Ellerman Bombs Research Articles

High-resolution Observations of Small-scale Flux Emergence by GST

Abstract Recent observations demonstrated that emerging flux regions, which constitute the early stage of solar active regions, consist of emergence of numerous small-scale magnetic elements. They in turn interact, merge, and form mature sunspots. However, observations of fine magnetic structures on photosphere with subarcsecond resolution are very rare due to limitations of observing facilities. In this work, taking advantage of the high resolution of the 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope, we jointly analyze vector magnetic fields, continuum images, and Hα observations of NOAA AR 12665 on 2017 July 13, with the goal of understanding the signatures of small-scale flux emergence, as well as their atmospheric responses as they emerge through multiple heights in the photosphere and chromosphere. Under such a high resolution of 0.″1–0.″2, our results confirm two kinds of small-scale flux emergence: magnetic flux sheet emergence associated with the newly forming granules, and the traditional magnetic flux loop emergence. With direct imaging in the broadband TiO, we observe that both types of flux emergence are associated with darkening of granular boundaries, while only flux sheets elongate granules along the direction of emerging magnetic fields and expand laterally. With a life span of 10 ∼ 15 minutes, the total emerged vertical flux is on the order of 1018 Mx for both types of emergence. The magnitudes of the vertical and horizontal fields are comparable in the flux sheets, while the former is stronger in flux loops. Hα observations reveal transient brightenings in the wings in the events of magnetic loop emergence, which are most probably the signatures of Ellerman bombs.

A Cancellation Nanoflare Model for Solar Chromospheric and Coronal Heating. III. 3D Simulations and Atmospheric Response

Abstract Inspired by recent observations suggesting that photospheric magnetic flux cancellation occurs much more frequently than previously thought, we analytically estimated the energy released from reconnection driven by photospheric flux cancellation, and propose that it can act as a mechanism for chromospheric and coronal heating. Using two-dimensional simulations we validated the analytical estimates and studied the resulting atmospheric response. In the present work, we set up 3D resistive MHD simulations of two canceling polarities in a stratified atmosphere with a horizontal external field to further validate and improve upon the analytical estimates. The computational evaluation of the parameters associated with the energy release are in good qualitative agreement with the analytical estimates. The computational Poynting energy flux into the current sheet is in good qualitative agreement with the analytical estimates, after correcting the analytical expression to better account for the horizontal extent of the current sheet. The atmospheric response to the cancellation is the formation of hot ejections, cool ejections, or a combination of both hot and cool ejections, which can appear with a time difference and/or be spatially offset, depending on the properties of the canceling region and the resulting height of the reconnection. Therefore, during the cancellation, a wide spectrum of ejections can be formed, which can account for the variety of multi-thermal ejections associated with Ellerman bombs, UV bursts, and IRIS bombs, and also other ejections associated with small-scale canceling regions and spicules.

Ellerman bombs and UV bursts: reconnection at different atmospheric layers

The emergence of magnetic flux through the photosphere and into the outer solar atmosphere produces, amongst other dynamical phenomena, Ellerman bombs (EBs), which are observed in the wings of Hα and are due to magnetic reconnection in the photosphere below the chromospheric canopy. Signs of magnetic reconnection are also observed in other spectral lines, typical of the chromosphere or the transition region. An example are the ultraviolet (UV) bursts observed in the transition region lines of Si IV and the upper chromospheric lines of Mg II. In this work we analyze high-cadence, high-resolution coordinated observations between the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope (SST) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft. Hα images from the SST provide us with the positions, timings, and trajectories of EBs in an emerging flux region. Simultaneous, co-aligned IRIS slit-jaw images at 133 (C II, transition region), 140 (Si IV, transition region), and 279.6 (Mg II k, core, upper chromosphere) nm as well as spectroscopy in the far- and near-ultraviolet from the fast spectrograph raster allow us to study the possible chromospheric and transition region counterparts of those EBs. Our main goal is to study the possible temporal and spatial relationship between several reconnection events at different layers in the atmosphere (namely EBs and UV bursts), the timing history between them, and the connection of these dynamical phenomena to the ejection of surges in the chromosphere. We also investigate the properties of an extended UV burst and their variations across the burst domain. Our results suggest a scenario where simultaneous and co-spatial EBs and UV bursts are part of the same reconnection system occurring sequentially along a vertical or nearly vertical current sheet. Heating and bidirectional jets trace the location where reconnection takes place. These results support and expand those obtained from recent numerical simulations of magnetic flux emergence.

