DH Type II Radio Bursts During Solar Cycles 23 and 24: Frequency-dependent Classification and their Flare-CME Associations

TL;DR

This study classifies DH type II solar radio bursts during Cycles 23 and 24 by frequency, analyzes their associations with CMEs and flares, and examines their characteristics and differences across solar cycles.

Contribution

It introduces a frequency-dependent classification of DH type II bursts and compares their properties and associations across two solar cycles, highlighting cycle-specific differences.

Findings

Significant reduction of DH type II events in Solar Cycle 24.

Higher fraction of low-frequency group events in Cycle 24.

LFG events are strongly associated with fast, wide CMEs and large flares.

Abstract

We present the characteristics of DH type II bursts for the Solar Cycles 23 and 24. The bursts are classified according to their end frequencies into three categories, i.e. Low Frequency Group (LFG; 20 kHz $\leq$ $f$ $\leq$ 200 kHz), Medium Frequency Group (MFG; 200 kHz $<$ $f$ $\leq$ 1 MHz), and High Frequency Group (HFG; 1 MHz $<$ $f$ $\le$ 16 MHz). We find that the sources for LFG, MFG, and HFG events are homogeneously distributed over the active region belt. Our analysis shows a drastic reduction of the DH type II events during Solar Cycle 24 which includes only 35% of the total events (i.e. 179 out of 514). Despite having smaller number of DH type II events in the Solar Cycle 24, it contains a significantly higher fraction of LFG events compared to the previous cycle (32% $versus$ 24%). However, within the LFG group the cycle 23 exhibits significant dominance of type II bursts that extend below 50 kHz, suggesting rich population of powerful CMEs travelling beyond half of the Sun-Earth distance. The events of LFG group display strongest association with faster and wider (more than 82% events are halo) CMEs while at the source location they predominantly trigger large M/X class flares (in more than 83% cases). Our analysis also indicates that CME initial speed or flare energetics are partly related with the duration of type II burst and that survival of CME associated shock is determined by multiple factors/parameters related to CMEs, flares, and state of coronal and interplanetary medium. The profiles relating CME heights with respect to the end frequencies of DH type II bursts suggest that for HFG and MFG categories, the location for majority of CMEs ($\approx$65%-70%) is in well compliance with ten-fold Leblanc coronal density model, while for LFG events a lower value of density multiplier ($\approx$3) seems to be compatible.