Observation of a Quasi-periodic Pulsation in Hard X-ray, Radio and Extreme-ultraviolet Wavelengths

TL;DR

This study reports a multi-wavelength observation of a quasi-periodic pulsation during a solar flare, linking it to magnetic reconnection modulated by filament dynamics and sunspot oscillations.

Contribution

It provides new evidence of 3-minute QPP across X-ray, radio, and EUV wavelengths, connected to magnetic topology and filament behavior during a solar flare.

Findings

QPP observed in hard X-ray, radio, and EUV channels with ~3-minute period.

Correlation between QPP and sunspot oscillations.

Magnetic reconnection modulated by filament untwisting likely causes QPP.

Abstract

We present multi-wavelength analysis of a quasi-periodic pulsation (QPP) observed in the hard X-ray, radio, and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) channels during an M1.9 flare occurred on 23-24 September 2011. The non-thermal hard X-ray emission in 25-50 keV observed by RHESSI shows five distinct impulsive peaks of decaying amplitude with a period of about three minutes. Similar QPP was observed in the microwave emission recorded by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph and Polarimeter in the 8.8, 15, 17 GHz channels. Interestingly, the 3-min QPP was also observed in the metric and decimetric radio frequencies (25-180, 245, 610 MHz) as repetitive type III bursts. Multi-wavelength observations from the SDO/AIA, Hinode/SOT, and STEREO/SECCHI suggest a fan-spine topology at the eruption site, associated with the formation of a quasi-circular ribbon during the flare. A small filament was observed below the fan-loops before the flare onset. The filament rose slowly and interacted with the ambient field. This behaviour was followed by an untwisting motion of the filament. Two different structures of the filament showed $\sim$3-min periodic alternate rotation in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The 3-min QPP was found to highly correlate with 3-min oscillations in a nearby sunspot. We suggest that the periodic reconnection (modulated either by sunspot slow-mode wave or by untwisting filament) at a magnetic null-point most likely causes the repetitive particle acceleration, generating the QPP observed in hard X-ray, microwave and type III radio bursts.