SOLAR PLASMA DYNAMICS DURING THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ELLERMAN BOMBS PAIR

The results of the specific features study of solar plasma dynamics in different layers of the active region (AR) of NOAA 11024 under the in- fluence arisen and evolving two Ellerman bombs (EB-1 and EB-2) are presented. Spectral data with high spa- tial and temporal resolution were obtained with the French-Italian THEMIS solar telescope. We used spec- tra were obtained in the H α -line and in the lines form- ing within a wide range of photospheric heights: FeI λ λ 630.15, 630.25, and 630.35 nm and TiI λ 630.38 nm. EBs evolved in the region magnetic flux that were emerging at the time. Changes in the velocity and di- rection of chromospheric and photospheric matter mo- tion in the region of Ellerman bombs and in their im- mediate vicinity at different stages of EBs evolution were determined and analyzed. Temporal variations in the line-of-sight velocities (Vlos) of the chromospheric matter at a level of the H α core formation showed two periods in the velocity en- hancement, containing several individual peaks. The maximum Vlos was –9 and 8 km/s toward and from the observer, respectively. Rapid upward and down- ward plasma streams (where Vlos reaches –80 and 50 km/s, respectively) were sometimes observed. It was found that upflows were predominant at all levels of the AR photosphere. At the same time, Vlos decreased considerably in the region of EBs. Appar- ently, the small-scale downward flows induced by mag- netic reconnections were superimposed onto the large- scale upward motion of the new magnetic flux plasma. The line-of-sight velocity in the central part of EB-1 and EB-2 varied from –1 to 0 km/s and from –1 to 0.2 km/s in the upper photospheric layer and from –1.6 to –0.2 km/s and from –1.1 to 0.25 km/s in the lower layer of the photosphere, respectively. The studied features of temporary changes in the line-of-sight velocities of the chromospheric and photo- spheric matter during the formation and development of Ellerman bombs indicate that they affect both the photosphere and the lower chromosphere.

Chromospheric Cannonballs on the Sun

Abstract In the highly dynamic chromosphere, there exist many kinds of small-scale activities, such as spicules, surges, and Ellerman bombs. Here, we report the discovery of a new phenomenon in the chromosphere observed with the New Vacuum Solar Telescope at the Fuxian Solar Observatory. In the high tempo-spatial-resolution Hα images, some dark or bright structures are found to fly along the curved trajectory, looking like cannonballs. Their average size, mass, and velocity are about 1.5 × 109 km3, 1.5 × 108 kg, and 56 km s−1, respectively. In the simultaneous (extreme-)ultraviolet images obtained by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, these cannonballs appear as brighter features compared to the surrounding area, implying that there exists some kind of heating during this process. The photospheric magnetograms show the magnetic flux emergence and interaction with the pre-existing fields. These observations reveal that the cannonballs are chromospheric material blobs launched due to the magnetic reconnection between emerging magnetic flux and the pre-existing loops.

Plasmoid-mediated reconnection in solar UV bursts

Context. Ultraviolet bursts are transients in the solar atmosphere with an increased impulsive emission in the extreme UV lasting for one to several tens of minutes. They often show spectral profiles indicative of a bi-directional outflow in response to magnetic reconnection. Aims. To understand UV bursts, we study how motions of magnetic elements at the surface can drive the self-consistent formation of a current sheet resulting in plasmoid-mediated reconnection. In particular, we want to study the role of the height of the reconnection in the atmosphere. Methods. We conducted numerical experiments solving the 2D magnetohydrodynamic equations from the solar surface to the upper atmosphere. Motivated by observations, we drove a small magnetic patch embedded in a larger system of magnetic field of opposite polarity. This type of configuration creates an X-type neutral point in the initial potential field. The models are characterized by the (average) plasma-β at the height of this X point. Results. The driving at the surface stretches the X-point into a thin current sheet, where plasmoids appear, accelerating the reconnection, and a bi-directional jet forms. This is consistent with what is expected for UV bursts or explosive events, and we provide a self-consistent model of the formation of the reconnection region in such events. The gravitational stratification gives a natural explanation for why explosive events are restricted to a temperature range around a few 0.1 MK, and the presence of plasmoids in the reconnection process provides an understanding of the observed variability during the transient events on a timescale of minutes. Conclusions. Our numerical experiments provide a comprehensive understanding of UV bursts and explosive events, in particular of how the atmospheric response changes if the reconnection happens at different plasma-β, that is, at different heights in the atmosphere. This analysis also gives new insight into how UV bursts might be related to the photospheric Ellerman bombs.

