Hard X-ray and UV Observations of the 2005 January 15 Two-ribbon Flare

TL;DR

This study analyzes a 2005 solar two-ribbon flare using UV and hard X-ray observations, revealing correlated brightening, similar motion patterns of UV and HXR sources, and evidence supporting beam heating as the primary UV emission mechanism.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of HXR and UV source motions and their correlation, offering new insights into the heating mechanisms and magnetic reconnection processes in solar flares.

Findings

UV brightening correlates with HXR kernels during transit.

HXR and UV sources exhibit similar motion patterns and speeds.

UV emission is primarily caused by beam heating, with long decay times.

Abstract

In this paper, we present comprehensive analysis of a two-ribbon flare observed in UV 1600{\AA} by Transition Region and Coronal Explorer and in HXRs by Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager. HXR (25-100 keV) imaging observations show two kernels of size (FWHM) 15?? moving along the two UV ribbons. We find the following results. (1) UV brightening is substantially enhanced wherever and whenever the compact HXR kernel is passing, and during the HXR transit across a certain region, the UV count light curve in that region is temporally correlated with the HXR total flux light curve. After the passage of the HXR kernel, the UV light curve exhibits smooth monotonical decay. (2)We measure the apparent motion speed of the HXR sources and UV ribbon fronts, and decompose the motion into parallel and perpendicular motions with respect to the magnetic polarity inversion line (PIL). It is found that HXR kernels and UV fronts exhibit similar apparent motion patterns and speeds. The parallel motion dominates during the rise of the HXR emission, and the perpendicular motion starts and dominates at the HXR peak, the apparent motion speed being 10-40 km s-1. (3) We also find that UV emission is characterized by a rapid rise correlated with HXRs, followed by a long decay on timescales of 15-30 minutes. The above analysis provides evidence that UV brightening is primarily caused by beam heating, which also produces thick-target HXR emission. The thermal origin of UV emission cannot be excluded, but would produce weaker heating by one order of magnitude. The extended UV ribbons in this event are most likely a result of sequential reconnection along the PIL, which produces individual flux tubes (post-flare loops), subsequent non-thermal energy release and heating in these flux tubes, and then the very long cooling time of the transition region at the feet of these flux tubes.