太阳大气中磁场的扭转储能

本文从完整的磁流体动力学方程组出发, 研究太阳大气中磁力线管根部的扭转储存能量。通过数值方法, 研究了包含太阳表面过渡区在内的非线性无力场的动力学演化。假设初始磁场位形为势场, 根部等离子体运动使活动区磁场扭转。磁能蓬新分布, 在局部区域中储存大量的磁能。计算结果给出非线性无力场的定量关系, 可以解释太阳耀斑的储能过程。      

太阳宇宙线源物质的高色球层模式和重离子丰度过量机制的探讨

本文利用太阳能量粒子事件中重离子平均丰度过量的资料,计算得到太阳能量粒子源物质的温度,提出了描述太阳宇宙线能量粒子源物质的新模式——高色球层模式;太阳耀斑观测确定,太阳宇宙线耀斑的加速区一般最可能出现在低日冕甚至高达几万公里的高度,从而,太阳宇宙线的源和加速区通常不位于同一区域;进而提出了描述太阳能量粒子事件中重离子丰度过量的可能机制——其源物质是通过太阳黑子的冻结型无力场从高色球层输送到活动区,形成耀斑前加速区内重离子丰度大和耀斑后宇宙线中重元素丰度的过量.      

太阳纯电子事件和质子-电子事件的电子能谱的机制

本文计算、分析了太阳耀斑加速电子在日冕中传输时激发的等离子体尾场的效应,认为耀斑电子的高能成份激发的尾场,能够加速低能耀斑电子,低能耀斑电子的能量增值可达几十keV至上百keV,这种尾场加速将软化约100keV以下的能量范围内(探测阈之上)的耀斑电子能谱。结合考虑尾场效应,本文提出了太阳耀斑加速电子从加速区到形成电子事件之间的能谱演化模式,说明了太阳纯电子事件的双幂律电子能谱和太阳质子-电子事件的单幂律电子能谱的形成,认为两类事件的电子能谱差异为耀斑电子日冕传输中不同程度的尾场效应所致,前者尾场效应弱,电子能谱呈双幂律,后者尾场效应较强,电子能谱为单幂律谱。      

影响地球环境的太阳质子事件的时间过程

利用1966年以来的大量太阳耀斑以及相应质子事件的资料,分析研究了质子事件到达时间和极大时间同耀斑经度位置的统计关系.结果表明当耀斑位置处于经过地球的行星际大尺度场磁力线足点位置附近时,上述两种时间过程最短.这个结果支持了太阳耀斑粒子经日冕传播再向行星际空间传播的二阶段传播模型.      

太阳耀斑对电离层总电子含量的影响

本文分析了1978—1979年1级以上的太阳耀斑对电离层总电子含量的影响. 给出了不同持续时间、不同亮度、不同季节、发生在日面不同位置上的太阳耀斑对电离层总电子含量的影响.分析结果表明,持续时间大于等于1.5小时的耀斑对电子含量有明显的扰动,耀斑出现后电子含量随之增加,在第4—5天增加到最大值,扰动持续数日;持续时间小于1.5小时的耀斑对电子含量影响甚微;非亮耀斑对电子含量的扰动小于亮耀斑;夏季出现的耀斑对电子含量无明显扰动,只有冬季出现的亮耀斑对电子含量有明显的扰动;太阳耀斑扰动电子含量有明显的日面位置东西不对称性,只有出现在日面东边、特别是E₃区的太阳耀斑对电子含量才有明显的扰动.      

太阳耀斑硬X射线能谱演变特征

太阳硬X射线是耀斑高能电子束流与太阳大气相互作用产生的韧致辐射,根据简单的太阳耀斑环物理模型,假定具有流量与能谱同步变化的高能电子束流从耀斑环顶部注入,计算了硬X射线辐射在不同的靶物质密度区的能谱演变特征。结果表明:硬X射线辐射在低大气密度靶区呈现软一硬一硬的能谱演变特征,在高密度靶区硬X射线能谱则具有软一硬一软的变化特征。高能电子束流持续时间影响谱型转变区域在耀斑环中的高度。      

