Search

Many energy levels of singly ionised iron (Fe II, $Z=26$) remain uncertain or experimentally unknown. Their identification and spectral line data are required in reliable astrophysical spectral analyses. In motivation for improving the atomic data of Fe II, we analysed emission spectra of a Fe-Ne plasma produced by a Penning discharge lamp recorded by high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy in the region 9000-27,000 cm$^{-1}$ (11,111-3704 {\AA}). Semi-empirical transition probability calculations and stellar spectra of Fe II were used to guide the analysis. In total, 24 energy levels of the 3d$^6$4f and 3d$^6$5d configurations of Fe II lying between 122,351-127,881 cm$^{-1}$ were confirmed in the laboratory for the first time, in agreement with their identities proposed by previous investigations involving only stellar spectra. Level energy and wavelength uncertainties of the 24 levels are improved by up to an order-of-magnitude compared to previously published values. These results will enable more reliable application of Fe II in astrophysical spectroscopic analyses and support further investigations of the spectrum and energy levels of Fe II.

Fourier transform spectra of Nd Penning and hollow cathode discharge lamps were recorded within the region 32,500-54,000 cm$^{-1}$ (3077-1852 {\AA}) and grating spectra of Nd vacuum sliding sparks were recorded within the regions 820-1159 {\AA} and 1600-3250 {\AA}. New energy levels were found using the observed wavelengths measured accurate to a few parts in $10^8$ in Fourier transform spectra and to a few parts in $10^7$ in grating spectra. Atomic structure and transition probability calculations of Nd III were made using the Cowan codes by adjusting energy parameters to fit all known Nd III levels. Nd-rich stellar spectra were also used to evaluate the new calculations. In total, 355 transitions were classified from observed spectra involving 116 previously experimentally unknown energy levels of the 4f$^3$7s, 4f$^3$6d, and 4f$^3$5f configurations of Nd III, all reported here for the first time. One newly identified level of the 4f$^3$5d configuration is also reported. Typical level energy uncertainties are 0.01 cm$^{-1}$ for the 4f$^3$7s and 4f$^3$6d levels and 0.3 cm$^{-1}$ for the 4f$^3$5f levels. In addition, calculated energy levels up to 130,936 cm$^{-1}$ are presented, including eigenvector composition and calculated level lifetimes. Calculated transition probabilities and wavelengths between 1900-50,000 {\AA} are also presented. Using newly established levels of the 4f$^3$7s configuration and the recently established levels of the 4f$^3$6s configuration, the ionisation energy of Nd III was estimated at $178,090\pm330$ cm$^{-1}$, doubling the accuracy of the previously published value.

Super active region NOAA 13664 produced 12 X-class flares (including the largest one, an occulted X8.7 flare, in solar cycle 25 so far) during 2024 May 8-15 and 11 of them are identified as white-light flares. Here we present various features of these X-class white-light flares observed by the White-light Solar Telescope (WST) on board the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. It is found that both the white-light emissions at WST 3600 {\AA} (Balmer continuum) and HMI 6173 {\AA} (Paschen continuum) show up in different regions of the sunspot group in these flares, including outside the sunspots and within the penumbra and umbra of the sunspots. They exhibit a point-, ribbon-, loop-, or ejecta-like shape, which can come from flare ribbons (or footpoints), flare loops, and plasma ejecta depending on the perspective view. The white-light duration and relative enhancement are measured and both parameters for 3600 {\AA} emission have greater values than those for 6173 {\AA} emission. It is also found that these white-light emissions are cospatial well with the hard X-ray (HXR) sources in the on-disk flares but have some offsets with the HXR emissions in the off-limb flares. In addition, it is interesting that the 3600 and 6173 {\AA} emissions show different correlations with the peak HXR fluxes, with the former one more sensitive to the HXR emission. All these greatly help us understand the white-light flares of a large magnitude from a super active region on the Sun and also provide important insights into superflares on Sun-like stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL. Any comments are welcome

What physical mechanisms heat the outer solar or stellar atmosphere to million-Kelvin temperatures is a fundamental but long-standing open question. In particular, the solar corona in active region cores contains an even hotter component reaching ten million Kelvin, manifesting as persistent coronal loops in extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray images, which imposes a more stringent energy budget. Here, we present a self-consistent coronal heating model using a state-of-the-art three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamics simulation. We find that the continuous magnetic flux emergence in active regions keeps driving magnetic reconnections that release energy impulsively but, on time average, persistently. As a result, numerous sub-structures are heated to ten million Kelvin and then evolve independently, which collectively form long-lived and stable coronal loops as in observations. This provides a heating model explaining the origin of the super-hot coronal plasma and the persistence of hot coronal loops in emerging active regions., Comment: 34 pages, 14 figures

Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic characteristics of solar flares can be used as a benchmark for the detection and analyses of stellar flares. Here, we study the Sun-as-a-star properties of an X1.0 solar flare using high-resolution spectroscopic data obtained by the Chinese $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ Solar Explorer (CHASE). A noise reduction algorithm based on discrete Fourier transformation is first employed to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the space-integral $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ spectrum with a focus on its typical characteristics. For the flare of interest, we find that the average $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ profile displays a strong emission at the line center and an obvious line broadening. It also presents a clear red asymmetry, corresponding to a redshift velocity of around $50 \ \mathrm{km \ s^{-1}}$ that slightly decreases with time, consistent with previous results. Furthermore, we study how the size of the space-integral region affects the characteristics of the flare Sun-as-a-star $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ profile. It is found that although the redshift velocity calculated from the $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ profile remains unchanged, the detectability of the characteristics weakens as the space-integral region becomes large. An upper limit for the size of the target region where the red asymmetry is detectable is estimated. It is also found that the intensity in $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ profiles, measured by the equivalent widths of the spectra, are significantly underestimated if the $\mathrm{H} \alpha$ spectra are further averaged in the time domain.

