Coronal flux tube illuminated by strong shock spot: New Year's Eve solar eruption of 2023-Dec-31

TL;DR

This study analyzes a major solar eruption on December 31, 2023, linking coronal shock dynamics with radio emissions, energetic particles, and magnetic structures using combined observational and simulation techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method combining coronal shock reconstruction with MHD simulations to explain radio spectra and shock features during a solar eruption.

Findings

High Mach number shock regions explain EUV and radio features.

Shock interaction with pseudo-streamer cusp observed.

Type II radio burst linked to shock and current sheet interaction.

Abstract

Powerful solar eruptions are known to produce fast and wide shock waves in the solar corona and inner heliosphere. The relationship between the coronal shock waves, solar energetic particles and different types of radio emission is a subject of long-lasting research activity. In this work, we perform a case study of 31 December 2023 eruption that occurred near eastern limb of the Sun. It produced a X5.0 class X-ray flare, a global EUV wave, a fast $\sim3000$ km/s Coronal Mass Ejection, strong radio emissions (including several type III and type II bursts), solar energetic particles in-situ, and long duration high-energy gamma-ray emission. We employ a technique that combines the reconstructed coronal shock from observations with background coronal MHD simulations to produce shock-mediated synthetic radio spectrum, assuming local emission at plasma frequency. We show that transient high Mach number and quasi-perpendicular coronal shock region explains both a ``hot flux tube'' precursor seen in EUV observations and reverse drifting radio spectral features observed by ground-based facilities. The occurrence of this evanescent strong shock patch was observed when it propagated across pseudo-streamer's cusp where the magnetic field was particularly low. We also find evidence that, at higher coronal altitudes, the low-frequency type II radio burst detected by several spacecraft, is triggered by the interaction of the shock with the heliospheric current sheet. This study provides additional evidence that high-$M_A$ regions of coronal shock surface are instrumental in energetic particle phenomenology.