Quasi-periodic oscillations in solar X-ray sources

Abstract

AbstractWe have searched for quasi-periodic oscillations in the hard X-ray emission of solar flares. We have selected 14 flare events which were divided into two groups: a) the events with the X-ray sources located at the flare loop footpoints and b) the events with the X-ray source above the solar limb, i.e. with the loop-top X-ray source. We found that while in the case with the footpoints X-ray sources the quasi-periods of the recorded oscillations were in the interval 2–380 s, in the events with loop-top sources only the quasi-periods longer than 50 s were recognized. These results are probably connected with the MHD oscillation modes of the flaring loop. While the long periods, which are dominant in loop-top sources, are produced by acoustic oscillations along the whole long loop, in the layers close to the loop footpoints also the MHD wave modes in shorter structures with shorter periods are generated.