Recent coronal loop modeling has emphasized the importance of combining both Coulomb collisions and turbulent scattering to characterize field-aligned thermal conduction, which invokes a hybrid loop model. In this work we generalize the hybrid model by incorporating nonuniform heating and cross section that are both formulated by a power-law function of temperature. Based on the hybrid model solutions, we construct scaling laws that relate loop-top temperature ($T_a$) and heating rate ($H_a$) to other loop parameters. It is found that the loop-top properties for turbulent loops are additionally power-law functions of turbulent mean free path ($\lambda_T$), with the functional forms varying from situation to situation that depends on the specification of the heating and/or areal parameters. More importantly, both a sufficiently footpoint-concentrated heating and a cross-sectional expansion with height can effectively weaken (strengthen) the negative (positive) power-law dependence of $T_a$ ($H_a$) on $\lambda_T$. The reason lies in a notable reduction of heat flux by footpoint heating and/or cross-sectional expansion in the turbulence-dominated coronal part, where turbulent scattering introduces a much weaker dependence of the conduction coefficient on temperature. In this region, therefore, the reduction of the heat flux predominately relies on a backward flattening of the temperature gradient. Through numerical modeling that incorporates more realistic conditions, this scenario is further consolidated. Our results have important implication for solar active region (AR) loops. With the factors of nonuniform heating and cross section taken into account, AR loops can bear relatively stronger turbulence while still keeping a physically reasonable temperature for nonflaring loops., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures and 2 tables, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Studies on the dynamics of solar filaments have significant implications for understanding their formation, evolution, and eruption, which are of great importance for space weather warning and forecasting. The H$\alpha$ Imaging Spectrograph (HIS) onboard the recently launched Chinese H$\alpha$ Solar Explorer (CHASE) can provide full-disk solar H$\alpha$ spectroscopic observations, which bring us an opportunity to systematically explore and analyze the plasma dynamics of filaments. The dramatically increased observation data require automate processing and analysis which are impossible if dealt with manually. In this paper, we utilize the U-Net model to identify filaments and implement the Channel and Spatial Reliability Tracking (CSRT) algorithm for automated filament tracking. In addition, we use the cloud model to invert the line-of-sight velocity of filaments and employ the graph theory algorithm to extract the filament spine, which can advance our understanding of the dynamics of filaments. The favorable test performance confirms the validity of our method, which will be implemented in the following statistical analyses of filament features and dynamics of CHASE/HIS observations., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

The white-light continuum emissions in solar flares (i.e., white-light flares) are usually observed on the solar disk but, in a few cases, off the limb. Here we present on-disk as well as off-limb continuum emissions at 3600 {\AA} (in the Balmer continuum) in an X2.1 flare (SOL2023-03-03T17:52) and an X1.5 flare (SOL2023-08-07T20:46), respectively, observed by the White-light Solar Telescope (WST) on the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S). These continuum emissions are seen at the ribbons for the X2.1 flare and on loops during the X1.5 event, in which the latter also appears in the decay phase. These emissions also show up in the pseudo-continuum images at Fe I {\lambda}6173 from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). In addition, the ribbon sources in the X2.1 flare exhibit significant enhancements in the Fe I line at 6569.2 {\AA} and the nearby continuum observed by the Chinese H{\alpha} Solar Explorer (CHASE). It is found that the on-disk continuum emissions in the X2.1 flare are related to a nonthermal electron-beam heating either directly or indirectly, while the off-limb emissions in the X1.5 flare are associated with thermal plasma cooling or due to Thomson scattering. These comprehensive continuum observations can provide good constraints on flare energy deposition models, which helps well understand the physical mechanism of white-light flares., Comment: 13 pages, 1 table, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

We present imaging and spectroscopic diagnostics of a long filament during its formation with the observations from the Chinese H$\alpha$ Solar Explorer and Solar Dynamics Observatory. The seed filament first appeared at about 05:00 UT on 2022 September 13. Afterwards, it grew gradually and connected to another filament segment nearby, building up a long filament at about 20:00 UT on the same day. The CHASE H$\alpha$ spectra show an obvious centroid absorption with mild broadening at the main spine of the long filament, which is interpreted as the evidence of filament material accumulation. More interestingly, near the footpoints of the filament, persistent redshifts have been detected in the H$\alpha$ spectra during the filament formation, indicating continuous drainage of filament materials. Furthermore, through inspecting the extreme ultraviolet images and magnetograms, it is found that EUV jets and brightenings appeared repeatedly at the junction of the two filament segments, where opposite magnetic polarities converged and canceled to each other continuously. These results suggest the occurrence of intermittent magnetic reconnection that not only connects magnetic structures of the two filament segments but also supplies cold materials for the filament channel likely by the condensation of injected hot plasma, even though a part of cold materials fall down to the filament footpoints at the same time., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJL

Solar eruptive activities could occur in weak magnetic field environments and over large spatial scales, especially relevant to eruptions involving intermediate or quiescent solar filaments. To handle the large scales, we implement and apply a flux rope embedding method using regularized Biot-Savart laws in the spherical coordinate system. Combined with a potential field source surface model and a magneto-frictional method, a nonlinear force-free field comprising a flux rope embedded in a potential field is constructed. Using the combined nonlinear force-free field as the initial condition, we then perform a zero-$\beta$ data-constrained magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation for an M8.7 flare at 03:38 UT on 2012 January 23. The MHD model reproduces the eruption process, flare ribbon evolution (represented by the quasi-separatrix layer evolution) and kinematics of the flux rope. This approach could potentially model global-scale eruptions from weak field regions., Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publicaiton in ApJ

