Size Distributions of Arcsecond-Scale Properties of Solar Flare Ribbons

TL;DR

This study analyzes the size distributions of solar flare ribbons at arcsecond scales, revealing power-law behaviors in timing and duration, and deviations in other parameters, providing insights into the physical processes of magnetic reconnection.

Contribution

It offers a detailed analysis of flare ribbon properties at arcsecond resolution, linking observed distributions to physical models like SOC and Poisson processes.

Findings

Waiting times follow power-law distributions consistent with nonstationary Poisson or SOC models.

Flaring durations also follow power laws with scattered slopes.

Peak intensity, energy, and magnetic field size distributions deviate from power laws.

Abstract

Solar flare ribbons are believed to map the footpoints of newly reconnected magnetic flux tubes, therefore shedding light on the reconnecting current sheet, which is rarely observed by direct imaging or spectroscopy. Here we study the detailed evolution of flare ribbons down to the arcsecond scale for 10 flares characterized by the classic double ribbons. Identifying the flaring pixels by combining the intensity variances of the UV filter ratio and intensity threshold, we found that the waiting time distributions of the flaring pixels are well described by power laws, distinct from those in the preflare or quiet-Sun regions, and that the power-law slopes are generally consistent with those predicted by nonstationary Poisson processes in the nonlinear regime or by the 2D/3D self-organized criticality (SOC) model. The size distributions for flaring duration also follow power laws but the slopes are more scattered. In contrast, the size distributions for other parameters, including peak intensity, energy, and radial magnetic field strength of the flaring pixels, deviate from power laws, and the estimated slopes significantly differ from the SOC predictions. These results suggest that a nonstationary Poisson process or an avalanche-like process might be ongoing in the temporal dimension in the reconnecting current sheet, but in other aspects, e.g., space- and energy-wise, the avalanche is likely modulated by other physical processes or the fine structures of the reconnecting current sheet.