Statistical analysis of circular-ribbon flares

TL;DR

This study provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of 134 circular-ribbon solar flares, examining their physical properties, associations with other solar phenomena, and distribution patterns, revealing insights into their magnetic topology and eruptive behavior.

Contribution

It offers the first large-scale statistical characterization of CFs, including their physical parameters, correlations, and associations with other solar activities, enhancing understanding of their nature and behavior.

Findings

CFs are located in active regions within -30° to 30° latitude.

Area and lifetime distributions follow a log-normal pattern.

Peak SXR flux distribution follows a power-law with index -1.42.

Abstract

Circular-ribbon flares (CFs) are a special type of solar flares owing to their particular magnetic topology. In this paper, we conducted a comprehensive statistical analysis of 134 CFs from 2011 September to 2017 June, including four B-class, 82 C-class, 40 M-class, and eight X-class flares, respectively. The flares were observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. The physical properties of CFs are derived, including the location, area ($A_{CF}$), equivalent radius ($r_{CF}$) assuming a semi-spherical fan dome, lifetime ($\tau_{CF}$), and peak SXR flux in 1$-$8 {\AA}. It is found that all CFs are located in active regions, with the latitudes between -30$^\circ$ and 30$^\circ$. The distributions of areas and lifetimes could be fitted with a log-normal function. There is a positive correlation between the lifetime and area. The peak SXR flux in 1$-$8 {\AA} is well in accord with a power-law distribution with an index of $-$1.42. For the 134 CFs, 57\% of them are accompanied by remote brightenings or ribbons. A positive correlation exists between the total length ($L_{RB}$) and average distance ($D_{RB}$) of remote brightenings. About 47\% and 51\% of the 134 CFs are related to type III radio bursts and jets, respectively. The association rates are independent of flare energies. About 38\% of CFs are related to mini-filament eruptions, and the association rates increase with flare classes. Only 28\% of CFs are related to CMEs, meaning that a majority of them are confined rather than eruptive events. There is a positive correlation between the CME speed and peak SXR flux in 1$-$8 {\AA}, and faster CMEs tend to be wider.