High-resolution Observations of an X6.4 Solar Flare in the Mid-infrared

Xu Yang; Wenda Cao; Meiqi Wang; Don Jennings; Jiong Qiu; Wen He; Solomon M. Perriyil; Vasyl Yurchyshyn; Lyndsay Fletcher; Paulo J. A. Simões; Murzy Jhabvala; Allen Lunsford; Xingyao Chen; Hugh Hudson

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adee95

The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2025)

High-resolution Observations of an X6.4 Solar Flare in the Mid-infrared

Xu Yang,
Wenda Cao,
Meiqi Wang,
Don Jennings,
Jiong Qiu,
Wen He,
Solomon M. Perriyil,
Vasyl Yurchyshyn,
Lyndsay Fletcher,
Paulo J. A. Simões,
Murzy Jhabvala,
Allen Lunsford,
Xingyao Chen,
Hugh Hudson

Affiliations

Xu Yang: ORCiD; Big Bear Solar Observatory, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 40386 N Shore Ln., Big Bear, CA 92314, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Wenda Cao: ORCiD; Big Bear Solar Observatory, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 40386 N Shore Ln., Big Bear, CA 92314, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Meiqi Wang: ORCiD; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Don Jennings: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD, USA
Jiong Qiu: ORCiD; Department of Physics, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Wen He: ORCiD; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Solomon M. Perriyil: ORCiD; Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics Mackenzie, School of Engineering, Mackenzie Presbyterian University , São Paulo, Brazil
Vasyl Yurchyshyn: ORCiD; Big Bear Solar Observatory, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 40386 N Shore Ln., Big Bear, CA 92314, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Lyndsay Fletcher: ORCiD; SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics, University of Oslo , P.O. Box 1029, Blindern, N-0315, Oslo, Norway
Paulo J. A. Simões: ORCiD; Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics Mackenzie, School of Engineering, Mackenzie Presbyterian University , São Paulo, Brazil; SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Murzy Jhabvala: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD, USA
Allen Lunsford: American University , Physics Department, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Xingyao Chen: ORCiD; Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology , 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
Hugh Hudson: ORCiD; SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adee95
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 988, no. 2
p. L56

Abstract

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We present a unique observation of the X6.4-class flare SOL2024-02-22T22:34 using the Mid-InfraRed Imager (MIRI) at the Goode Solar Telescope. Three ribbon-like flare sources and one unidentified source were detected in MIRI’s two mid-infrared (mid-IR) bands at 5.2 and 8.2 μ m. The two stronger ribbons displayed maximum mid-IR enhancements of 21% and 18% above quiet-Sun levels and 10% in Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) continuum intensity ( I _c ). The weak ribbon and the unidentified source had maximum mid-IR enhancements of 7% but showed HMI/ I _c dimmings, instead of excess emissions. Our result suggests that mid-IR emission forms in a higher layer during the flare and is more sensitive to flare heating than HMI/ I _c emission. The MIRI observations have high temporal resolution (2.6 s cadence in these observations) and show apparent source motions. One flare ribbon extends along weak vertical magnetic-field channels in the sunspot umbra, light bridge, and penumbra, with an approximately 30 s delay between HMI/ I _c and 8.2 μ m emissions. Meanwhile, the unidentified source moved at an apparent speed of 130 km s ^−1 from a mixed-polarity area to one flare ribbon with a strong HMI/ I _c enhancement. We studied available hard X-ray/microwave imaging spectroscopy and used nonlinear force-free field extrapolation modeling to identify flare structures. The observational evidence strongly favors the chromospheric origin of the unidentified mid-IR source. Comparison with the X1.0 flare SOL2022-10-02T20:25 indicates that the total amount of high-energy electron (>60 keV) flux density is a key factor in determining the total brightening area and the maximum intensity enhancement in HMI/ I _c emissions.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

ISSN: 2041-8205 (Print); 2041-8213 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205

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