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Register a new userUnderstanding the HMI pseudocontinuum in white-light solar flares
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M. Svanda
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We analyse observations of the X9.3 solar flare (SOL2017-09-06T11:53) observed by SDO/HMI and Hinode/SOT. Our aim is to learn about the nature of the HMI pseudocontinuum Ic used as a proxy for the white-light continuum. From model atmospheres retrieved by an inversion code applied to the Stokes profiles observed by the Hinode satellite we synthesise profiles of the FeI 617.3 nm line and compare them to HMI observations. Based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison we show that the value of Ic represents the continuum level well in quiet-Sun regions only. In magnetised regions it suffers from a simplistic algorithm that is applied to a complex line shape. During this flare both instruments also registered emission profiles in the flare ribbons. Such emission profiles are poorly represented by the six spectral points of HMI, the used algorithm does not account for emission profiles in general, and thus the derived pseudocontinuum intensity does not approximate the continuum value properly.
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Solar flares with a broadband emission in the white-light range of the electromagnetic spectrum belong to most enigmatic phenomena on the Sun. The origin of the white-light emission is not entirely understood. We aim to systematically study the visible-light emission connected to solar flares in SDO/HMI observations. We developed a code for automatic detection of kernels of flares with HMI intensity brightenings and study properties of detected candidates. The code was tuned and tested and with a little effort, it could be applied to any suitable data set. By studying a few flare examples, we found indication that HMI intensity brightening might be an artefact of the simplified procedure used to compute HMI observables.
Recently, many superflares on solar-type stars were discovered as white-light flares (WLFs). A correlation between the energies (E) and durations (t) of superflares is derived as $tpropto E^{0.39}$, and this can be theoretically explained by magnetic reconnection ($tpropto E^{1/3}$). In this study, we carried out a statistical research on 50 solar WLFs with SDO/HMI to examine the t-E relation. As a result, the t-E relation on solar WLFs ($tpropto E^{0.38}$) is quite similar stellar superflares, but the durations of stellar superflares are much shorter than those extrapolated from solar WLFs. We present the following two interpretations; (1) in solar flares, the cooling timescale of WL emission may be longer than the reconnection one, and the decay time can be determined by the cooling timescale; (2) the distribution can be understood by applying a scaling law $tpropto E^{1/3}B^{-5/3}$ derived from the magnetic reconnection theory.
Recently, many superflares on solar-type stars have been discovered as white-light flares (WLFs). The statistical study found a correlation between their energies ($E$) and durations ($tau$): $tau propto E^{0.39}$ (Maehara et al. 2017 $EP& S$, 67, 59), similar to those of solar hard/soft X-ray flares: $tau propto E^{0.2-0.33}$. This indicates a universal mechanism of energy release on solar and stellar flares, i.e., magnetic reconnection. We here carried out a statistical research on 50 solar WLFs observed with textit{SDO}/HMI and examined the correlation between the energies and durations. As a result, the $E$--$tau$ relation on solar WLFs ($tau propto E^{0.38}$) is quite similar to that on stellar superflares ($tau propto E^{0.39}$). However, the durations of stellar superflares are one order of magnitude shorter than those expected from solar WLFs. We present the following two interpretations for the discrepancy. (1) In solar flares, the cooling timescale of WLFs may be longer than the reconnection one, and the decay time of solar WLFs can be elongated by the cooling effect. (2) The distribution can be understood by applying a scaling law ($tau propto E^{1/3}B^{-5/3}$) derived from the magnetic reconnection theory. In this case, the observed superflares are expected to have 2-4 times stronger magnetic field strength than solar flares.
Using observations by the Solar Dynamics Observatory from June 2010 to December 2017, we have performed the first statistical investigation of circular-ribbon flares (CFs) and examined the white-light emission in these CFs. We find 90 CFs occurring in 36 active regions (ARs), including 8 X-class, 34 M-class, 48 C- and B-class flares. The occurrence rate of white-light flares (WLFs) is 100% (8/8) for X-class CFs, $sim$62% (21/34) for M-class CFs, and $sim$8% (4/48) for C- and B-class CFs. Sometimes we observe several CFs in a single AR, and nearly all of them are WLFs. Compared to normal CFs, CFs with white-light enhancement tend to have a shorter duration, smaller size, stronger electric current and more complicated magnetic field. We find that for X-class WLFs, the white-light enhancement is positively correlated with the flare class, implying that the white-light enhancement is largely determined by the amount of released energy. However, there is no such correlation for M- and C-class WLFs, suggesting that other factors such as the time scale, spatial scale and magnetic field complexity may play important roles in the generation of white-light emission if the released energy is not high enough.
We present the largest sample of flares ever compiled for a single M dwarf, the active M4 star GJ 1243. Over 6100 individual flare events, with energies ranging from $10^{29}$ to $10^{33}$ erg, are found in 11 months of 1-minute cadence data from Kepler. This sample is unique for its completeness and dynamic range. We have developed automated tools for finding flares in short-cadence Kepler light curves, and performed extensive validation and classification of the sample by eye. From this pristine sample of flares we generate a median flare template. This template shows that two exponential cooling phases are present during the white-light flare decay, providing fundamental constraints for models of flare physics. The template is also used as a basis function to decompose complex multi-peaked flares, allowing us to study the energy distribution of these events. Only a small number of flare events are not well fit by our template. We find that complex, multi-peaked flares occur in over 80% of flares with a duration of 50 minutes or greater. The underlying distribution of flare durations for events 10 minutes and longer appears to follow a broken power law. Our results support the idea that sympathetic flaring may be responsible for some complex flare events.
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