Dissecting bombs and bursts: non-LTE inversions of low-atmosphere reconnection in SST and IRIS observations

Ellerman bombs and UV bursts are transient brightenings that are ubiquitously observed in the lower atmospheres of active and emerging flux regions. As they are believed to pinpoint sites of magnetic reconnection in reconfiguring fields, understanding their occurrence and detailed evolution may provide useful insight into the overall evolution of active regions. Here we present results from inversions of SST/CRISP and CHROMIS, as well as IRIS data of such transient events. Combining information from the Mg II h & k, Si IV, and Ca II 8542 Å and Ca II H & K lines, we aim to characterise their temperature and velocity stratification, as well as their magnetic field configuration. We find average temperature enhancements of a few thousand kelvin, close to the classical temperature minimum and similar to previous studies, but localised peak temperatures of up to 10 000–15 000 K from Ca II inversions. Including Mg II appears to generally dampen these temperature enhancements to below 8000 K, while Si IV requires temperatures in excess of 10 000 K at low heights, but may also be reproduced with secondary temperature enhancements of 35 000–60 000 K higher up. However, reproducing Si IV comes at the expense of overestimating the Mg II emission. The line-of-sight velocity maps show clear bi-directional jet signatures for some events and strong correlation with substructure in the intensity images in general. Absolute line-of-sight velocities range between 5 and 20 km s−1 on average, with slightly larger velocities towards, rather than away from, the observer. The inverted magnetic field parameters show an enhancement of the horizontal field co-located with the brightenings at heights similar to that of the temperature increase. We are thus able to largely reproduce the observational properties of Ellerman bombs with the UV burst signature (e.g. intensities, profile asymmetries, morphology, and bi-directional jet signatures), with temperature stratifications peaking close to the classical temperature minimum. Correctly modelling the Si IV emission in agreement with all other diagnostics is however an outstanding issue and remains paramount in explaining its apparent coincidence with Hα emission. Fine-tuning the approach (accounting for resolution differences, fitting localised temperature enhancements, and/or performing spatially coupled inversions) is likely necessary in order to obtain better agreement between all considered diagnostics.

Ellerman bombs and UV bursts: transient events in chromospheric current sheets

Context. Ellerman bombs (EBs), observed in the photospheric wings of the Hα line, and UV bursts, observed in the transition region Si IV line, are both brightenings related to flux emergence regions and specifically to magnetic flux of opposite polarity that meet in the photosphere. These two reconnection-related phenomena, nominally formed far apart, occasionally occur in the same location and at the same time, thus challenging our understanding of reconnection and heating of the lower solar atmosphere. Aims. We consider the formation of an active region, including long fibrils and hot and dense coronal plasma. The emergence of a untwisted magnetic flux sheet, injected 2.5 Mm below the photosphere, is studied as it pierces the photosphere and interacts with the preexisting ambient field. Specifically, we aim to study whether EBs and UV bursts are generated as a result of such flux emergence and examine their physical relationship. Methods. The Bifrost radiative magnetohydrodynamics code was used to model flux emerging into a model atmosphere that contained a fairly strong ambient field, constraining the emerging field to a limited volume wherein multiple reconnection events occur as the field breaks through the photosphere and expands into the outer atmosphere. Synthetic spectra of the different reconnection events were computed using the 1.5D RH code and the fully 3D MULTI3D code. Results. The formation of UV bursts and EBs at intensities and with line profiles that are highly reminiscent of observed spectra are understood to be a result of the reconnection of emerging flux with itself in a long-lasting current sheet that extends over several scale heights through the chromosphere. Synthetic spectra in the Hα and Si IV 139.376 nm lines both show characteristics that are typical of the observations. These synthetic diagnostics suggest that there are no compelling reasons to assume that UV bursts occur in the photosphere. Instead, EBs and UV bursts are occasionally formed at opposite ends of a long current sheet that resides in an extended bubble of cool gas.