Using a reaction model that incorporates pion bound state effects and continuum results for proton parton distributions and the pion distribution amplitude, $\varphi_\pi$, we deliver parameter-free predictions for the $\mu^+$ angular distributions in $\pi N \to \mu^+ \mu^- X$ reactions on both unpolarised and polarised targets. The analysis indicates that such angular distributions are sensitive to the pointwise form of $\varphi_\pi$ and suggests that unpolarised targets are practically more favourable. The precision of extant data is insufficient for use in charting $\varphi_\pi$; hence, practical tests of this approach to charting $\varphi_\pi$ must await data with improved precision from new-generation experiments. The reaction model yields a nonzero single-spin azimuthal asymmetry, without reference to $T$-odd parton distribution functions (DFs). This may necessitate additional care when attempting to extract such $T$-odd DFs from data., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are explosive plasma phenomena prevalently occurring on the Sun and probably on other magnetically active stars. However, how their pre-eruptive configuration evolves toward the main explosion remains elusive. Here, based on comprehensive observations of a long-duration precursor in an event on 2012 March 13, we determine that the heating and slow rise of the pre-eruptive hot magnetic flux rope (MFR) are achieved through a precursor reconnection located above cusp-shaped high-temperature precursor loops. It is observed that the hot MFR threads are built up continually with their middle initially showing an "M" shape and then being separated from the cusp of precursor loops, causing the slow rise of the entire MFR. The slow rise in combination with thermal-dominated hard X-ray source concentrated at the top of the precursor loops shows that the precursor reconnection is much weaker than the flare reconnection of the main eruption. We also perform a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulation that reproduces the early evolution of the MFR transiting from the slow to fast rise. It is also disclosed that it is the magnetic tension force pertinent to "M"-shaped threads that drives the slow rise, which, however, evolves into a magnetic pressure gradient dominated regime responsible for the rapid-acceleration eruption., Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures (7 in main and 5 in appendix), accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

The heating mechanisms of solar white-light flares remain unclear. We present an X1.0 white-light flare on 2022 October 2 (SOL2022-10-02T20:25) observed by the Chinese \ha\ Solar Explorer (CHASE) that provides two-dimensional spectra in the visible light for the full solar disk with a seeing-free condition. The flare shows a prominent enhancement of $\sim$40\% in the photospheric \fe\ line at 6569.2 \AA, and the nearby continuum also exhibits a maximum enhancement of $\sim$40\%. For the continuum near the \fe\ line at 6173 \AA\ from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), it is enhanced up to $\sim$20\%. At the white-light kernels, the \fe\ line at 6569.2 \AA\ has a symmetric Gaussian profile that is still in absorption and the H$\alpha$ line at 6562.8 \AA\ displays a very broad emission profile with a central reversal plus a red or blue asymmetry. The white-light kernels are co-spatial with the microwave footpoint sources observed by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) and the time profile of the white-light emission matches that of the hard X-ray emission above 30 keV from the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi. These facts indicate that the white-light emission is qualitatively related to a nonthermal electron beam. We also perform a radiative hydrodynamic simulation with the electron beam parameters constrained by the hard X-ray observations from Fermi/GBM. The result reveals that the white-light enhancement cannot be well explained by a pure electron-beam heating together with its induced radiative backwarming but may need additional heating sources such as \alfven\ waves., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, and 1 table

Remote brightenings often appear at outskirts of source active regions of solar eruptive events, nevertheless, their origin remains to be ascertained. In this study, we report imaging and spectroscopic observations of sequential remote brightenings with a combination of H$\alpha$ Imaging Spectrograph (HIS) onboard the Chinese H$\alpha$ Solar Explorer (CHASE), which is the first space-based solar telescope of China, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory. It is found that, during two successive M-class flares occurring on 2022 August 17, multiple ribbon-like brightenings appeared in sequence away from the flaring active region. Meanwhile, abundant cool filament materials moved downward to the sequential remote brightenings as visible at the H$\alpha$ red wing with a line-of-sight speed up to 70 km s$^{-1}$. The extrapolated three-dimensional magnetic field configuration shows that the sequential remote brightenings correspond to the footpoints of closed ambient field lines whose conjugate footpoints are rooted in the main flare site. We suggest that the sequential remote brightenings are most likely caused by the heating of interchange reconnection between the erupting flux rope and closed ambient field, during which the rope-hosting filament materials are transferred to the periphery of flaring active region along the closed ambient field rather than to the interplanetary space like in the scenario of the slow solar wind formation.

Context. The Si IV lines at 1394 \r{A} and 1403 \r{A} form in the solar atmosphere at a temperature of $\sim10^{4.8}$ K. They are usually considered optically thin, but their opacity can be enhanced during solar flares. Traditionally, the intensity ratio of these lines are used as an indicator of the optical thickness. However, observations have shown a wavelength-dependent intensity ratio profile $r(\Delta\lambda)$ of the the 1394 \r{A} to 1403 \r{A} lines. Aims. We aim to study the variation of the intensity ratio profile in solar flares and the physical reasons behind it. Method. The Si IV lines and their intensity ratio profiles are calculated from the one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics flare model with non-thermal electron heating. Result. During flares, $r(\Delta\lambda)$ is smaller than 2 at the line core but larger than 2 at the line wings. We attribute the deviation of the ratio from 2 to two effects: the resonance scattering effect and the opacity effect. Resonance scattering increases the population ratio of the upper levels of the two lines, and as a result, increases $r(\Delta\lambda)$, in all wavelengths. The opacity effect decreases $r(\Delta\lambda)$, especially at the line core where the opacity is larger. These two effects compete with each other and cause the U-shape of $r(\Delta\lambda)$., Comment: 11 pages, 24 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

