Multi-episode chromospheric evaporation observed in a solar flare

TL;DR

This study uses IRIS observations to analyze chromospheric heating and evaporation during an M1.6 solar flare, revealing multiple episodes of energy injection, chromospheric condensation, and plasma flows with detailed spectral line analysis.

Contribution

It provides new insights into multi-episode chromospheric evaporation and condensation processes during a solar flare through high-resolution spectral observations.

Findings

Detected quasi-periodic red-wing enhancements in Mg II lines indicating episodic heating.

Observed two episodes of chromospheric evaporation with blueshifted Fe XXI emission.

Identified a secondary red-shifted component in Fe XXI possibly from reconnection outflows.

Abstract

With observations of IRIS, we study chromospheric heating and evaporation during an M1.6 flare SOL2015-03-12T11:50. At the flare ribbons, the Mg II 2791.59 line shows quasi-periodic short-duration red-wing enhancement, which is likely related to repetitive chromospheric condensation as a result of episodic heating. On the contrary, the Si IV 1402.77 line reveals a persistent red-wing asymmetry in both the impulsive and decay phases, suggesting that this line responds to both cooling downflows and chromospheric condensation. The first two episodes of red-wing enhancement occurred around 11:42 UT and 11:45 UT, when two moving brightenings indicative of heating fronts crossed the IRIS slit. The greatly enhanced red wings of the Si IV and Mg II lines at these occasions are accompanied by an obvious increase in the line intensities and the HXR flux, suggesting two episodes of energy injection into the lower atmosphere in the form of nonthermal electrons. The Mg II k/h ratio has a small value of ~1.2 at the ribbons and decreases to ~1.1 at these two occasions. Correspondingly, the Fe XXI 1354 line reveals two episodes of chromospheric evaporation, which is characterized as a smooth decrease of the blue shift from ~300 km/s to nearly zero within ~3 minutes. The Fe XXI 1354 line is entirely blueshifted in the first episode, while appears to contain a nearly stationary component and a blueshifted component in the second episode. More episodes of blueshifted Fe XXI emission is found around the northern ribbon in the decay phase, though no obvious response is detected in the Si IV and Mg II emission. We have also examined the Fe XXI emission at the flare loop top and identified a secondary component with a ~200 km/s red shift, which possibly results from the downward moving reconnection outflow. Our analysis also suggests a reference wavelength of 1354.0878 Angstrom for this Fe XXI line.