Automating Ellerman bomb detection in ultraviolet continua

Ellerman bombs are transient brightenings in the wings of Hα 6563 Å that pinpoint photospheric sites of magnetic reconnection in solar active regions. Their partial visibility in the 1600 Å and 1700 Å continua registered routinely by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) offers a unique opportunity to inventory such magnetic-field disruptions throughout the AIA database if a reliable recipe for their detection can be formulated. This is done here. We have improved and applied an Hα Ellerman bomb detection code to ten data sets spanning viewing angles from solar disc centre to the limb. They combine high-quality Hα imaging spectroscopy from the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope with simultaneous AIA imaging around 1600 Å and 1700 Å. A trial grid of brightness, lifetime and area constraints is imposed on the AIA images to define optimal recovery of the 1735 Ellerman bombs detected in Hα. The best results when optimising simultaneously for recovery fraction and reliability are obtained from 1700 Å images by requiring 5σ brightening above the average 1700 Å nearby quiet-Sun intensity, lifetime above one minute, area of 1–18 AIA pixels. With this recipe 27% of the AIA detections are Hα-detected Ellerman bombs while it recovers 19% of these (of which many are smaller than the AIA resolution). Better yet, among the top 10% AIA 1700 Å detections selected with combined brightness, lifetime and area thresholds as many as 80% are Hα Ellerman bombs. Automated selection of the best 1700 Å candidates therefore opens the entire AIA database for detecting most of the more significant photospheric reconnection events. This proxy is applicable as a flux-dynamics tell-tale in studying any Earth-side solar active region since early 2010 up to the present.

Recent research progress of solar physics in China

Solar physics focuses on the star that is not only closest but most important to us. The study of solar physics is one of the most active interdisciplinary frontiers of astronomy, planetary and space science, plasma physics, etc. The eventual solution of many fundamental scientific problems would greatly benefit from breakthroughs in solar physics, e.g., problems such as the origin of magnetic field in astronomical objects, the formation and evolutionary mechanisms of the stellar magnetic cycle, the impact of stellar magnetic activities on the habitability of planets and the origin of life, and the forecast of solar eruptions to guard against adverse space weather effects. In the last ten years, solar physics has stepped into an era of multi-messenger, full electromagnetic spectrum, full time-domain, high-resolution, multi-scale, multi-view and high-precision detection. A new era is looming on the horizon with two revolutionary missions, namely, Parker Solar Probe, which was launched in 2018 and will probe the solar corona from as close as 6 million kilometers to the Sun’s surface, and Solar Orbiter, which will be launched in 2020 to image the Sun’s polar regions for the first time. In China, the first space mission dedicated to the Sun, the Advanced Space Based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), will be launched in 2021, targeting the next solar cycle. In addition, the Advanced Ground Based Solar Observatory (ASO-G) has been incorporated within the framework of national planning; under construction are two important instruments for solar physics, MUSER (Mingantu Ultrawide Spectral Radioheliograph) and AIMS (Accurate Infrared Magnetic field measurements of the Sun). Embracing the upcoming advancement in observing the Sun, we review in this article the prominent progresses made by Chinese scholars in the last ten years, mainly in studying the solar magnetic field, fine structures and dynamics of the lower atmosphere, and solar eruptions. At the frontier of solar magnetism, we have made headway in predicting the solar cycle, understanding the magnetic topology and the evolution of magnetic helicity, and modeling the coronal magnetic field. At the frontier of fine structures and dynamics of the lower atmosphere, we have advanced the understanding of not only new phenomena, such as ultraviolet bursts, but also traditional subjects, such as sunspot light bridges, Ellerman bombs, as well as mass and energy transfer from the lower to higher atmosphere. At the frontier of solar eruptions, we have made progress in identifying the eruption progenitor, clarifying its formation, structure, and evolution toward eruption as well as the subsequent propagation and interaction in interplanetary space, and understanding various aspects and consequences of magnetic reconnection, a fundament plasma process in the universe. On the basis of the review, we look forward to the future development of solar physics in China and to the prospect of Chinese scholars making even more substantial contributions to the solar physics research.

