Keywords

Using the data on magnetic field maps and continuum intensity for Solar Cycles 23 and 24, we explored 100 active regions (ARs) that produced M5.0 or stronger flares. We focus on the presence/absence of the emergence of magnetic flux in these ARs 2–3 days before the strong flare onset. We found that 29 ARs in the sample emerged monotonically amidst quiet-Sun. A major emergence of a new magnetic flux within a pre-existing AR yielding the formation of a complex flare-productive configuration was observed in another 24 cases. For 30 ARs, an insignificant (in terms of the total magnetic flux of pre-existing AR) emergence of a new magnetic flux within the pre-existing magnetic configuration was observed; for some of them the emergence resulted in a formation of a configuration with a small δ-sunspot; 11 out of 100 ARs exhibited no signatures of magnetic flux emergence during the entire interval of observation. In six cases the emergence was in progress when the AR appeared on the Eastern limb, so that the classification and timing of emergence were not possible. We conclude that the recent flux emergence is not a necessary and/or sufficient condition for strong flaring of an AR. The flux emergence rate of flare-productive ARs analyzed here was compared with that of flare-quiet ARs analyzed in our previous studies. We revealed that the flare-productive ARs tend to display faster emergence than the flare-quiet ones do.

For the ASO-S/HXI payload, the accuracy of the flare reconstruction is reliant on important factors such as the alignment of the dual grating and the precise measurement of observation orientation. To guarantee optimal functionality of the instrument throughout its life cycle, the Solar Aspect System (SAS) is imperative to ensure that measurements are accurate and reliable. This is achieved by capturing the target motion and utilizing a physical model-based inversion algorithm. However, the SAS optical system's inversion model is a typical ill-posed inverse problem due to its optical parameters, which results in small target sampling errors triggering unacceptable shifts in the solution. To enhance inversion accuracy and make it more robust against observation errors, we suggest dividing the inversion operation into two stages based on the SAS spot motion model. First, the as-rigid-as-possible (ARAP) transformation algorithm calculates the relative rotations and an intermediate variable between the substrates. Second, we solve an inversion linear equation for the relative translation of the substrates, the offset of the optical axes, and the observation orientation. To address the ill-posed challenge, the Tikhonov method grounded on the discrepancy criterion and the maximum a posteriori (MAP) method founded on the Bayesian framework are utilized. The simulation results exhibit that the ARAP method achieves a solution with a rotational error of roughly ±35 (1/2-quantile); both regularization techniques are successful in enhancing the stability of the solution, the variance of error in the MAP method is even smaller—it achieves a translational error of approximately ±18 μm (1/2-quantile) in comparison to the Tikhonov method's error of around ±24 μm (1/2-quantile). Furthermore, the SAS practical application data indicates the method's usability in this study. Lastly, this paper discusses the intrinsic interconnections between the regularization methods.

In this present study, we have analyzed different types of X-ray solar flares (C, M, and X classes) coming out from different classes of sunspot groups (SSGs). The data which we have taken under this study cover the duration of 24 yr from 1996 to 2019. During this, we observed a total of 15015 flares (8417 in SC-23 and 6598 in SC-24) emitted from a total of 33780 active regions (21746 in SC-23 and 12034 in SC-24) with sunspot only. We defined the flaring potential or flare-production potential as the ratio of the total number of flares produced from a particular type of SSG to the total number of the same-class SSGs observed on the solar surface. Here we studied yearly changes in the flaring potential of different McIntosh class groups of sunspots in different phases of SC-23 and 24. In addition, we investigated yearly variations in the potential of producing flares by different SSGs (A, B, C, D, E, F, and H) during different phases (ascending, maximum, descending, and minimum) of SC-23 and 24. These are our findings: (1) D, E, and F SSGs have the potential of producing flares ≥8 times greater than A, B, C and H SSGs; (2) The larger and more complex D, E, and F SSGs produced nearly 80% of flares in SC-23 and 24; (3) The A, B, C and H SSGs, which are smaller and simpler, produced only 20% of flares in SC-23 and 24; (4) The biggest and most complex SSGs of F-class have flaring potential 1.996 and 3.443 per SSG in SC-23 and 24, respectively. (5) The potential for producing flares in each SSG is higher in SC-24 than in SC-23, although SC-24 is a weaker cycle than SC-23. (6) The alterations in the number of flares (C+M+X) show different time profiles than the alterations in sunspot numbers during SC-23 and 24, with several peaks. (7) The SSGs of C, D, E, and H-class have the highest flaring potential in the descending phase of both SC-23 and 24. (8) F-class SSGs have the highest flaring potential in the descending phase of SC-23 but also in the maximum phase of SC-24.