This document presents the initial scientific case for upgrading the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) to 22 GeV. It is the result of a community effort, incorporating insights from a series of workshops conducted between March 2022 and April 2023. With a track record of over 25 years in delivering the world's most intense and precise multi-GeV electron beams, CEBAF's potential for a higher energy upgrade presents a unique opportunity for an innovative nuclear physics program, which seamlessly integrates a rich historical background with a promising future. The proposed physics program encompass a diverse range of investigations centered around the nonperturbative dynamics inherent in hadron structure and the exploration of strongly interacting systems. It builds upon the exceptional capabilities of CEBAF in high-luminosity operations, the availability of existing or planned Hall equipment, and recent advancements in accelerator technology. The proposed program cover various scientific topics, including Hadron Spectroscopy, Partonic Structure and Spin, Hadronization and Transverse Momentum, Spatial Structure, Mechanical Properties, Form Factors and Emergent Hadron Mass, Hadron-Quark Transition, and Nuclear Dynamics at Extreme Conditions, as well as QCD Confinement and Fundamental Symmetries. Each topic highlights the key measurements achievable at a 22 GeV CEBAF accelerator. Furthermore, this document outlines the significant physics outcomes and unique aspects of these programs that distinguish them from other existing or planned facilities. In summary, this document provides an exciting rationale for the energy upgrade of CEBAF to 22 GeV, outlining the transformative scientific potential that lies within reach, and the remarkable opportunities it offers for advancing our understanding of hadron physics and related fundamental phenomena., Comment: Updates to the list of authors; Preprint number changed from theory to experiment; Updates to sections 4 and 6, including additional figures

Magnetic reconnection is a key mechanism involved in solar eruptions and is also a prime possibility to heat the low corona to millions of degrees. Here, we present ultra-high-resolution extreme ultraviolet observations of persistent null-point reconnection in the corona at a scale of about 390 km over one hour observations of the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The observations show formation of a null-point configuration above a minor positive polarity embedded within a region of dominant negative polarity near a sunspot. The gentle phase of the persistent null-point reconnection is evidenced by sustained point-like high-temperature plasma (about 10 MK) near the null-point and constant outflow blobs not only along the outer spine but also along the fan surface. The blobs appear at a higher frequency than previously observed with an average velocity of about 80 km/s and life-times of about 40 s. The null-point reconnection also occurs explosively but only for 4 minutes, its coupling with a mini-filament eruption generates a spiral jet. These results suggest that magnetic reconnection, at previously unresolved scales, proceeds continually in a gentle and/or explosive way to persistently transfer mass and energy to the overlying corona., Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures

Mini-filament eruptions are one of the most common small-scale transients in the solar atmosphere. However, their eruption mechanisms are still not understood thoroughly. Here, with a combination of 174 A images of high spatio-temporal resolution taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter and images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board Solar Dynamics Observatory, we investigate in detail an erupting mini-filament over a weak magnetic field region on 2022 March 4. Two bright ribbons clearly appeared underneath the erupting mini-filament as it quickly ascended, and subsequently, some dark materials blew out when the erupting mini-filament interacted with the outer ambient loops, thus forming a blowout jet characterized by a widening spire. At the same time, multiple small bright blobs of 1-2 Mm appeared at the interaction region and propagated along the post-eruption loops toward the footpoints of the erupting fluxes at a speed of ~ 100 km/s. They also caused a semi-circular brightening structure. Based on these features, we suggest that the mini-filament eruption first experiences internal and then external reconnection, the latter of which mainly transfers mass and magnetic flux of the erupting mini-filament to the ambient corona., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Sunquakes are enhanced seismic waves excited in some energetic solar flares. Up to now, their origin has still been controversial. In this Letter, we select and study 20 strong flares in Solar Cycle 24, whose impulse phase is fully captured by the \emph{Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager} (\emph{RHESSI}). For 11 out of 12 sunquake-active flares in our sample, the hard X-ray (HXR) emission shows a good temporal and spatial correlation with the white-light (WL) enhancement and the sunquake. Spectral analysis also reveals a harder photon spectrum that extends to several hundred keV, implying a considerable population of flare-accelerated nonthermal electrons at high energies. Quantitatively, the total energy of electrons above 300 keV in sunquake-active flares is systematically different from that in sunquake-quiet flares, while the difference is marginal for electrons above 50 keV. All these facts support highly energetic electrons as a preferred driver of the sunquakes. Such an electron-driven scenario can be reasonably accommodated in the framework of a recently proposed selection rule for sunquake generation. For the remaining one event, the sunquake epicenter is cospatial with a magnetic imprint, i.e., a permanent change of magnetic field on the photosphere. Quantitative calculation shows that the flare-induced downward Lorentz force can do enough work to power the sunquake, acting as a viable sunquake driver for this specific event., Comment: 11 pages, including 1 table and 4 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJL

Motivated by experimental initiatives such as the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF), we study Compton scattering of x-rays at electrons in a strong external field (e.g., a strong optical laser) with special emphasis on the polarization-changing (i.e., birefringent) contribution on the amplitude level. Apart from being a potential background process for the planned vacuum birefringence experiments, this effect could be used for diagnostic purposes. Since the birefringent signal from free electrons (i.e., without the external field) vanishes in forward direction, the ratio of the birefringent and the normal (polarization conserving) contribution yields information about the field strength at the interaction point., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

This paper investigates the shape reconstructions of sub-wavelength objects from near-field measurements in transverse electromagnetic scattering. This geometric inverse problem is notoriously ill-posed and challenging. We develop a novel reconstruction scheme using plasmon resonances with significantly enhanced sensitivity and resolution. First, by spectral analysis, we establish a sharp quantitative relationship between the sensitivity of the reconstruction and the plasmon resonance. It shows that the sensitivity functional blows up when plasmon resonance occurs. Hence, the signal-to-noise ratio is significantly improved and the robustness and effectiveness of the reconstruction are ensured. Second, a variational regularization method is proposed to overcome the ill-posedness, and an alternating iteration method is introduced to automatically select the regularization parameters. Third, we use the Laplace approximation method to capture the statistical information of the target scattering object. Both rigorous theoretical analysis and extensive numerical experiments are conducted to validate the promising features of our method.