Flame-like Ellerman Bombs and Their Connection to Solar Ultraviolet Bursts

Abstract Ellerman bombs (EBs) are small-scale intense brightenings in Hα wing images, which are generally believed to be signatures of magnetic reconnection around the temperature minimum region of the solar atmosphere. They have a flame-like morphology when observed near the solar limb. Recent observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) reveal another type of small-scale reconnection event called an ultraviolet (UV) burst, in the lower solar atmosphere. Though previous observations have shown a clear coincidence between the occurrence of some UV bursts and EBs, the exact relationship between these two phenomena is still debated. We investigate the spatial and temporal relationship between flame-like EBs and UV bursts using joint near-limb observations between the 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope (GST) and IRIS. In total, 161 EBs have been identified from the GST observations, and ∼20 of them reveal signatures of UV bursts in the IRIS images. Interestingly, we find that these UV bursts have a tendency to appear at the upper parts of their associated flame-like EBs. The intensity variations of most EB-related UV bursts and their corresponding EBs match well. Our results suggest that some of these UV bursts and EBs likely form at different heights during a common reconnection process.

Small-Scale Magnetic Features in the Active Region NOAA 11024

To reveal and study magnetic features in the active region NOAA 11024, temporal changes in the profiles of the Stokes parameter V of photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15 nm, Fe I λ 630.25 nm, Fe I λ 630.35 nm, and Ti I λ 630.38 nm were analyzed. Data of spectropolarimetric observations carried out with a high temporal and spatial resolution at the French-Italian solar telescope THEMIS (Tenerife Island, Spain) on July 4, 2009, were used. The examined area of the active region includes two pores of opposite polarity and two plages. One of the pores was rapidly developing. For 20 minutes of observations, eruptive processes, such as three Ellerman bombs and chromospheric surges, took place in this area. The V profiles of the photospheric lines substantially differ in different places of the active region. They are normal in most cases. In the pores, their amplitude increases toward outer edges of the pores. The maximum amplitude was noticed in the profiles at the boundary between the emerging pore and the Ellerman bomb. It was rapidly increasing with time. Two small patches with abnormal V profiles of the photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15 and 630.25 nm have been found. The amplitude of the profiles in these patches was reduced. The amplitude and the shape of the profiles changed with time. One of the patches was between the pores, while the other was in the plage area. During the observations, the polarity of the photospheric magnetic field in these patches changed. Evidence of new, emerging, small-scale magnetic fluxes of opposite polarity was obtained. Due to the emergence of these fluxes, magnetic reconnections started and chromospheric surges and an Ellerman bomb appeared. It has been found that there are strong oscillations in the amplitude of the V profiles of photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15 and 630.25 nm during Ellerman bombs, which may indicate the pulsed energy realize.

Motion of Photospheric Matter within the Active Region Site with Two Ellerman Bombs

