• Impulsively Generated Kink Wave Trains in Solar Coronal Slabs

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We numerically follow the response of density-enhanced slabs to impulsive, localized, transverse velocity perturbations by working in the framework of ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Both linear and nonlinear regimes are addressed. Kink wave trains are seen to develop along the examined slabs, sharing the characteristics that more oscillatory patterns emerge with time and that the apparent wavelength increases with distance at a given instant. Two features nonetheless arise due to nonlinearity, one being a density cavity close to the exciter and the other being the appearance of shocks both outside and inside the nominal slab. These features may be relevant for understanding the interaction between magnetic structures and such explosive events as coronal mass ejections. Our numerical findings on kink wave trains in solar coronal slabs are discussed in connection with typical measurements of streamer waves.

  • Decayless oscillations in solar coronal bright points

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Decayless kink oscillations of solar coronal loops (or decayless oscillations for short) have attracted great attention since their discovery. Coronal bright points (CBPs) are mini-active regions and consist of loops with a small size. However, decayless oscillations in CBPs have not been widely reported. In this study, we identified this kind of oscillations in some CBPs using 171 \AA\, images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). After using the motion magnification algorithm to increase oscillation amplitudes, we made time-distance maps to identify the oscillatory signals. We also estimated the loop lengths and velocity amplitudes. We analysed 23 CBPs, and found 31 oscillation events in 16 of them. The oscillation periods range from 1 to 8 minutes (on average about 5 minutes), and the displacement amplitudes have an average value of 0.07 Mm. The average loop length and velocity amplitude are 23 Mm and 1.57 \kms, respectively. Relationships between different oscillation paraments are also examined. Additionally, we performed a simple forward model to illustrate how these sub-pixel oscillation amplitudes (less than 0.4 Mm) could be detected. Results of the model confirm the reliability of our data processing methods. Our study shows for the first time that decayless oscillations are common in small-scale loops of CBPs. These oscillations allow for seismological diagnostics of the Alfv\'{e}n speed and magnetic field strength in the corona.

  • Forward Modeling of Simulated Transverse Oscillations in Coronal Loops and the Influence of Background Emission

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We simulate transverse oscillations in radiatively cooling coronal loops and forward-model their spectroscopic and imaging signatures, paying attention to the influence of background emission. The transverse oscillations are driven at one footpoint by a periodic velocity driver. A standing kink wave is subsequently formed and the loop cross-section is deformed due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, resulting in energy dissipation and heating at small scales. Besides the transverse motions, a long-period longitudinal flow is also generated due to the ponderomotive force induced slow wave. We then transform the simulated straight loop to a semi-torus loop and forward-model their spectrometer and imaging emissions, mimicking observations of Hinode/EIS and SDO/AIA. We find that the oscillation amplitudes of the intensity are different at different slit positions, but are roughly the same in different spectral lines or channels. X-t diagrams of both the Doppler velocity and the Doppler width show periodic signals. We also find that the background emission dramatically decreases the Doppler velocity, making the estimated kinetic energy two orders of magnitude smaller than the real value. Our results show that background subtraction can help recover the real oscillation velocity. These results are helpful for further understanding transverse oscillations in coronal loops and their observational signatures. However, they cast doubt on the spectroscopically estimated energy content of transverse waves using the Doppler velocity.

  • Quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares: a key diagnostic of energy release on the Sun

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Solar flares are among the most powerful and disruptive events in our solar system, however the physical mechanisms driving and transporting this energetic release are not fully understood. An important signature associated with flare energy release is highly variable emission on timescales of sub-seconds to minutes which often exhibit oscillatory behaviour, features collectively known as quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs). To fully identify the driving mechanism of QPPs, exploit their potential as a diagnostic tool, and incorporate them into our understanding of solar and stellar flares, new observational capabilities and initiatives are required. There is a clear community need for flare-focused, rapid cadence, high resolution, multi-wavelength imaging of the Sun, with high enough sensitivity and dynamic range to observe small fluctuations in intensity in the presence of a large overall intensity. Furthermore, multidisciplinary funding and initiatives are required to narrow the gap between numerical models and observations. QPPs are direct signatures of the physics occurring in flare magnetic reconnection and energy release sites and hence are critical to include in a unified flare model. Despite significant modelling and theoretical work, no single mechanism or model can fully explain the presence of QPPs in flares. Moreover, it is also likely that QPPs fall into different categories that are produced by different mechanisms. At present we have insufficient information to observationally distinguish between mechanisms. The motivation to understand QPPs is strengthened by the geo-effectiveness of flares on the Earth's ionosphere, and by the fact that stellar flares exhibit similar QPP signatures. QPPs present a golden opportunity to better understand flare physics and exploit the solar-stellary analogy, benefiting both astrophysics, heliophysics, and the solar-terrestrial connection.