We analyze electron acceleration by a large-scale electric field E in a collisional hydrogen plasma under the solar flare coronal conditions based on approaches proposed by Dreicer and Spitzer for the dynamic friction force of electrons. The Dreicer electric field E_Dr is determined as a critical electric field at which the entire electron population runs away. Two regimes of strong (E ≲ E_Dr) and weak (E ≪ E_Dr) electric field are discussed. It is shown that the commonly used formal definition of the Dreicer field leads to an overestimation of its value by about five times. The critical velocity at which the electrons of the "tail" of the Maxwell distribution become runaway under the action of the sub-Dreiser electric fields turns out to be underestimated by $\sqrt{3}$ times in some works because the Coulomb collisions between runaway and thermal electrons are not taken into account. The electron acceleration by sub-Dreicer electric fields generated in the solar corona faces difficulties.

Very low frequency (VLF) signals are propagated between the ground-ionosphere. Multimode interference will cause the phase to show oscillatory changes with distance while propagating at night, leading to abnormalities in the received VLF signal. This study uses the VLF signal received in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, from the Russian Alpha navigation system to explore the multimode interference problem of VLF signal propagation. The characteristics of the effect of multimode interference phenomena on the phase are analyzed according to the variation of the phase of the VLF signal. However, the phase of VLF signals will also be affected by the X-ray and energetic particles that are released during the eruption of solar flares, therefore the two phenomena are studied in this work. It is concluded that the X-ray will not affect the phase of VLF signals at night, but the energetic particles will affect the phase change, and the influence of energetic particles should be excluded in the study of multimode interference phenomena. Using VLF signals for navigation positioning in degraded or unavailable GPS conditions is of great practical significance for VLF navigation systems as it can avoid the influence of multimode interference and improve positioning accuracy.

In this paper, the well-known graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) model is slightly revised by introducing longitudinal and latitudinal deflections of prominences originating from active regions (ARs). Subsequently, it is applied to the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of an eruptive prominence in AR 13110, which produced an M1.7 class flare and a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2022 September 23. It is revealed that the prominence undergoes acceleration from ∼246 to ∼708 km s⁻¹. Meanwhile, the prominence experiences southward deflection by 15° ± 1° without longitudinal deflection, suggesting that the prominence erupts non-radially. Southward deflections of the prominence and associated CME are consistent, validating the results of fitting using the revised GCS model. Besides, the true speed of the CME is calculated to be 1637 ± 15 km s⁻¹, which is ∼2.3 times higher than that of prominence. This is indicative of continuing acceleration of the prominence during which flare magnetic reconnection reaches maximum beneath the erupting prominence. Hence, the reconstruction using the revised GCS model could successfully track a prominence in its early phase of evolution, including acceleration and deflection.

