A Multi-Peak Solar Flare with a High Turnover Frequency of The Gyrosynchrotron Spectra from the Loop-Top Source

TL;DR

This study analyzes a complex solar flare with multiple peaks and high turnover frequency, revealing that particle acceleration occurs near the loop-top and providing insights into flare reconnection processes.

Contribution

It presents detailed spectral and spatial analysis of a high-turnover frequency solar flare, offering new constraints on electron acceleration and magnetic reconnection.

Findings

Microwave sources originate near the loop-top with frequency-dependent spatial dispersion.

Sequential appearance of new flaring loops causes source movement and multiple peaks.

Higher turnover frequency correlates with stronger peak intensity and harder spectra.

Abstract

The origin of multiple peaks in lightcurves of various wavelengths remains illusive during flares. Here we discuss the flare of SOL2023-05-09T03:54M6.5 with six flux peaks as recorded by a tandem of new microwave and Hard X-ray instruments. According to its microwave spectra, the flare represents a high-turnover frequency (>15 GHz) event. The rather-complete microwave and HXR spectral coverage provides a rare opportunity to uncover the origin of such event together with simultaneous EUV images. We concluded that (1) the microwave sources originates around the top section of the flaring loops with a trend of source spatial dispersion with frequency;(2) the visible movement of the microwave source from peak to peak originates from the process of new flaring loops appearing sequentially along the magnetic neutral line; 3) the optically-thin microwave spectra are hard with the indices varying from -1.2 to -0.4, and the turnover frequency always exceeds 15 GHz; 4) higher turnover/peak frequency corresponds to stronger peak intensity and harder optically-thin spectra. Using the Fokker-Planck and GX simulator codes we obtained a good fit to the observed microwave spectra and spatial distribution of the sources at all peaks, if assuming the radiating energetic electrons have the same spatial distribution and single-power-law spectra but with the number density varying in a range of 30%. We conclude that the particle acceleration in this flare happens in a compact region nearing the looptop. These results provide new constraints on the acceleration of energetic electrons and the underlying flare intermittent reconnection process.