Rapid Oscillations In The Solar Atmosphere Research Articles

Continuum Enhancements, Line Profiles, and Magnetic Field Evolution during Consecutive Flares

Abstract During solar flares, magnetic energy can be converted into electromagnetic radiation from radio waves to γ-rays. Enhancements in the continuum at visible wavelengths, as well as continuum enhancements in the FUV and NUV passbands, give rise to white-light flares. In addition, the strong energy release in these events can lead to the rearrangement of the magnetic field at the photospheric level, causing morphological changes in large and stable magnetic structures like sunspots. In this context, we describe observations acquired by satellite instruments (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope) and ground-based telescopes (Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA)/Dunn Solar Telescope) during two consecutive C7.0 and X1.6 flares that occurred in active region NOAA 12205 on 2014 November 7. The flare was accompanied by an eruption. The results of the analysis show the presence of continuum enhancements during the evolution of the events, observed both in ROSA images and in IRIS spectra. In the latter, a prominent blueshifted component is observed at the onset of the eruption. We investigate the role played by the evolution of the δ sunspots of the active region in the flare triggering, and finally we discuss the changes in the penumbrae surrounding these sunspots as a further consequence of these flares.

Dynamics and connectivity of an extended arch filament system

Aims.In this study, we analyzed a filament system, which expanded between moving magnetic features (MMFs) of a decaying sunspot and opposite flux outside of the active region from the nearby quiet-Sun network. This configuration deviated from a classical arch filament system (AFS), which typically connects two pores in an emerging flux region. Thus, we called this system an extended AFS. We contrasted classical and extended AFSs with an emphasis on the complex magnetic structure of the latter. Furthermore, we examined the physical properties of the extended AFS and described its dynamics and connectivity.Methods.The extended AFS was observed with two instruments at the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST). The Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) imager provided images in three different wavelength regions, which covered the dynamics of the extended AFS at different atmospheric heights. The Interferometric Bidimensional Spectropolarimeter (IBIS) provided spectroscopic Hαdata and spectropolarimetric data that was obtained in the near-infrared (NIR) Ca IIλ8542 Å line. We derived the corresponding line-of-sight (LOS) velocities and used He IIλ304 Å extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and LOS magnetograms of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as context data.Results.The NIR Ca IIStokes-Vmaps are not suitable to definitively define a clear polarity inversion line and to classify this chromospheric structure. Nevertheless, this unusual AFS connects the MMFs of a decaying sunspot with the network field. At the southern footpoint, we measured that the flux decreases over time. We find strong downflow velocities at the footpoints of the extended AFS, which increase in a time period of 30 min. The velocities are asymmetric at both footpoints with higher velocities at the southern footpoint. An EUV brigthening appears in one of the arch filaments, which migrates from the northern footpoint toward the southern one. This activation likely influences the increasing redshift at the southern footpoint.Conclusions.The extended AFS exhibits a similar morphology as classical AFSs, for example, threaded filaments of comparable length and width. Major differences concern the connection from MMFs around the sunspot with the flux of the neighboring quiet-Sun network, converging footpoint motions, and longer lifetimes of individual arch filaments of about one hour, while the extended AFS is still very dynamic.

Hα and Hβ Emission in a C3.3 Solar Flare: Comparison between Observations and Simulations

Abstract The hydrogen Balmer series is a basic radiative loss channel from the flaring solar chromosphere. We report here on the analysis of an extremely rare set of simultaneous observations of a solar flare in the H α and H β lines, at high spatial and temporal resolutions, that were acquired at the Dunn Solar Telescope. Images of the C3.3 flare (SOL2014-04-22T15:22) made at various wavelengths along the H α line profile by the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) and in the H β with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) broadband imager are analyzed to obtain the intensity evolution. The H α and H β intensity excesses in three identified flare footpoints are well-correlated in time. We examine the ratio of H α to H β flare excess, which was proposed by previous authors as a possible diagnostic of the level of electron-beam energy input. In the stronger footpoints, the typical value of the the H α /H β intensity ratio observed is ∼0.4–0.5, in broad agreement with values obtained from a RADYN non-LTE simulation driven by an electron beam with parameters constrained (as far as possible) by observation. The weaker footpoint has a larger H α /H β ratio, again consistent with a RADYN simulation, but with a smaller energy flux. The H α line profiles observed have a less prominent central reversal than is predicted by the RADYN results, but can be brought into agreement if the H α -emitting material has a filling factor of around 0.2–0.3.

