Testing the Model of Oscillating Magnetic Traps

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to test the model of oscillating magnetic traps (the OMT model), proposed by Jakimiec and Tomczak (Solar Phys. 261, 233, 2010). This model describes the process of excitation of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) observed during solar flares. In the OMT model energetic electrons are accelerated within a triangular, cusp-like structure situated between the reconnection point and the top of a flare loop as seen in soft X-rays. We analyzed QPPs in hard X-ray light curves for 23 flares as observed by Yohkoh. Three independent methods were used. We also used hard X-ray images to localize magnetic traps and soft X-ray images to diagnose thermal plasmas inside the traps. We found that the majority of the observed pulsation periods correlates with the diameters of oscillating magnetic traps, as was predicted by the OMT model. We also found that the electron number density of plasma inside the magnetic traps in the time of pulsation disappearance is strongly connected with the pulsation period. We conclude that the observations are consistent with the predictions of the OMT model for the analyzed set of flares.

New Eyes Looking at Solar Activity: Challenges for Theory and Simulations – Placing It into Context

“…They discovered that an early detection of a rapidly developing, neutral line associated microwave source and an increasing magnetic-field gradient can be used as a factor in predicting large flares. Szaforz and Tomczak (2015) tested the model of oscillating magnetic traps with the hard X-ray light curves observed by the Yohkoh satellite. They conclude that the analyzed solar flare data are consistent with the predictions of the model on how quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) are excited.…”