Variation of Magnetic Fields and Electric Currents Associated with a Solar Flare

Abstract

It is well accepted that the source of energy for flares arises in the non-potential magnetic field from the dynamic evolution of active regions above the photosphere. So far, however, contradictory results have been suggested for the question of whether the occurrence of flares results in detectable changes of the magnetic fields and electric currents in the regions (Svestka, 1976)The early researches of Severny’s group showed that the longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields in active regions change evidently after flares, which are characterized by the simplification of magnetic configuration as well as the decrease of magnetic strength and gradient (Severny, 1962, 1969). Then, after studying the magnetograms of two active regions measured by the Kitt Peak’s magnetograph, Harvey suggested that there were changes in longitudinal magnetic fields with a time scale of hours, but they could be attributed to the global evolution of active regions and not directly related to the occurrence of flares (Harvey et al., 1970). Moreover, from the analyses of the Kitt Peak’s magnetograms for the big flare of 3B importance on 4 August 1972, Livingston indicated that the longitudinal magnetic fields before and after the flare remained unchanged (Livingston, 1973). On the other hand, from the study of the magnetograms obtained by the Big Bear Observatory’s video magnetograph before and after a 2B flare in the region McMath 13225 on 10 September 1970, Tanaka reached the conclusion that in weak field areas of less than 100G, the longitudinal field changed about 30–100% at the onset of the flare, and this change was associated with the flare (Tanaka, 1978). In recent years, some authors have investigated in detail the magnetograms of the well known region AR2372 on 6 April 1980 obtained with the video magnetograph of the Marshall Space Flight Center (Krall et al., 1982; Hagyard, 1984; Ding et al., 1985; Lin and Gaizauskas, 1987). Their results showed that the change of the magnetic fields occurred before a 1B/X2 flare. Therefore we have a rather confused picture about the variation of magnetic fields associated with flares.