In our previous work, we investigated the occurrence rate of super-flares on various types of stars and their statistical properties, with a particular focus on G-type dwarfs, using entire Kepler data. The said study also considered how the statistics change with stellar rotation period, which in turn, had to be determined. Using such new data, as a by-product, we found 138 Kepler IDs of F- and G-type main sequence stars with rotation periods less than a day (P_rot < 1 day). On one hand, previous studies have revealed short activity cycles in F-type and G-type stars and the question investigated was whether or not short-term activity cycles are a common phenomenon in these stars. On the other hand, extensive studies exist which establish an empirical connection between a star's activity cycle and rotation periods. In this study, we compile all available Kepler data with P_rot < 1 day, and rely on an established empirical relation between P_cyc and P_rot with the aim to provide predictions for very short 5.09 ≤ P_cyc ≤ 38.46 day cases in a tabular form. We propose an observation to measure P_cyc using a monitoring program of stellar activity (e.g., activity-related chromospheric emission S-index) or a similar means for the Kepler IDs found in this study in order put the derived empirical relations between P_cyc and P_rot derived here to the test. We also propose an alternative method for measuring very short P_cyc, using flare-detection algorithms applied to future space mission data.

In our previous work, we searched for superflares on different types of stars while focusing on G-type dwarfs using entire Kepler data to study statistical properties of the occurrence rate of superflares. Using these new data, as a by-product, we found 14 cases of superflare detection on 13 slowly rotating Sun-like stars with rotation periods of 24.5–44 days. This result supports the earlier conclusion by others that the Sun may possibly undergo a surprise superflare. Moreover, we found 12 and seven new cases of detection of exceptionally large amplitude superflares on six and four main sequence stars of G- and M-type, respectively. No large-amplitude flares were detected in A, F or K main sequence stars. Here we present preliminary analysis of these cases. The superflare detection, i.e., an estimation of flare energy, is based on a more accurate method compared to previous studies. We fit an exponential decay function to flare light curves and study the relation between e-folding decay time, τ, versus flare amplitude and flare energy. We find that for slowly rotating Sun-like stars, large values of τ correspond to small flare energies and small values of τ correspond to high flare energies considered. Similarly, τ is large for small flare amplitudes and τ is small for large amplitudes considered. However, there is no clear relation between these parameters for large amplitude superflares in the main sequence G- and M-type stars, as we could not establish clear functional dependence between the parameters via standard fitting algorithms.

Magnetic helicity is an important concept in solar physics, with a number of theoretical statements pointing out the important role of magnetic helicity in solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Here we construct a sample of 47 solar flares, which contains 18 no-CME-associated confined flares and 29 CME-associated eruptive flares. We calculate the change ratios of magnetic helicity and magnetic free energy before and after these 47 flares. Our calculations show that the change ratios of magnetic helicity and magnetic free energy show distinct different distributions in confined flares and eruptive flares. The median value of the change ratios of magnetic helicity in confined flares is −0.8%, while this number is −14.5% for eruptive flares. For the magnetic free energy, the median value of the change ratios is −4.3% for confined flares, whereas this number is −14.6% for eruptive flares. This statistical result, using observational data, is well consistent with the theoretical understandings that magnetic helicity is approximately conserved in the magnetic reconnection, as shown by confined flares, and the CMEs take away magnetic helicity from the corona, as shown by eruptive flares.

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are thought to be the most powerful events on the Sun. They can release energy as high as ∼10³² erg in tens of minutes, and also can release solar energetic particles (SEPs) into interplanetary space. We explore global energy budgets of solar major eruptions that occurred on 2017 September 6, including the energy partition of a powerful solar flare, and the energy budget of the accompanying CME and SEPs. In the wavelength range shortward of ∼222 nm, a major contribution of the flare radiated energy is in the soft X-ray (SXR) 0.1–7 nm domain. The flare energy radiated at wavelengths of Lyα and mid-ultraviolet is larger than that radiated in the extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, but it is much less than that radiated in the SXR waveband. The total flare radiated energy could be comparable to the thermal and nonthermal energies. The energies carried by the major flare and its accompanying CME are roughly equal, and they are both powered by the magnetic free energy in the NOAA AR 12673. Moreover, the CME is efficient in accelerating SEPs, and the prompt component (whether it comes from the solar flare or the CME) contributes only a negligible fraction.