太阳活动区磁场扭绞与耀斑产率

本文以1972年10月的太阳活动区McMath 12094为范例, 研究了活动区磁场扭绞与耀斑产率的关系.先在常α无力场模型假定下, 以观测到的活动区光球磁场为边值, 对活动区在日面中心附近4天(10月28—31日), 推算出代表活动区磁场平均扭绞程度的无力因子α, 从而外推出活动区在这4天的三维磁力线形态.然后以这些资料为基础, 进一步讨论了活动区磁场演化特征, 磁场扭绞与耀斑产率的关系, 并且近似用单极场模型估算了通过活动区前导大黑子A的电流、电流密度以及因大黑子逆时针旋转造成磁场扭绞所贮存的能量.本文主要结论为:(1)活动区McMath 12094从10月27日起保持较强扭绞, 10月30日达到极大, 10月31日后扭绞减弱.活动区磁场扭绞的主要原因是光球中的磁流体力学作用所导致的前导大黑子A的逆时针旋转。(2)代表活动区磁场平均扭绞程度的无力因子α与活动区耀斑产率同步变化, 表明活动区磁场扭绞与耀斑产率成正相关.(3)通过活动区前导大黑子A的本影电流为4.3—6.6×1012A, 因扭绞产生的自由能贮存为0.44—1.11×1032erg.活动区中的电流密度达到0.96—1.47×10A·m-2.这样高的电流密度可能是该活动区高耀斑产率的重要原因.      

太阳活动对VLF传播的一种影响

本文以实验数据为基础, 讨论了在太阳耀斑期间产生的相位周期丢失, 并用对极传播理论解释了这种相位周期丢失的机理。相位周期丢失是电波传播中的一个重要传播现象, 特别是对于低频和甚低频传播。由于太阳耀斑引起的这一传播现象在以往的讨论中比较罕见, 因此, 对这一问题的讨论具有特殊意义。      

耀斑脉冲相离子电离的弛豫过程

观测表明:在耀斑前活动区上空的日冕中普遍存在低温的磁环结构, 其中一些这种磁环结构的温度在105K以下;同时, 耀斑脉冲相存在非常迅速的加热过程.本文在这些观测事实的基础上, 提出了一个太阳耀斑爆发时离子电离的模型, 并由这一模型研究了耀斑时离子电离的弛豫过程.在太阳宇宙线的源物质来自高色球层的条件下, 得到了与观测结果符合得较好的太阳耀斑能量离子的平均电荷及其电离态分布.      

日照边缘区域电离层对耀斑的响应特点研究

利用MSIS模型和背景太阳辐射谱模型,在一定大耀斑辐射谱假设的前提下,计算了耀斑期间日照边缘区域的电子产生率,分析了这一区域电离层电子密度的变化特点.结果表明,大耀斑期间在日照边缘区域,甚至大于太阳天顶角90°的区域都有明显的电子产生率的增加.从不同太阳天顶角处的电子产生率剖面的形态来看,随着天顶角的增加最大电离率减少,但高度增加.计算还显示了在太阳天顶角小于90°的区域内电子产生率的垂直分布有明显的双峰结构,这种结构对应着电离层的E区和F区,但在天顶角大于90°区域,F区的电子产生率要大得多.考虑到离子和电子的复合过程,这一区域的总电子含量的增加主要产生在高F区.      

The role of magnetic field shear in solar flares

We present observational results and their physical implications garnered from the deliberations of the FBS Magnetic Shear Study Group on magnetic field shear in relation to flares. The observed character of magnetic shear and its involvement in the buildup and release of flare energy are reviewed and illustrated with emphasis on recent results from the Marshall Space Flight Center vector magnetograph. It is pointed out that the magnetic field in active regions can become sheared by several processes, including shear flow in the photosphere, flux emergence, magnetic reconnection, and flux submergence. Modeling studies of the buildup of stored magnetic energy by shearing are reported which show ample energy storage for flares. Observational evidence is presented that flares are triggered when the field shear reaches a critical degree, in qualitative agreement with some theoretical analyses of sheared force-free fields. Finally, a scenario is outlined for the class of flares resulting from large-scale magnetic shear; the overall instability driving the energy release results from positive feedback between reconnection and eruption of the sheared field.     