Context. Radiative losses are an indispensable part in the numerical simulation of flares. Detailed calculations could be computationally expensive, especially in the chromosphere. There have been some approximate recipes for chromospheric radiative losses in flares, yet their feasibility in flare simulations needs further evaluation. Aims. We aim to evaluate the performance of different recipes for chromospheric radiative losses in flare simulations. Methods. We compare the atmospheric structure and line profiles in beam-heated flares calculated with detailed radiative losses and the approximate recipes. Results. Both GF90 and HCD22 recipes provide acceptable total radiative losses compared with detailed one, but there are discrepancies in the different atmospheric layers during the different evolutionary phases, which leads to misestimations of temperature and line intensity. The recipe of GF90 overestimates the coolings in the upper chromosphere greatly when temperature exceeds 10^5 K, which also affects the flare evolution and line asymmetries. Radiative heating in the middle chromosphere only functions in the initial stage and could be safely neglected. However, radiative heating from Lyman continuum could dominate near the transition region., Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. A&A accepted

Aims. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are the most fascinating explosion in the solar system; however, their formation is still not fully understood. Methods. Here, we investigate a well-observed CME on 2021 May 07 that showed a typical three-component structure and was continuously observed from 0 to 3 Rsun by a combination of SDO/AIA (0--1.3 Rsun), PROBA2/SWAP (0--1.7 Rsun) and MLSO/K-Cor (1.05--3 Rsun). Furthermore, we compare the morphological discrepancy between the CME white-light bright core and EUV blob. In the end, we explore the origin of various radio bursts closely related to the interaction of the CME overexpansion with nearby streamer. Results. An interesting finding is that the height increases of both the CME leading front and bright core are dominated by the overexpansion during the CME formation. The aspect ratios of the CME bubble and bright core, quantifying the overexpansion, are found to decrease as the SO/STIX 4--10 keV and GOES 1--8 A soft X-ray flux of the associated flare increases near the peaks, indicating an important role of the flare reconnection in the first overexpansion. The CME bubble even takes place a second overexpansion although relatively weak, which is closely related to the compression with a nearby streamer and likely arises from an ideal MHD process. Moreover, the CME EUV blob is found to be relatively lower and wider than the CME white-light bright core, may correspond to the bottom part of the growing CME flux rope. The interaction between the CME and the streamer leads to two type II radio bursts, one normally drifting and one stationary, which are speculated to be induced at two different sources of the CME-driven shock front. The bidirectional electrons evidenced by series of "C-shaped" type III bursts suggest that the interchange reconnection be also involved during the interaction of the CME and streamer.

The hydrogen Lyman-$\alpha$ (H {\sc i} Ly$\alpha$) emission during solar flares has rarely been studied in spatially resolved images and its physical origin has not been fully understood. In this paper, we present novel Ly$\alpha$ images for a C1.4 solar flare (SOL2021-08-20T22:00) from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager aboard Solar Orbiter, together with multi-waveband and multi-perspective observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead and the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. It is found that the Ly$\alpha$ emission has a good temporal correlation with the thermal emissions at 1--8 \AA\ and 5--7 keV, indicating that the flaring Ly$\alpha$ is mainly produced by a thermal process in this small event. However, nonthermal electrons play a minor role in generating Ly$\alpha$ at flare ribbons during the rise phase of the flare, as revealed by the hard X-ray imaging and spectral fitting. Besides originating from flare ribbons, the Ly$\alpha$ emission can come from flare loops, likely caused by plasma heating and also cooling that happen in different flare phases. It is also found that the Ly$\alpha$ emission shows fairly similar features with the He {\sc ii} 304 \AA\ emission in light curve and spatio-temporal variation along with small differences. These observational results improve our understanding of the Ly$\alpha$ emission in solar flares and also provide some insights for investigating the Ly$\alpha$ emission in stellar flares., Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, and 2 tables. ApJ accepted. Comments are welcome

We investigate various dynamic processes including magnetic reconnection, chromospheric evaporation, and coronal rain draining in two limb solar flares through imaging and spectroscopic observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. In the early phase of the flares, a bright and dense loop-top structure with a cusp-like shape can be seen in multi-wavelength images, which is co-spatial with the hard X-ray 25--50 keV emission. In particular, intermittent magnetic reconnection downflows are detected in the time-space maps of AIA 304 {\AA}. The reconnection downflows are manifested as redshifts on one half of the loops and blueshifts on the other half in the IRIS Si {\sc iv} 1393.76 {\AA} line due to a projection effect. The Si {\sc iv} profiles exhibit complex features (say, multi-peak) with a relatively larger width at the loop-top region. During the impulsive phase, chromospheric evaporation is observed in both AIA images and the IRIS Fe {\sc xxi} 1354.08 {\AA} line. Upward motions can be seen from AIA 131 {\AA} images. The Fe {\sc xxi} line is significantly enhanced and shows a good Gaussian shape. In the gradual phase, warm rains are observed as downward moving plasmas in AIA 304 {\AA} images. Both the Si {\sc iv} and Fe {\sc xxi} lines show a relatively symmetric shape with a larger width around the loop top. These results provide observational evidence for various dynamic processes involved in and are crucial to understand the energy release process of solar flares., Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

We report the phase-connected timing ephemeris, polarization pulse profiles, Faraday rotation measurements, and Rotating-Vector-Model (RVM) fitting results of twelve millisecond pulsars (MSPs) discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in the Commensal radio Astronomy FAST survey (CRAFTS). The timing campaigns were carried out with FAST and Arecibo over three years. Eleven of the twelve pulsars are in neutron star - white dwarf binary systems, with orbital periods between 2.4 and 100 d. Ten of them have spin periods, companion masses, and orbital eccentricities that are consistent with the theoretical expectations for MSP - Helium white dwarf (He WD) systems. The last binary pulsar (PSR J1912$-$0952) has a significantly smaller spin frequency and a smaller companion mass, the latter could be caused by a low orbital inclination for the system. Its orbital period of 29 days is well within the range of orbital periods where some MSP - He WD systems have shown anomalous eccentricities, however, the eccentricity of PSR J1912$-$0952 is typical of what one finds for the remaining MSP - He WD systems., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS accepted

