Magnetic Flux Cancellation in Ellerman Bombs

TL;DR

This study combines high-resolution solar observations to analyze magnetic flux cancellation in Ellerman Bombs, revealing energy release, flux cancellation rates, and the magnetic interactions leading to EB formation.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of magnetic energy loss, flux cancellation rates, and the magnetic dynamics associated with Ellerman Bombs using advanced spectro-polarimetric data.

Findings

Magnetic energy of approximately 3.43 x 10^{24} ergs is released during EBs.

Flux cancellation rates are between 10^{14} and 10^{15} Mx s^{-1}.

EBs are fueled by flux emergence and magnetic interactions near sunspots.

Abstract

Ellerman Bombs (EBs) are often found co-spatial with bipolar photospheric magnetic fields. We use H$\alpha$ imaging spectroscopy along with Fe I 6302.5 \AA\ spectro-polarimetry from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), combined with data from the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) to study EBs and the evolution of the local magnetic fields at EB locations. The EBs are found via an EB detection and tracking algorithm. We find, using NICOLE inversions of the spectro-polarimetric data, that on average (3.43 $\pm$ 0.49) x 10$^{24}$ ergs of stored magnetic energy disappears from the bipolar region during the EBs burning. The inversions also show flux cancellation rates of 10$^{14}$ - 10$^{15}$ Mx s$^{-1}$, and temperature enhancements of 200 K at the detection footpoints. We investigate near-simultaneous flaring of EBs due to co-temporal flux emergence from a sunspot, which shows a decrease in transverse velocity when interacting with an existing, stationary area of opposite polarity magnetic flux and the EBs are formed. We also show that these EBs can get fueled further by additional, faster moving, negative magnetic flux regions.