Peculiarities of the development of active regions on the Sun prior to strong X-class flares: Joint analysis of data from the RATAN-600 radio telescope and SDO space observatory

Abstract

Complex analysis is performed for five active regions on the Sun where strong X-class solar flares occurred in 2011–2012. Radio emissions from the regions were investigated based on daily multi-wave observation of the Sun with the RATAN-600 radio telescope in the 1.6–8.0 cm wavelength range. It is shown that, as in eruptive events that were investigated earlier using the RATAN-600 radio telescope, 1–2 days (in some cases 14–17 h) prior to a strong flare one observes a developing source over the neutral line of photospheric magnetic field, which is projected on the region of the maximum approach of fields of opposite signs. In most cases this source became a dominant component in the microwave emissions of the active region prior to a flare. Simultaneously, analyzing magnetographic measurements of the same active regions, based on the data of the SDO space observatory, it has been shown that development of X-class flares proceeds at sufficiently high levels (F ∼1022 Mx) of magnetic flux in groups of sunspots and at sharp growth of flux gradient (G ∼ 20 × 1020 Mx/deg), which reflects the geometric approach of sunspots with opposite polarities of the magnetic field. These results can be used to develop methods for forecasting strong flares on the Sun.