Modeling Mg II during Solar Flares. II. Non-equilibrium Effects

TL;DR

This study compares statistical equilibrium and non-equilibrium models for Mg II during solar flares, finding non-equilibrium effects are mainly significant in early flare stages, with equilibrium sufficing during most of the flare.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of non-equilibrium effects on Mg II line formation during solar flares, highlighting when non-equilibrium modeling is necessary.

Findings

Non-equilibrium effects are important only in initial flare stages.

Relaxation timescales are typically less than 0.1 seconds during flares.

Statistical equilibrium is adequate for most flare phases.

Abstract

To extract the information that the Mg II NUV spectra (observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph; IRIS), carries about the chromosphere during solar flares, and to validate models of energy transport via model-data comparison, forward modelling is required. The assumption of statistical equilibrium is typically used to obtain the atomic level populations from snapshots of flare atmospheres, due to computational necessity. However it is possible that relying on statistical equilibrium could lead to spurious results. We compare solving the atomic level populations via statistical equilibrium versus a non-equilibrium time-dependent approach. This was achieved using flare simulations from RADYN alongside the minority species version, MS_RADYN, from which the time-dependent Mg II atomic level populations and radiation transfer were computed in complete frequency redistribution. The impacts on the emergent profiles, lightcurves, line ratios, and formation heights are discussed. In summary we note that non-equilibrium effects during flares are typically important only in the initial stages and for a short period following the cessation of the energy injection. An analysis of the timescales of ionisation equilibrium reveals that for most of the duration of the flare, when the temperatures and densities are sufficiently enhanced, the relaxation timescales are short ($\tau_{\mathrm{relax}}<0.1$ s), so that the equilibrium solution is an adequate approximation. These effects vary with the size of the flare, however. In weaker flares effects can be more pronounced. We recommend that non-equilibrium effects be considered when possible, but that statistical equilibrium is sufficient at most stages of the flare.