ON THE PROPERTIES OF SLOW MHD SAUSAGE WAVES WITHIN SMALL-SCALE PHOTOSPHERIC MAGNETIC STRUCTURES

ABSTRACT The presence of magnetoacoustic waves in magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere is well-documented. Applying the technique of solar magneto-seismology (SMS) allows us to infer the background properties of these structures. Here, we aim to identify properties of the observed magnetoacoustic waves and study the background properties of magnetic structures within the lower solar atmosphere. Using the Dutch Open Telescope and Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere instruments, we captured two series of high-resolution intensity images with short cadences of two isolated magnetic pores. Combining wavelet analysis and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), we determined characteristic periods within the cross-sectional (i.e., area) and intensity time series. Then, by applying the theory of linear magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), we identified the mode of these oscillations within the MHD framework. Several oscillations have been detected within these two magnetic pores. Their periods range from 3 to 20 minutes. Combining wavelet analysis and EMD enables us to confidently find the phase difference between the area and intensity oscillations. From these observed features, we concluded that the detected oscillations can be classified as slow sausage MHD waves. Furthermore, we determined several key properties of these oscillations such as the radial velocity perturbation, the magnetic field perturbation, and the vertical wavenumber using SMS. The estimated range of the related wavenumbers reveals that these oscillations are trapped within these magnetic structures. Our results suggest that the detected oscillations are standing harmonics, and this allows us to estimate the expansion factor of the waveguides by employing SMS. The calculated expansion factor ranges from 4 to 12.

ELLERMAN BOMBS—EVIDENCE FOR MAGNETIC RECONNECTION IN THE LOWER SOLAR ATMOSPHERE

The presence of photospheric magnetic reconnection has long been thought to give rise to short and impulsive events, such as Ellerman bombs (EBs) and Type II spicules. In this article, we combine high-resolution, high-cadence observations from the Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) and Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instruments at the Dunn Solar Telescope, National Solar Observatory, New Mexico with co-aligned Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and Solar Optical Telescope (Hinode/SOT) data to observe small-scale events situated within an active region. These data are then compared with state-of-the-art numerical simulations of the lower atmosphere made using the MURaM code. It is found that brightenings, in both the observations and the simulations, of the wings of the H alpha line profile, interpreted as EBs, are often spatially correlated with increases in the intensity of the FeI 6302.5A line core. Bi-polar regions inferred from Hinode/SOT magnetic field data show evidence of flux cancellation associated, co-spatially, with these EBs, suggesting magnetic reconnection could be a driver of these high-energy events. Through the analysis of similar events in the simulated lower atmosphere, we are able to infer that line profiles analogous to the observations occur co-spatially with regions of strong opposite polarity magnetic flux. These observed events and their simulated counterparts are interpreted as evidence of photospheric magnetic reconnection at scales observable using current observational instrumentation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSVERSE WAVES IN CHROMOSPHERIC MOTTLES

Using data obtained by the high temporal and spatial resolution Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instrument on the Dunn Solar Telescope, we investigate at an unprecedented level of detail transverse oscillations in chromospheric fine structures near the solar disk center. The oscillations are interpreted in terms of propagating and standing magnetohydrodynamic kink waves. Wave characteristics including the maximum transverse velocity amplitude and the phase speed are measured as a function of distance along the structure's length. Solar magneto-seismology is applied to these measured parameters to obtain diagnostic information on key plasma parameters (e.g., magnetic field, density, temperature, flow speed) of these localised waveguides. The magnetic field strength of the mottle along the $\sim$2 Mm length is found to decrease by a factor of 12, while the local plasma density scale height is $\sim280\pm$80 km.

Tracking magnetic bright point motions through the solar atmosphere

High-cadence, multiwavelength observations and simulations are employed for the analysis of solar photospheric magnetic bright points (MBPs) in the quiet Sun. The observations were obtained with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) imager and the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer at the Dunn Solar Telescope. Our analysis reveals that photospheric MBPs have an average transverse velocity of approximately 1 km s−1, whereas their chromospheric counterparts have a slightly higher average velocity of 1.4 km s−1. Additionally, chromospheric MBPs were found to be around 63 per cent larger than the equivalent photospheric MBPs. These velocity values were compared with the output of numerical simulations generated using the muram code. The simulated results were similar, but slightly elevated, when compared to the observed data. An average velocity of 1.3 km s−1 was found in the simulated G-band images and an average of 1.8 km s−1 seen in the velocity domain at a height of 500 km above the continuum formation layer. Delays in the change of velocities were also analysed. Average delays of ∼4 s between layers of the simulated data set were established and values of ∼29 s observed between G-band and Ca ii K ROSA observations. The delays in the simulations are likely to be the result of oblique granular shock waves, whereas those found in the observations are possibly the result of a semi-rigid flux tube.

