A Two-ribbon White-light Flare Associated with a Failed Solar Eruption Observed by ONSET, SDO, and IRIS

TL;DR

This study documents a two-ribbon white-light flare linked to a failed magnetic flux rope eruption, demonstrating that such eruptions can produce significant flare signatures without resulting in a coronal mass ejection.

Contribution

It provides observational evidence that failed eruptions can generate two-ribbon flares and associated energetic phenomena, challenging the notion that all two-ribbon flares are eruptive.

Findings

Failed MFR eruption produces two-ribbon white-light flare.

High-energy electrons heat the lower atmosphere causing continuum enhancements.

Spectral lines show location-dependent Doppler shifts indicating chromospheric evaporation.

Abstract

Two-ribbon brightenings are one of the most remarkable characteristics of an eruptive solar flare and are often used for predicting the occurrence of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Nevertheless, it was called in question recently whether all two-ribbon flares are eruptive. In this paper, we investigate a two ribbon-like white-light (WL) flare that is associated with a failed magnetic flux rope (MFR) eruption on 2015 January 13, which has no accompanying CME in the WL coronagraph. Observations by \textit{Optical and Near-infrared Solar Eruption Tracer} and \textit{Solar Dynamics Observatory} reveal that, with the increase of the flare emission and the acceleration of the unsuccessfully erupting MFR, two isolated kernels appear at the WL 3600 {\AA} passband and quickly develop into two elongated ribbon-like structures. The evolution of the WL continuum enhancement is completely coincident in time with the variation of \textit{Fermi} hard X-ray 26--50 keV flux. Increase of continuum emission is also clearly visible at the whole FUV and NUV passbands observed by \textit{Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph}. Moreover, in one WL kernel, the \ion{Si}{4}, \ion{C}{2}, and \ion{Mg}{2} h/k lines display significant enhancement and non-thermal broadening. However, their Doppler velocity pattern is location-dependent. At the strongly bright pixels, these lines exhibit a blueshift; while at moderately bright ones, the lines are generally redshifted. These results show that the failed MFR eruption is also able to produce a two-ribbon flare and high-energy electrons that heat the lower atmosphere, causing the enhancement of the WL and FUV/NUV continuum emissions and chromospheric evaporation.