Microflares, one of small-scale solar activities, are believed to be caused by magnetic reconnection. Nevertheless, their three-dimensional (3D) magnetic structures, thermodynamic structures, and physical links to the reconnection have been unclear. In this Letter, based on high-resolution 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the quiet Sun spanning from the upper convection zone to the corona, we investigate 3D magnetic and thermodynamic structures of three homologous microflares. It is found that they originate from localized hot plasma embedded in the chromospheric environment at the height of 2--10 Mm above the photosphere and last for 3--10 minutes with released magnetic energy in the range of $10^{27}-10^{28}$ erg. The heated plasma is almost co-spatial with the regions where the heating rate per particle is maximal. The 3D velocity field reveals a pair of converging flows with velocities of tens of km s$^{-1}$ toward and outflows with velocities of about 100 km s$^{-1}$ moving away from the hot plasma. These features support that magnetic reconnection plays a critical role in heating the localized chromospheric plasma to coronal temperature, giving rise to observed microflares. The magnetic topology analysis further discloses that the reconnection region is located near quasi-separators where both current density and squashing factors are maximal although the specific topology may vary from tether-cutting to fan-spine-like structure.

Type II radio bursts are thought to be produced by shock waves in the solar atmosphere. However, what magnetic conditions are needed for the generation of type II radio bursts is still a puzzling issue. Here, we quantify the magnetic structure of a coronal shock associated with a type II radio burst. Based on the multi-perspective extreme-ultraviolet observations, we reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) shock surface. By using a magnetic field extrapolation model, we then derive the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the normal of the shock front ($\theta_{\rm Bn}$) and Alfv\'{e}n Mach number ($M_A$) on the shock front. Combining the radio observations from Nancay Radio Heliograph, we obtain the source region of the type II radio burst on the shock front. It is found that the radio burst is generated by a shock with $M_A \gtrsim 1.5$ and a bimodal distribution of $\theta_{Bn}$. We also use the Rankine-Hugoniot relations to quantify the properties of the shock downstream. Our results provide a quantitative 3D magnetic structure condition of a coronal shock that produces a type II radio burst., Comment: 18 Pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Filament channel (FC), a plasma volume where the magnetic field is primarily aligned with the polarity inversion line, is believed to be the pre-eruptive configuration of coronal mass ejections. Nevertheless, evidence for how the FC is formed is still elusive. In this paper, we present a detailed study on the build-up of a FC to understand its formation mechanism. The New Vacuum Solar Telescope of Yunnan Observatories and Optical and Near-Infrared Solar Eruption Tracer of Nanjing University, as well as the AIA and HMI on board Solar Dynamics Observatory are used to study the grow-up process of the FC. Furthermore, we reconstruct the non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) of the active region using the regularized Biot-Savart laws (RBSL) and magnetofrictional method to reveal three-dimension (3D) magnetic field properties of the FC. We find that partial filament materials are quickly transferred to longer magnetic field lines formed by small-scale magnetic reconnection, as evidenced by dot-like H{\alpha}/EUV brightenings and subsequent bidirectional outflow jets, as well as untwisting motions. The H{\alpha}/EUV bursts appear repeatedly at the same location and are closely associated with flux cancellation, which occurs between two small-scale opposite polarities and is driven by shearing and converging motions. The 3D NLFFF model reveals that the reconnection takes place in a hyperbolic flux tube that is located above the flux cancellation site and below the FC. The FC is gradually built up toward a twisted flux rope via series of small-scale reconnection events that occur intermittently prior to the eruption., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. A&A accepted

Radiative losses in the chromosphere are very important in the energy balance. There have been efforts to make simple lookup tables for chromospheric radiative losses in the quiet Sun. During solar flares, the atmospheric conditions are quite different, and the currently available recipe of Gan & Fang (1990) is constructed from semi-empirical models. It remains to be evaluated how these recipes work in flare conditions. We aim to construct an approximate recipe of chromospheric radiative losses for solar flares. We follow the method of Carlsson & Leenaarts (2012) to tabulate the optically thin radiative loss, escape probability, and ionization fraction, while using a grid of flare models from radiative hydrodynamic simulations as our dataset. We provide new lookup tables to calculate chromospheric radiative losses for flares. Compared with previous recipes, our recipe provides a better approximation to the detailed radiative losses for flares., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. A&A accepted. The lookup tables of the fitted curves are available in http://sdc.nju.edu.cn/d/8f8ef25c91684926ae3c

In the optically thin regime, the intensity ratio of the two Si IV resonance lines (1394 and 1403 \AA\ ) are theoretically the same as the ratio of their oscillator strengths, which is exactly 2. Here, we study the ratio of the integrated intensity of the Si IV lines ($R=\int I_{1394}(\lambda)\mathrm{d}\lambda/\int I_{1403}(\lambda)\mathrm{d}\lambda$) and the ratio of intensity at each wavelength point ($r(\Delta\lambda)=I_{1394}(\Delta\lambda)/I_{1403}(\Delta\lambda)$) in two solar flares observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. We find that at flare ribbons, the ratio $R$ ranges from 1.8 to 2.3 and would generally decrease when the ribbons sweep across the slit position. Besides, the distribution of $r(\Delta\lambda)$ shows a descending trend from the blue wing to the red wing. In loop cases, the Si IV line presents a wide profile with a central reversal. The ratio $R$ deviates little from 2, but the ratio $r(\Delta\lambda)$ can vary from 1.3 near the line center to greater than 2 in the line wings. Hence we conclude that in flare conditions, the ratio $r(\Delta\lambda)$ varies across the line, due to the variation of the opacity at the line center and line wings. We notice that, although the ratio $r(\Delta\lambda)$ could present a value which deviates from 2 as a result of the opacity effect near the line center, the ratio $R$ is still close to 2. Therefore, caution should be taken when using the ratio of the integrated intensity of the Si IV lines to diagnose the opacity effect., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

