X-ray line coincidence photopumping in a solar flare

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new X-ray line coincidence photopumping mechanism in solar flares, demonstrating theoretical predictions and observational evidence of line enhancement, which could serve as a diagnostic tool for stellar flare analysis.

Contribution

It introduces the first known X-ray line coincidence photopumping scheme and provides observational support for its occurrence in solar flare plasmas.

Findings

Theoretical models predict significant Ne IX line enhancement due to Na X photopumping.

Observed X-ray data from a solar flare show evidence of this line enhancement.

Potential application as a diagnostic for stellar flare loop sizes.

Abstract

Line coincidence photopumping is a process where the electrons of an atomic or molecular species are radiatively excited through the absorption of line emission from another species at a coincident wavelength. There are many instances of line coincidence photopumping in astrophysical sources at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, with the most famous example being Bowen fluorescence (pumping of O III 303.80 A by He II), but none to our knowledge in X-rays. However, here we report on a scheme where a He-like line of Ne IX at 11.000 A is photopumped by He-like Na X at 11.003 A, which predicts significant intensity enhancement in the Ne IX 82.76 A transition under physical conditions found in solar flare plasmas. A comparison of our theoretical models with published X-ray observations of a solar flare obtained during a rocket flight provides evidence for line enhancement, with the measured degree of enhancement being consistent with that expected from theory, a truly surprising result. Observations of this enhancement during flares on stars other than the Sun would provide a powerful new diagnostic tool for determining the sizes of flare loops in these distant, spatially-unresolved, astronomical sources.