Early Abnormal Temperature Structure of X-ray Looptop Source of Solar Flares

TL;DR

This study investigates the early phase of solar flares, revealing abnormal temperature structures during loop contraction and suggesting different magnetic reconnection processes compared to expansion phases.

Contribution

It provides the first observational evidence of abnormal temperature distribution during the contraction phase of flare loops, challenging classical models.

Findings

Normal temperature distribution exists during expansion

Abnormal temperature distribution occurs during contraction

Magnetic reconnection processes differ between phases

Abstract

This Letter is to investigate the physics of a newly discovered phenomenon -- contracting flare loops in the early phase of solar flares. In classical flare models, which were constructed based on the phenomenon of expansion of flare loops, an energy releasing site is put above flare loops. These models can predict that there is a vertical temperature gradient in the top of flare loops due to heat conduction and cooling effects. Therefore, the centroid of an X-ray looptop source at higher energy bands will be higher in altitude, for which we can define as normal temperature distribution. With observations made by {\it RHESSI}, we analyzed 10 M- or X-class flares (9 limb flares). For all these flares, the movement of looptop sources shows an obvious U-shaped trajectory, which we take as the signature of contraction-to-expansion of flare loops. We find that, for all these flares, normal temperature distribution does exist, but only along the path of expansion. The temperature distribution along the path of contraction is abnormal, showing no spatial order at all. The result suggests that magnetic reconnection processes in the contraction and expansion phases of these solar flares are different.