradually up to 4 s during the decay stage of the radio emission; and 3) Intensity modulation of the microwave radiation by a periodic pulse sequence with a period of about 1 s at the burst onset and about 2 s at its end. The parameters of the dynamical spectra and identification of the MHD pulsations allow us to obtain information on the loop parameters, such as the ratio of the loop radius to its length (r/L≈ 0.1), the ratio of the gas pressure to the magnetic-field pressure inside the loop (β ≈ 3· 10-3), the ratio of plasma densities outside and inside the loop, and the electric current in the coronal loop (I≈ 1.5 · 1012 A).