Sequential Chomospheric Brightening: An Automated Approach to Extracting Physics from Ephemeral Brightening

TL;DR

This paper introduces an automated method to analyze small-scale chromospheric brightenings, linking their dynamics to solar flare processes and magnetic activity, enhancing understanding of solar energetic events.

Contribution

The study presents a novel automated routine that detects and classifies chromospheric brightenings, revealing their connection to flare eruptions and magnetic loop destabilization.

Findings

Identified three types of chromospheric brightenings: plage, flare ribbon, point brightenings.

Detected a propagating Moreton wave associated with flare activity.

Established a link between point brightenings, flare eruptions, and magnetic loop destabilization.

Abstract

We make a comparison between small scale chromospheric brightenings and energy release processes through examining the temporal evolution of sequential chromospheric brightenings (SCBs), derive propagation velocities, and propose a connection of the small-scale features to solar flares. Our automated routine detects and distinguishes three separate types of brightening regularly observed in the chromosphere: plage, flare ribbon, and point brightenings. By studying their distinct dynamics, we separate out the flare-associated bright points commonly known as SCBs and identify a propagating Moreton wave. Superimposing our detections on complementary off-band images, we extract a Doppler velocity measurement beneath the point brightening locations. Using these dynamic measurements, we put forward a connection between point brightenings, the erupting flare, and overarching magnetic loops. A destabilization of the pre-flare loop topology by the erupting flare directly leads to the SCBs observed.