TRANSVERSE OSCILLATIONS IN CHROMOSPHERIC MOTTLES

A number of recent investigations have revealed that transverse waves are ubiquitous in the solar chromosphere. The vast majority of these have been reported in limb spicules and active region fibrils. We investigate long-lived, quiet Sun, on-disk features such as chromospheric mottles (jet-like features located at the boundaries of supergranular cells) and their transverse motions. The observations were obtained with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instrument at the Dunn Solar Telescope. The dataset comprises simultaneous imaging in the H$\alpha$ core, Ca II K, and G band of an on-disk quiet Sun region. Time-distance techniques are used to study the characteristics of the transverse oscillations. We detect over 40 transverse oscillations in both bright and dark mottles, with periods ranging from 70 to 280 s, with the most frequent occurrence at ~ 165 s. The velocity amplitudes and transverse displacements exhibit characteristics similar to limb spicules. Neighbouring mottles oscillating in-phase are also observed. The transverse oscillations of individual mottles are interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic kink waves. Their estimated periods and damping times are consistent with phase mixing and resonant mode conversion.

RAPID FLUCTUATIONS IN THE LOWER SOLAR ATMOSPHERE

The Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instrument reveals solar atmospheric fluctuations at high frequencies. Spectra of variations of the G-band intensity (IG) and CaII K-line intensity (IK) show correlated fluctuations above white noise to frequencies beyond 300 mHz and 50 mHz, respectively. The noise-corrected G-band spectrum for f = 28 - 326 mHz shows a power law with exponent -1.21 \pm, 0.02, consistent with the presence of turbulent motions. G-band spectral power in the 25 - 100 mHz ("UHF") range is concentrated at the locations of magnetic bright points in the intergranular lanes and is highly intermittent in time. The intermittence of the UHF G-band fluctuations, shown by a positive kurtosis {\kappa}, also suggests turbulence. Combining values of IG, IK, UHF power, and {\kappa}, reveals two distinct states of the solar atmosphere. State 1, including almost all the data, is characterized by low IG, IK, and UHF power and {\kappa} \approx 6. State 2, including only a very small fraction of the data, is characterized by high IG, IK, and UHF power and {\kappa} \approx 3. Superposed epoch analysis shows that the UHF power peaks simultaneously with spatio-temporal IG maxima in either state. For State 1, IK shows 3.5 min chromospheric oscillations with maxima occurring 21 s after IG maxima implying a 150 - 210 km effective height difference. However, for State 2 the IK and IG maxima are simultaneous; in this highly magnetized environment sites of G-band and K-line emission may be spatially close together.

Small-scale Hαjets in the solar chromosphere

High temporal and spatial resolution observations from the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) multiwavelength imager on the Dunn Solar Telescope are used to study the velocities of small-scale H{\alpha} jets in an emerging solar active region. The dataset comprises of simultaneous imaging in the H{\alpha} core, Ca II K, and G band, together with photo- spheric line-of-sight magnetograms. Time-distance techniques are employed to determine projected plane-of-sky velocities. The H{\alpha} images are highly dynamic in nature, with estimated jet velocities as high as 45 km s^{-1}. These jets are one-directional, with their origin seemingly linked to underlying Ca II K brightenings and G-band magnetic bright points. It is suggested that the siphon flow model of cool coronal loops is suitable for the interpretation of our observations. The jets are associated with small-scale explosive events, and may provide a mass outflow from the photosphere to the corona.

OBSERVATIONS OF SAUSAGE MODES IN MAGNETIC PORES

We present here evidence for the observation of the magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) sausage modes in magnetic pores in the solar photosphere. Further evidence for the omnipresent nature of acoustic global modes is also found. The empirical decomposition method of wave analysis is used to identify the oscillations detected through a 4170 {\AA} 'blue continuum' filter observed with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instrument. Out of phase, periodic behavior in pore size and intensity is used as an indicator of the presence of magneto-acoustic sausage oscillations. Multiple signatures of the magneto-acoustic sausage mode are found in a number of pores. The periods range from as short as 30 s up to 450 s. A number of the magneto-acoustic sausage mode oscillations found have periods of 3 and 5 minutes, similar to the acoustic global modes of the solar interior. It is proposed that these global oscillations could be the driver of the sausage type magneto-acoustic MHD wave modes in pores.

ROSA: A High-cadence, Synchronized Multi-camera Solar Imaging System

Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) is a synchronized, six camera high cadence solar imaging instrument developed by Queen's University Belfast. The system is available on the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, USA as a common-user instrument. Consisting of six 1k x 1k Peltier-cooled frame-transfer CCD cameras with very low noise (0.02-15 e/s/pixel), each ROSA camera is capable of full-chip readout speeds in excess of 30 Hz, or 200 Hz when the CCD is windowed. Combining multiple cameras and fast readout rates, ROSA will accumulate approximately 12 TB of data per 8 hours observing. Following successful commissioning during August 2008, ROSA will allow multi-wavelength studies of the solar atmosphere at high temporal resolution.