无力场的触发重联和太阳耀斑

采用多步隐格式,对在瞬间形成的电流片的触发下的高剪切无力场的磁重联过程进行了数值模拟。磁重联首先在交界面处的非中性电流片区出现,然后向无力场区蔓延。在磁重联过程中,在无力场区形成一高温环状结构,物质向光球层流动。在高温环内侧的新喷发场区,物质向上流动。磁重联主要集中在初始电流片外侧的高剪切无力场区,高温环顶部的温度最高,位置基本固定。在磁重联的过程中,剪切磁场分量的空间梯度减小,无力场因子下降。     

太阳大气中有限振幅磁场扰动的动力学过程

本文从完整的磁流体动力学方程组出发,通过太阳大气中磁力线管根部有限振幅磁场的扰动,研究了非线性磁场的动力学演化。假设初始磁场位形足β<<1的势场,根部磁力线管磁场扰动,驱动等离子体运动,一部分磁能转换为等离子体动能。等离子体压缩运动具有快磁声波的特性。计算结果给出非线性磁场演化的定量关系,可以解释太阳大气中日冕活动过程。也可用于模拟实验室里高β实验装置中的等离子体的持性。      

Evolution of electron energy spectrum during solar flares

Particle acceleration by direct current electric field in the current sheet has been extensively studied, in which an electric and a magnetic field are generally prescribed, and a power law distribution of the electron energy is obtained. Based on MHD numerical simulations of flares, this paper aims at investigating the time evolution of the electron energy spectrum during solar flares. It turns out that the model reproduces the soft–hard–hard spectral feature which was observed in some flares.     

Solar flares: an overview.

This is a survey of solar phenomena and physical models that may be useful for improving forecasts of solar flares and proton storms in interplanetary space. Knowledge of the physical processes that accelerate protons has advanced because of gamma-ray and X-ray observations from the Solar Maximum Mission telescopes. Protons are accelerated at the onset of flares, but the duration of any subsequent proton storm at 1 AU depends on the structure of the interplanetary fields. X-ray images of the solar corona show possible fast proton escape paths. Magnetographs and high-resolution visible-band images show the magnetic field structure near the acceleration region and the heating effects of sunward-directed protons. Preflare magnetic field growth and shear may be the most important clues to the physical processes that generate high energy solar particles. Any dramatic improvement in flare forecasts will require high resolution solar telescopes in space. Several possibilities for improvements in the art of flare forecasting are presented, among them: the use of acoustic tomography to probe for subsurface magnetic fields; a satellite-borne solar magnetograph; and an X-ray telescope to monitor the corona for eruptions.     

What are the physical mechanisms of eruptions and CMEs?

CMEs are due to physical phenomena that drive both, eruptions and flares in active regions. Eruptions/CMEs must be driven from initially force-free current-carrying magnetic field. Twisted flux ropes, sigmoids, current lanes and pattern in photospheric current maps show a clear evidence of currents parallel to the magnetic field. Eruptions occur starting from equilibria which have reached some instability threshold. Revisiting several data sets of CME observations we identified different mechanisms leading to this unstable state from a force free field. Boundary motions related to magnetic flux emergence and shearing favor the increase of coronal currents leading to the large flares of November 2003. On the other hand, we demonstrated by numerical simulations that magnetic flux emergence is not a sufficient condition for eruptions. Filament eruptions are interpreted either by a torus instability for an event occurring during the minimum of solar activity either by the diffusion of the magnetic flux reducing the tension of the restraining arcade. We concluded that CME models (tether cutting, break out, loss of equilibrium models) are based on these basic mechanisms for the onset of CMEs.     

Driving major solar flares and eruptions: A review

This review focuses on the processes that energize and trigger M- and X-class solar flares and associated flux-rope destabilizations. Numerical modeling of specific solar regions is hampered by uncertain coronal-field reconstructions and by poorly understood magnetic reconnection; these limitations result in uncertain estimates of field topology, energy, and helicity. The primary advances in understanding field destabilizations therefore come from the combination of generic numerical experiments with interpretation of sets of observations. These suggest a critical role for the emergence of twisted flux ropes into pre-existing strong field for many, if not all, of the active regions that produce M- or X-class flares. The flux and internal twist of the emerging ropes appear to play as important a role in determining whether an eruption will develop predominantly as flare, confined eruption, or CME, as do the properties of the embedding field. Based on reviewed literature, I outline a scenario for major flares and eruptions that combines flux-rope emergence, mass draining, near-surface reconnection, and the interaction with the surrounding field. Whether deterministic forecasting is in principle possible remains to be seen: to date no reliable such forecasts can be made. Large-sample studies based on long-duration, comprehensive observations of active regions from their emergence through their flaring phase are needed to help us better understand these complex phenomena.