DYNAMICS of ELECTRIC CURRENTS, MAGNETIC FIELD TOPOLOGY, and HELIOSEISMIC RESPONSE of A SOLAR FLARE

I. N. Sharykin, A. G. Kosovichev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The solar flare on 2011 July 30 was of a modest X-ray class (M9.3), but it made a strong photospheric impact and produced a "sunquake," which was observed with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. In addition to the helioseismic waves, the flare caused a large expanding area of white-light emission and was accompanied by the rapid formation of a sunspot structure in the flare region. The flare produced hard X-ray (HXR) emission less then 300 keV and no coronal mass ejection (CME). The absence of CME rules out magnetic rope eruption as a mechanism of helioseismic waves. The sunquake impact does not coincide with the strongest HXR source, which contradicts the standard beam-driven mechanism of sunquake generation. We discuss the connectivity of the flare energy release with the electric currents dynamics and show the potential importance of high-speed plasma flows in the lower solar atmosphere during the flare energy release.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number72
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume808
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 20 2015

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • Sun: X-rays, gamma rays
  • Sun: flares
  • Sun: helioseismology
  • sunspots

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