Supposing only that there is an effective charge which defines an evolution scheme for parton distribution functions (DFs) that is all-orders exact, strict lower and upper bounds on all Mellin moments of the valence-quark DFs of pion-like systems are derived. Exploiting contemporary results from numerical simulations of lattice-regularised quantum chromodynamics (QCD) that are consistent with these bounds, parameter-free predictions for pion valence, glue, and sea DFs are obtained. The form of the valence-quark DF at large values of the light-front momentum fraction is consistent with predictions derived using the QCD-prescribed behaviour of the pion wave function., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table

Analyses of the pion valence-quark distribution function (DF), ${u}^\pi(x;\zeta)$, which explicitly incorporate the behaviour of the pion wave function prescribed by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), predict ${u}^\pi(x\simeq 1;\zeta) \sim (1-x)^{\beta(\zeta)}$, $\beta(\zeta \gtrsim m_p)>2$, where $m_p$ is the proton mass. Nevertheless, more than forty years after the first experiment to collect data suitable for extracting the $x\simeq 1$ behaviour of ${u}^\pi$, the empirical status remains uncertain because some methods used to fit existing data return a result for ${u}^\pi$ that violates this constraint. Such disagreement entails one of the following conclusions: the analysis concerned is incomplete; not all data being considered are a true expression of qualities intrinsic to the pion; or QCD, as it is currently understood, is not the theory of strong interactions. New, precise data are necessary before a final conclusion is possible. In developing these positions, we exploit a single proposition, viz. there is an effective charge which defines an evolution scheme for parton DFs that is all-orders exact. This proposition has numerous corollaries, which can be used to test the character of any DF, whether fitted or calculated., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 1 table

In this paper, we present a detailed morphological, kinematic, and thermal analysis of two homologous magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) from NOAA 11515 on 2012 July 8--9. The study is based on multi-wavelength and dual-perspective imaging observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead spacecraft, which can well reveal the structure and evolution of the two MFRs. We find that both of the MFRs show up in multiple passbands and their emissions mainly consist of a cold component peaking at a temperature of $\sim$0.4--0.6 MK and a hot component peaking at $\sim$7--8 MK. The two MFRs exhibit erupting, expanding, and untwisting motions that manifest distinctive features from two different viewpoints. Their evolution can be divided into two stages, a fast-eruption stage with speeds of about 105--125 km s$^{-1}$ for MFR-1 and 50--65 km s$^{-1}$ for MFR-2 and a slow-expansion (or untwisting) stage with speeds of about 10--35 km s$^{-1}$ for MFR-1 and 10--30 km s$^{-1}$ for MFR-2 in the plane of sky. We also find that during the two-stage evolution, the high temperature features mainly appear in the interface region between MFRs and ambient magnetic structures and also in the center of MFRs, which suggests that some heating processes take place in such places like magnetic reconnection and plasma compression. These observational results indicate that the eruption and untwisting processes of MFRs are coupled with the heating process, among which an energy conversion exists., Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, 1 table

Ellerman bombs (EBs) and UV bursts are both small-scale solar activities that occur in active regions. They are now believed to form at different heights in the lower atmosphere. In this paper, we use one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic simulations to calculate various line profiles in response to heating in different atmospheric layers. We confirm that heating in the upper photosphere to the lower chromosphere can generate spectral features of typical EBs, while heating in the mid to upper chromosphere can generate spectral features of typical UV bursts. The intensity evolution of the H$\alpha$ line wing in EBs shows a rise--plateau pattern, while that of the Si IV 1403 \r{A} line center in UV bursts shows a rise--fall pattern. However, the predicted enhancement of FUV continuum near 1400 \r{A} for EBs is rarely reported and requires further observations to check it. With two heating sources or an extended heating source in the atmosphere, both EB and UV burst features could be reproduced simultaneously., Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, 1 table, accepted by ApJ

Solar flares are rapid energy release phenomena that appear as bright ribbons in the chromosphere and high-temperature loops in the corona, respectively. Supra-arcade Downflows (SADs) are plasma voids that first come out above the flare loops and then move quickly towards the flare loop top during the decay phase of the flare. In our work, we study 20 SADs appearing in three flares. By differential emission measure (DEM) analysis, we calculate the DEM weighted average temperature and emission measure (EM) of the front region and the main body of SADs. It is found that the temperatures of the SAD front and body tend to increase during the course of SADs flowing downwards. The relationship between the pressure and temperature fits well with the adiabatic equation for both the SAD front and body, suggesting that the heating of SADs is mainly caused by adiabatic compression. Moreover, we also estimate the velocities of SADs via the Fourier Local Correlation Tracking (FLCT) method and find that increase of the temperature of the SAD front presents a correlation with the decrease of the SAD kinetic energy, while the SAD body does not, implying that the viscous process may also heat the SAD front in spite of a limited role., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures; published by ApJ