Examination results for specific features of variation of line-of-sight plasma velocities in different photosphere layers of the NOAA 11024 active region (AR) under the influence of two evolving Ellerman bombs (EB-1 and EB-2) are presented. Spectroscopic data with high spatial and temporal resolution were obtained with the French–Italian THEMIS solar telescope on July 4, 2009. The observation time was 20 min. The AR was undergoing a sharp increase in activity on the day of observations, and the EBs evolved in the region of one of the three magnetic fluxes that were emerging at the time. The brightness of EB-1 decreased during observations, while EB-2 got brighter. The λ ≈ 630 nm spectral region, which includes Fraunhofer lines forming within a wide range of photospheric heights (neutral iron lines Fe I λ 630.15, 630.25, and 630.35 nm and titanium line Ti I λ 630.38 nm), was used. Changes in the velocity and direction of motion of matter in the region of Ellerman bombs and in their immediate vicinity at different photosphere levels and at different stages of EB evolution were determined and analyzed. It was found that upflows were predominant at all levels of the AR photosphere. At the same time, line-of-sight velocities Vlos and the amplitude of their oscillations decreased considerably in the region of EBs. Apparently, downward matter flows reduced the velocity of upward plasma motion. This suggests that small-scale downward flows induced by magnetic reconnections were superimposed onto the large-scale upward motion of plasma of the new magnetic flux. The profile shape of photospheric lines reinforces this conclusion. The profiles of strong lines had a red asymmetry. The matter velocity determined based on the shift of a prominent component in the red wing of the Fe I λ 630.35 nm line profiles was as high as 2 km/s. Such a Vlos distribution in the EB regions indicates that they consisted of several jets moving with different velocities in different directions. The line-of-sight velocity in the central part of EB-1 and EB-2 varied from –1 to 0 km/s and from –1 to 0.2 km/s in the upper photospheric layer and from –1.6 to –0.2 km/s and from –1.1 to 0.25 km/s in the lower layer of the photosphere, respectively. Vlos variations in the vicinity of these Ellerman bombs were oscillatory, and the interval between oscillations was ~5 min. The pattern of quasiperiodic Vlos oscillations was disturbed in the EB regions: they often occurred in antiphase. It may be concluded that the excitation caused by a pulsed energy release as a result of successive magnetic reconnections associated with the emergence of the new magnetic flux propagated from the EB-1 site along a magnetic loop and triggered the formation of EB-2, and the Ellerman bombs then evolved as a physically connected pair. The studied features of the line-of-sight velocity variation of chromospheric and photospheric matter indicate that during the evolved of EBs differently directed motions of matter there was: it moved upward in the lower chromospheric layer, while downward flows reduced the velocity of ascending plasma at the photospheric level. Magnetic reconnections occurring in the layer between the upper photosphere and the lower chromosphere, where the core of the Hα line was formed, could induce such a velocity distribution.

Motion of the photospheric matter in the active region site with two Ellerman bombs

Motion of the photospheric matter in the active region site with two Ellerman bombs

Signatures of quiet Sun reconnection events in Ca ii, Hα, and Fe i

We use observations of quiet Sun (QS) regions in the H$\alpha$ 6563 \AA, Ca~{\sc ii} 8542 \AA\, and Fe~{\sc i} 6302 \AA\ lines. We observe brightenings in the wings of the H$\alpha$ and Ca~{\sc ii} combined with observations of the interacting magnetic concentrations observed in the Stokes signals of Fe~{\sc i}. These brightenings are similar to Ellerman bombs (EBs), i.e. impulsive bursts in the wings of the Balmer lines which leave the line cores unaffected. Such enhancements suggest that these events have similar formation mechanisms to the classical EBs found in active regions, with the reduced intensity enhancements found in the QS regions due to a weaker feeding magnetic flux. The observations also show that the quiet Sun Ellerman bombs (QSEBs) are formed at a higher height in the upper photosphere than the photospheric continuum level. Using simulations, we investigate the formation mechanism associated with the events and suggest that these events are driven by the interaction of magnetic field-lines in the upper photospheric regions. The results of the simulation are in agreement with observations when comparing the light-curves, and in most cases we found that the peak in the Ca~{\sc ii} 8542 \AA\ wing occurred before the peak in H$\alpha$ wing. Moreover, in some cases, the line profiles observed in Ca~{\sc ii} are asymmetrical with a raised core profile. The source of heating in these events is shown by the MURaM simulations and is suggested to occur 430 km above the photosphere.

Spectral Study of Ellerman Bombs. Photosphere

The results of analysis of spectral observations of two Ellerman bombs (EB-1 and EB-2), which were formed and have evolved in the area of emerging magnetic flux in active region (AR) NOAA 11024, are presented. Spectral data with high spatial and temporal (approximately 3 s) resolution were obtained using the THEMIS French–Italian solar telescope on July 4, 2009. The observation duration was 20 min. The spectral region of λ ≈ 630 nm with photospheric lines forming in a wide altitude range (neutral iron lines Fe I λ 630.15, 630.25, and 630.35 nm and titanium line Ti I λ 630.38 nm) was examined. The brightness of EB-1 decreased in the process of observations, while the brightness of EB-2 increased. The profiles of metal lines determined at different stages of EBs evolution were asymmetric. This asymmetry was more pronounced in lines that had formed in the lower photospheric layers and often had profiles with several components. The half-width of profiles increased with a reduction in their central depth. The variation of central intensities of Fraunhofer lines in the spectra of EBs and their vicinity at different stages of EB evolution was analyzed. The EBs formed in intergranular lanes. An increase in the core intensity of all the studied photospheric lines was correlated spatially with an increase in the wings intensity of the Hα line. Brightness variations at all photospheric levels were of an oscillatory nature with an interval of 1–5 min. The observed temporal variations of Fraunhofer line intensities in the spectra of the studied AR section suggest that the emergence of the new magnetic flux induced consecutive magnetic reconnections in the EB-1 region, the excitation propagated along a magnetic loop and initiated the formation of EB-2, and the two bombs then evolved as a physically connected pair.

