Chromospheric response during the precursor and the main phase of a B6.4 flare on August 20, 2005

TL;DR

This study investigates the chromospheric response during a solar flare's precursor and main phases, revealing delayed heating and a two-stage energy release process involving small non-thermal electron fluxes and thermal conduction.

Contribution

It provides detailed multi-wavelength diagnostics and hydrodynamical modeling that elucidate the two-stage energy release mechanism during the flare precursor.

Findings

Delayed chromospheric response (180s) during precursor phase

H-alpha emission energy reaches 80% of main phase

Evidence of a two-stage process involving small NTEs and thermal conduction

Abstract

Solar flare precursors depict constrained rate of energy release contrasting the imminent rapid energy release which calls for different regime of plasma processes to be at play. Due to subtle emission during the precursor phase, its diagnostics remain delusive, revealing either the non-thermal electrons (NTEs) or the thermal conduction to be the driver. In this regard, we investigate the chromospheric response during various phases of a B6.4 flare on August 20, 2005. Spatio-temporal investigation of flare ribbon enhancement during the precursor phase, carried out using spectra-images recorded in several wavelength positions on the H-alpha line profile, revealed its delayed response (180 seconds) compared to the X-ray emission, as well as sequential increment in the width of the line-profile which are indicative of a slow heating process. However, energy contained in the H-alpha emission during the precursor phase reach as high as 80% of that estimated during the main phase. Additionally, the plasma hydrodynamics during the precursor phase, as resulted from the application of a single-loop one-dimensional model, revealed the presence of power-law extension in the model generated X-ray spectra, with flux lower than the RHESSI background. Therefore, our multi-wavelength diagnostics and hydrodynamical modeling of the precursor emission indicates the role of a two-stage process. Firstly, reconnection triggered NTEs, although too small in flux to overcome the observational constraints, thermalize in the upper chromosphere. This leads to the generation of a slow conduction front which causes plasma heating during the precursor phase.