Differences in periodic magnetic helicity injection behaviour between flaring and non-flaring Active Regions: Case Study

TL;DR

This study investigates how periodic magnetic helicity injection patterns differ between flaring and non-flaring active regions, proposing that such periodicities could serve as flare precursors.

Contribution

It identifies specific periodic behaviors in magnetic helicity evolution that distinguish flaring from non-flaring regions, offering potential predictive indicators.

Findings

Flaring ARs show significant common periodicities in helicity components before eruptions.

Non-flaring ARs lack such common periodic behaviors.

Periodicities in helicity fluxes could be used as flare precursors.

Abstract

The evolution of magnetic helicity has a close relationship with solar eruptions and is of interest as a predictive diagnostic. In this case study, we analyse the evolution of the normalised emergence, shearing and total magnetic helicity components in the case of three flaring and three non-flaring active regions (ARs) using SHARPs (Spaceweather Helioseismic Magnetic Imager Active Region Patches) vector magnetic field data. The evolution of the three magnetic helicity components is analysed with wavelet transforms, revealing significant common periodicities of the normalised emergence, shearing and total helicity fluxes before flares in the flaring ARs. The three non-flaring ARs do not show such common periodic behaviour. This case study suggests that the presence of significant periodicities in the power spectrum of magnetic helicity components could serve as a valuable precursor for flares.