Spectral study of Ellerman bombs. The photosphere

Spectral study of Ellerman bombs. The photosphere

Ca II 8542 Å brightenings induced by a solar microflare

We study small-scale brightenings in Ca II 8542 \AA\ line-core images to determine their nature and effect on localized heating and mass transfer in active regions. High-resolution 2D spectroscopic observations of an active region in the Ca II 8542 \AA\ line were acquired with the GFPI attached to the 1.5-meter GREGOR telescope. Inversions of the spectra were carried out using NICOLE. We identified three brightenings of sizes up to 2"x2". We found evidence that the brightenings belonged to the footpoints of a microflare (MF). The properties of the observed brightenings disqualified the scenarios of Ellerman bombs or IRIS bombs. However, this MF shared some common properties with flaring active-region fibrils or flaring arch filaments (FAFs): (1) FAFs and MFs are both apparent in chromospheric and coronal layers according to the AIA channels, and (2) both show flaring arches with lifetimes of about 3.0-3.5 min and lengths of about 20". The inversions revealed heating by 600 K at the footpoint location in the ambient chromosphere during the impulsive phase. Connecting the footpoints, a dark filamentary structure appeared in the Ca II line-core images. Before the start of the MF, the spectra of this structure already indicated average blueshifts, meaning upward motions of the plasma along the LOS. During the impulsive phase, these velocities increased up to -2.2 km/s. Downflows dominated at the footpoints. However, in the upper photosphere, slight upflows occurred during the impulsive phase. Hence, bidirectional flows are present in the footpoints of the MF. Conclusions: We detected Ca II brightenings that coincided with the footpoint location of an MF. The MF event led to a rise of plasma in the upper photosphere, both before and during the impulsive phase. Excess mass, previously raised to at most chromospheric layers, slowly drained downward along arches toward the footpoints of the MF.

RADYN Simulations of Non-thermal and Thermal Models of Ellerman Bombs

Abstract Ellerman bombs (EBs) are brightenings in the Hα line wings that are believed to be caused by magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere. To study the response and evolution of the chromospheric line profiles, we perform radiative hydrodynamic simulations of EBs using both non-thermal and thermal models. Overall, these models can generate line profiles that are similar to observations. However, in non-thermal models we find dimming in the Hα line wings and continuum when the heating begins, while for the thermal models dimming occurs only in the Hα line core, and with a longer lifetime. This difference in line profiles can be used to determine whether an EB is dominated by non-thermal heating or thermal heating. In our simulations, if a higher heating rate is applied, then the Hα line will be unrealistically strong and there are still no clear UV burst signatures.

Simulating Ellerman bomb-like events

Ellerman bombs (EBs) seem to be a part of a whole spectrum of phenomena that might have the same underlying physical mechanism, but with observed characteristics which pose a considerable challenge to models. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the proposed mechanism, applied to the circumstances of EBs, produce the observed characteristics. For this, realistic 3D MHD simulations are used. Two different cases are presented: the quiet Sun and an active region. Both runs confirm that EB-like brightenings coincide with hot and dense plasma which is in agreement with predictions of 1D and 2D modellings. The simulated EB-like phenomena assume the observed flame-like form, which depends on the complexity of the ongoing reconnection and the viewing angle. At the layers sampled by H$\alpha$-wings, near temperature minimum and below, the magnetic field topology seem to be always the same. The field lines there trace the base of the current sheet and the reconnected $\cap$-loops. So, the EB features are caused by reconnection of strong-field patches of opposite polarity in the regions where the surface flows are the strongest. The weakest cases among them can be reproduced quantitatively by the current simulations.