We perform a zero-$\beta$ magnetohydrodynamic simulation for the C7.7 class flare initiated at 01:18 UT on 2011 June 21 using the Message Passing Interface Adaptive Mesh Refinement Versatile Advection Code (MPI-AMRVAC). The initial condition for the simulation involves a flux rope which we realize through the regularized Biot-Savart laws, whose parameters are constrained by observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) on the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). This data-constrained initial state is then relaxed to a force-free state by the magneto-frictional module in MPI-AMRVAC. The further time-evolving simulation results reproduce the eruption characteristics obtained by SDO/AIA 94 A, 304 A, and STEREO/EUVI 304 A observations fairly well. The simulated flux rope possesses similar eruption direction, height range, and velocities to the observations. Especially, the two phases of slow evolution and fast eruption are reproduced by varying the density distribution in light of the filament material draining process. Our data-constrained simulations also show other advantages, such as a large field of view (about 0.76 solar radii). We study the twist of the magnetic flux rope and the decay index of the overlying field, and find that in this event, both the magnetic strapping force and the magnetic tension force are sufficiently weaker than the magnetic hoop force, thus allowing the successful eruption of the flux rope. We also find that the anomalous resistivity is necessary in keeping the correct morphology of the erupting flux rope., Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted by ApJ

Recent observations in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths reveal a new late phase in some solar flares, which is seen as a second peak in warm coronal emissions ($\sim3$ MK) several tens of minutes to a few hours after the soft X-ray (SXR) peak. The origin of the EUV late phase (ELP) is explained by either a long-lasting cooling process in the long ELP loops, or a delayed energy ejection into the ELP loops well after the main flare heating. Using the observations with the \emph{Solar Dynamics Observatory} (\emph{SDO}), we investigate the production of the ELP in six homologous flares (F1--F6) originating from a complex active region (AR) NOAA 11283, with an emphasis on the emission characteristics of the flares. It is found that the main production mechanism of the ELP changes from additional heating in flare F1 to long-lasting cooling in flares F3--F6, with both mechanisms playing a role in flare F2. The transition is evidenced by an abrupt decrease of the time lag of the ELP peak, and the long-lasting cooling process in the majority of the flares is validated by a positive correlation between the flare ribbon fluence and the ELP peak intensity. We attribute the change in ELP production mechanism to an enhancement of the envelope magnetic field above the AR, which facilitates a more prompt and energetic heating of the ELP loops. In addition, the last and the only confined flare F6 exhibits an extremely large ELP. The different emission pattern revealed in this flare may reflect a different energy partitioning inside the ELP loops, which is due to a different magnetic reconnection process., Comment: 26 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

In this Letter, we study the kinematic properties of ascending hot blobs associated with confined flares. Taking advantage of high-cadence extreme-ultraviolet images provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we find that for the 26 events selected here, the hot blobs are first impulsively accelerated outward, but then quickly slow down to motionlessness. Their velocity evolution is basically synchronous with the temporal variation of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite soft X-ray flux of the associated flares, except that the velocity peak precedes the soft X-ray peak by minutes. Moreover, the duration of the acceleration phase of the erupting blobs is moderately correlated with that of the flare rise phase. For nine of the 26 cases, the erupting blobs even appear minutes prior to the onset of the associated flares. Our results show that a fraction of confined flares also involve the eruption of a magnetic flux rope, which sometimes is formed and heated prior to the flare onset. We suggest that the initiation and development of these confined flares are similar to that of eruptive ones, and the main difference may lie in the background field constraint, which is stronger for the former than for the latter., Comment: 13 pages,4 figures

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale explosions of the coronal magnetic field. It is believed that magnetic reconnection significantly builds up the core structure of CMEs, a magnetic flux rope, during the eruption. However, the quantitative evolution of the flux rope, particularly its toroidal flux, is still unclear. In this paper, we study the evolution of the toroidal flux of the CME flux rope for four events. The toroidal flux is estimated as the magnetic flux in the footpoint region of the flux rope, which is identified by a method that simultaneously takes the coronal dimming and the hook of the flare ribbon into account. We find that the toroidal flux of the CME flux rope for all four events shows a two-phase evolution: a rapid increasing phase followed by a decreasing phase. We further compare the evolution of the toroidal flux with that of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites soft X-ray flux and find that they are basically synchronous in time, except that the peak of the former is somewhat delayed. The results suggest that the toroidal flux of the CME flux rope may be first quickly built up by the reconnection mainly taking place in the sheared overlying field and then reduced by the reconnection among the twisted field lines within the flux rope, as enlightened by a recent 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulation of CMEs., Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in The Innovation

Solar filaments are an intriguing phenomenon, like cool clouds suspended in the hot corona. Similar structures exist in the intergalactic medium as well. Despite being a long-studied topic, solar filaments have continually attracted intensive attention because of their link to the coronal heating, coronal seismology, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In this review paper, by combing through the solar filament-related work done in the past decade, we discuss several controversial topics, such as the fine structures, dynamics, magnetic configurations, and helicity of filaments. With high-resolution and high-sensitivity observations, combined with numerical simulations, it is expected that resolving these disputes will definitely lead to a huge leap in understanding the physics related to solar filaments, and even shed light on galactic filaments., Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, to appear in RAA

We statistically study the relationship between the Lyman-alpha (\lya) and 1--8 \AA\ soft X-ray (SXR) emissions from 658 M- and X-class solar flares observed by the {\em Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite} during 2006--2016. Based on the peak times of the two waveband emissions, we divide the flares into three types. Type I (III) has an earlier (a later) peak time in the \lya\ emission than that in the SXR emission, while type II has nearly a same peak time (within the time resolution of 10 s) between the \lya\ and SXR emissions. In these 658 flares, we find that there are 505 (76.8\%) type I flares, 10 (1.5\%) type II flares, and 143 (21.7\%) type III flares, and that the three types appear to have no dependence on the flare duration, flare location, or solar cycle. Besides the main peak, the \lya\ emission of the three type flares also shows sub-peaks which can appear in the impulsive or gradual phase of the flare. It is found that the main-peak (for type I) and sub-peak (for type III) emissions of \lya\ that appear in the impulsive phase follow the Neupert effect in general. This indicates that such \lya\ emissions are related to the nonthermal electron beam heating. While the main-peak (for type III) and sub-peak (for type I) emissions of \lya\ that appear in the gradual phase are supposed to be primarily contributed by the thermal plasma that cools down., Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures