arXiv subjects

Chengrui Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Chengrui Zhou.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Resolved magnetohydrodynamic wave lensing in the solar corona

Electromagnetic wave lensing, a common physical phenomenon recognized in visible light for centuries, finds extensive applications in manipulating light in optical systems such as telescopes and cameras. Magnetohydrodynamic wave is a common perturbation phenomenon in the corona. By using high spatio-temporal resolution observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, here, we report the observation of a magnetohydrodynamic wave lensing in the highly ionized and magnetized coronal plasma, where quasi-periodic wavefronts emanated from a flare converged at a specific point after traversing a coronal hole. The entire process resembles an electromagnetic wave lensing from the source to the focus. Meanwhile, the magnetohydrodynamic wave lensing is well reproduced through a magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulation with full spatio-temporal resolution. We further investigate potential applications for coronal seismology, as the lensing process encodes information on the Alfvén speed, in conjunction with favorable geometric and density variations.

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arXiv2024

Double-decker Pair of Flux Ropes Formed by Two Successive Tether-cutting Eruptions

Double-decker filaments and their eruptions have been widely observed in recent years, but their physical formation mechanism is still unclear. Using high spatiotemporal resolution, multi-wavelength observations taken by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we show the formation of a double-decker pair of flux rope system by two successive tether-cutting eruptions in a bipolar active region. Due to the combined effect of photospheric shearing and convergence motions around the active region's polarity inversion line (PIL), the arms of two overlapping inverse-S-shaped short filaments reconnected at their intersection, which created a simultaneous upward-moving magnetic flux rope (MFR) and a downward-moving post-flare-loop (PFL) system striding the PIL. Meanwhile, four bright flare ribbons appeared at the footpoints of the newly formed MFR and the PFL. As the MFR rose, two elongated flare ribbons connected by a relatively larger PFL appeared on either side of the PIL. After a few minutes, another MFR formed in the same way at the same location and then erupted in the same direction as the first one. Detailed observational results suggest that the eruption of the first MFR might experienced a short pause before its successful eruption, while the second MFR was a failed eruption. This implies that the two newly formed MFRs might reach a new equilibrium at relatively higher heights for a while, which can be regarded as a transient double-decker flux rope system. The observations can well be explained by the tether-cutting model, and we propose that two successive confined tether-cutting eruptions can naturally produce a double-decker flux rope system, especially when the background coronal magnetic field has a saddle-like distribution of magnetic decay index profile in height.

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arXiv2024

Consecutive Narrow and Broad Quasi-periodic Fast-propagating Wave Trains Associated with a Flare

The excitation mechanism of coronal quasi-period fast-propagating (QFP) wave trains remains unresolved. Using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory observations, we study a narrow and a broad QFP wave train excited one after another during the successive eruptions of filaments hosted within a fan-spine magnetic system on 2013 October 20. The consecutive occurrence of these two types of QFP wave trains in the same event provides an excellent opportunity to explore their excitation mechanisms and compare their physical parameters. Our observational results reveal that narrow and broad QFP wave trains exhibit distinct speeds, periods, energy fluxes, and relative intensity amplitudes, although originating from the same active region and being associated with the same {\em GOES} C2.9 flare. Using wavelet analysis, we find that the narrow QFP wave train shares a similar period with the flare itself, suggesting its possible excitation through the pulsed energy release in the magnetic reconnection process that generated the accompanying flare. On the other hand, the broad QFP wave train appears to be associated with the energy pulses released by the successive expansion and unwinding of filament threads. Additionally, it is plausible that the broad QFP wave train was also excited by the sequential stretching of closed magnetic field lines driven by the erupting filament. These findings shed light on the different excitation mechanisms and origins of the QFP wave trains.

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arXiv2023

Stereoscopic Observation of Simultaneous Longitudinal and Transverse Oscillations in a Single Filament Driven by Two-sided-loop Jet

We report the first observations of simultaneous large-amplitude longitudinal and transverse oscillations of a quiescent filament trigged by a two-sided-loop jet formed by the magnetic reconnection between the filament and an emerging loop in the filament channel, recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory. The north arm of the jet firstly pushed the filament mass moving northwardly along the magnetic field lines consisting of the coronal cavity, then some elevated filament mass fell back and started to oscillate longitudinally at the bottom of the cavity (i.e., the magnetic dip). The northernmost part of the filament also showed transverse oscillation simultaneously. The amplitude and period of the longitudinal (transverse) oscillation are 12.96 (2.99) Mm and 1.18 (0.33) hours, respectively. By using the method of filament seismology, the radius of curvature of the magnetic dip is about 151 Mm, consistent with that obtained by the 3D reconstruction (166 Mm). Using different physical parameters of the observed longitudinal and transverse oscillations, the magnetic field strength of the filament is estimated to be about 23 and 21 Gauss, respectively. By calculating the energy of the moving filament mass, the minimum energy of the jet is estimated to be about 1.96 x 10^28 erg. We conclude that the newly formed jet can not only trigger simultaneous longitudinal and transverse oscillations in a single filament, but also can be used as a seismology tool for diagnosing filament information, such as the magnetic structure, magnetic field strength, and magnetic twists.

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arXiv2022

Recurrent narrow quasi-periodic fast-propagating wave trains excited by the intermittent energy release in the accompanying solar flare

About the driven mechanisms of the quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) wave trains, there exist two dominant competing physical explanations: associated with the flaring energy release or attributed to the waveguide dispersion. Employing Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 171 A images, we investigated a series of QFP wave trains composed of multiple wavefronts propagating along a loop system during the accompanying flare on 2011 November 11. The wave trains showed a high correlation in start time with the energy release of the accompanying flare. Measurements show that the wave trains phase speed is almost consistent with its group speed with a value of about 1000 km s-1, indicating that the wave trains should not be dispersed waves. The period of the wave trains was the same as that of the oscillatory signal in X ray emissions released by the flare. Thus we propose that the QFP wave trains were most likely triggered by the flare rather than by dispersion. We investigated the seismological application with the QFP waves and then obtained that the magnetic field strength of the waveguide was about 10 Gauss. Meanwhile, we also estimated that the energy flux of the wave trains was about 1.2X105 erg cm-2 s-1.

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arXiv2022

White-light QFP Wave Train and the Associated Failed Breakout Eruption

Quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) magnetosonic wave trains are commonly observed in the low corona at extreme ultraviolet wavelength bands. Here, we report the first white-light imaging observation of a QFP wave train propagating outwardly in the outer corona ranging from 2 to 4 solar Radii. The wave train was recorded by the Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and it was associated with a GOES M1.5 flare in NOAA active region AR12172 at the southwest limb of the solar disk. Measurements show that the speed and period of the wave train were about 218 km/s and 26 minutes, respectively. The extreme ultraviolet imaging observations taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory reveals that in the low corona the QFP wave train was associated with the failed eruption of a breakout magnetic system consisting of three low-lying closed loop systems enclosed by a high-lying large-scale one. Data analysis results show that the failed eruption of the breakout magnetic system was mainly because of the magnetic reconnection occurred between the two sided low-lying closed-loop systems. This reconnection enhances the confinement capacity of the magnetic breakout system because the upward-moving reconnected loops continuously feed new magnetic fluxes to the high-lying large-scale loop system. For the generation of the QFP wave train, we propose that it could be excited by the intermittent energy pulses released by the quasi-periodic generation, rapid stretching and expansion of the upward-moving, strongly bent reconnected loops.

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arXiv2022

Stereoscopic diagnosing of a filament-cavity flux rope system by tracing the path of a two-sided-loop jet

The fine magnetic structure is vitally important to understanding the formation, stabilization and eruption of solar filaments, but so far, it is still an open question yet to be resolved. Using stereoscopic observations taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Solar TErrestrial RElations Obsevatory, we studied the generation mechanism of a two-sided-loop jet (TJ) and the ejection process of the jet plasma into the overlying filament-cavity system. We find that the generation of the two-sided-loop jet was due to the magnetic reconnection between an emerging flux loop and the overlying filament. The jet's two arms ejected along the filament axis during the initial stage. Then, the north arm bifurcated into two parts at about 50 Mm from the reconnection site. After the bifurcation, the two bifurcated parts were along the filament axis and the cavity which hosted the filament, respectively. By tracing the ejecting plasma flows of the TJ inside the filament, we not only measured that the magnetic twist stored in the filament was at least 5$π$ but also found that the fine magnetic structure of the filament-cavity flux rope system is in well agreement with the theoretical results of Magnetic flux rope models.

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arXiv2022

Observations of a Flare-ignited broad Quasi-periodic Fast-propagating wave train

Large-scale Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) waves are frequently observed as an accompanying phenomenon of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Previous studies mainly focus on EUV waves with single wavefronts that are generally thought to be driven by the lateral expansion of CMEs. Using high spatio-temporal resolution multi-angle imaging observations taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, we present the observation of a broad quasi-periodic fast propagating (QFP) wave train composed of multiple wavefronts along the solar surface during the rising phase of a GOES M3.5 flare on 2011 February 24. The wave train transmitted through a lunate coronal hole (CH) with a speed of 840 +/-67 km/s, and the wavefronts showed an intriguing refraction effect when they passed through the boundaries of the CH. Due to the lunate shape of the CH, the transmitted wavefronts from the north and south arms of the CH started to approach each other and finally collided, leading to the significant intensity enhancement at the collision site. This enhancement might hint the occurrence of interference between the two transmitted wave trains. The estimated magnetosonic Mach number of the wave train is about 1.13, which indicates that the observed wave train was a weak shock. Period analysis reveals that the period of wave train was $\sim$90 seconds, in good agreement with that of the accompanying flare. Based on our analysis results, we conclude that the broad QFP wave train was a large-amplitude fast-mode magnetosonic wave or a weak shock driven by some non-linear energy release processes in the accompanying flare.

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arXiv2022

Homologous Accelerated Electron Beams, Quasi-periodic fast-propagating Wave and CME Observed in one Fan-spine Jet

Using imaging and radio multi-wavelength observations, we studied the origin of two homologous accelerated electron beams and a quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) wave train associated with a solar jet on 2012 July 14. The jet occurred in a small-scale fan-spine magnetic system embedding in a large-scale pseudostreamer, which associated with a GOES C1.4 flare, a jet-like coronal mass ejection (CME), a type II radio burst, and a type III radio burst. During the initial stage, a QFP wave train and a fast moving on-disk radio source were detected in succession ahead of the jet along the outer spine of the fan-spine system. When the jet reached a height of about 1.3 solar radii, it underwent a bifurcation into two branches. Based on our analysis results, all the observed phenomena in association with the jet can be explained by using a fan-spine magnetic system. We propose that both the type III radio burst and the on-disk fast moving radio source were caused by the same physical process, i.e., the energetic electrons accelerated by the magnetic reconnection at the null point, and they were along the open field lines of the pseudostreamer and the closed outer spine of the fan-spine structure, respectively. Due to the bifurcation of the jet body, the lower branch along the closed outer spine of the fan-spine structure fell back to the solar surface, while the upper branch along the open field lines of the pseudostreamer caused the jet-like CME in the outer corona.

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arXiv2021

Coronal Quasi-periodic Fast-mode Propagating Wave Trains

QFP wave trains in the corona have been studied intensively in the past decade, thanks to the full-disk, high spatiotemporal resolution, and wide-temperature coverage observations taken by the SDO/AIA. In AIA observations, QFP wave trains are seen to consist of multiple coherent and concentric wavefronts emanating successively near the epicenter of the accompanying flares; they propagate outwardly either along or across coronal loops at fast-mode magnetosonic speeds from several hundred to more than 2000 km/s, and their periods are in the range of tens of seconds to several minutes. Based on the distinct different properties of QFP wave trains, they might be divided into two distinct categories including narrow and broad ones. For most QFP wave trains, some of their periods are similar to those of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in the accompanying flares, indicating that they are probably different manifestations of the same physical process. Currently, candidate generation mechanisms for QFP wave trains include two main categories: pulsed energy excitation mechanism in association with magnetic reconnection and dispersion evolution mechanism related to the dispersive evolution of impulsively generated broadband perturbations. In addition, the generation of some QFP wave trains might be driven by the leakage of three and five minute oscillations from the lower atmosphere. As one of the new discoveries of SDO, QFP wave trains provide a new tool for coronal seismology to probe the corona parameters, and they are also useful for diagnosing the generation of QPPs, flare processes including energy release and particle accelerations. This review aims to summarize the main observational and theoretical results of the spatially-resolved QFP wave trains in extreme ultraviolet observations, and states briefly a number of questions that deserve further investigations.

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arXiv2021

Total reflection of a flare-driven quasi-periodic EUV wave train at a coronal hole boundary

The reflection, refraction, and transmission of large-scale extreme ultraviolet (EUV) waves (collectively, secondary waves) have been observed during their interactions with coronal structures such as active regions (ARs) and coronal holes (CHs). However, the effect of the total reflection of EUV waves has not been reported in the literature. Here, we present the first unambiguous observational evidence of the total reflection of a quasi-periodic EUV wave train during its interaction with a polar CH. The event occurred in NOAA AR 12473, located close to the southeast limb of the solar disk, and was characterized by a jet-like CME. In this study, we focus in particular on the driving mechanism s of the quasi-periodic wave train and the total reflection effect at the CH boundary. We find that the periods of the incident and the reflected wave trains are both about 100 seconds. The excitation of the quasi-periodic wave train was possibly due to the intermittent energy release in the associated flare since its period is similar to that of the quasi-periodic pulsations in the associated flare. Our observational results showed that the reflection of the wave train at the boundary of the CH was a total reflection because the measured incidence and critical angles satisfy the theory of total reflection, i.e., the incidence angle is less than the critical angle.

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arXiv2021

Sympathetic Filament Eruptions within a Fan-spine Magnetic System

It is unclear whether successive filament eruptions at different sites within a short time interval are physically connected or not. Here, we present the observations of the successive eruptions of a small and a large filament in a tripolar magnetic field region whose coronal magnetic field showed as a fan-spine magnetic system. By analyzing the multi-wavelength observations taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) and the extrapolated three-dimensional coronal magnetic field, we find that the two filaments resided respectively in the two lobes that make up the inner fan structure of the fan-spine magnetic system. In addition, a small fan-spine system was also revealed by the squashing factor Q map, which located in the east lobe of the fan structure of the large fan-spine system. The eruption of the small filament was a failed filament eruption, which did not cause any coronal mass ejection (CME) except for three flare ribbons and two post-flare-loop systems connecting the three magnetic polarities. The eruption of the large filament not only caused similar post-flare-loop systems and flare ribbons as observed in the small filament eruption, but also a large-scale CME. Based on our analysis results, we conclude that the two successive filament eruptions were physically connected, in which the topology change caused by the small filament eruption is thought to be the physical linkage. In addition, the eruption of the small fan-spine structure further accelerated the instability and violent eruption of the large filament.

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arXiv2021

CME-Driven and Flare-Ignited Fast Magnetosonic Waves Successively Detected in a Solar Eruption

We present SDO/AIA observation of three types of fast-mode propagating magnetosonic waves in a GOES C3.0 flare on 2013 April 23, which was accompanied by a prominence eruption and a broad coronal mass ejection (CME). During the fast rising phase of the prominence, a large-scale dome-shaped extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wave firstly formed ahead of the CME bubble and propagated at a speed of about 430 km/s in the CME's lateral direction. One can identify the separation process of the EUV wave from the CME bubble. The reflection effect of the on-disk counterpart of this EUV wave was also observed when it interacted with a remote active region. Six minutes after the first appearance of the EUV wave, a large-scale quasi-periodic EUV train with a period of about 120 seconds appeared inside the CME bubble, which emanated from the flare epicenter and propagated outward at an average speed up to 1100 km/s. In addition, another narrow quasi-periodic EUV wave train was observed along a closed-loop system connecting two adjacent active regions, which also emanated from the flare epicenter, propagated at a speed of about475 km/s and with a period of about 110 seconds. We propose that all the observed waves are fast-mode magnetosonic waves, in which the large-scale dome-shaped EUV wave ahead of the CME bubble was driven by the expansion of the CME bubble, while the large-scale quasi-periodic EUV train within the CME bubble and the narrow quasi-periodic EUV wave train along the closed-loop system were excited by the intermittent energy-releasing process in the flare. Coronal seismology application and energy carried by the waves are also estimated based on the measured wave parameters.

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arXiv2021

Sympathetic Standard and Blowout Coronal Jets Observed in a Polar Coronal Hole

We present the sympathetic eruption of a standard and a blowout coronal jets originating from two adjacent coronal bright points (CBP1 and CBP2) in a polar coronal hole, using soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet observations respectively taken by the Hinode and the Solar Dynamic Observatory. In the event, a collimated jet with obvious westward lateral motion firstly launched from CBP1, during which a small bright point appeared around CBP1's east end, and magnetic flux cancellation was observed within the eruption source region. Based on these characteristics, we interpret the observed jet as a standard jet associated with photosperic magnetic flux cancellation. About 15 minutes later, the westward moving jet spire interacted with CBP2 and resulted in magnetic reconnection between them, which caused the formation of the second jet above CBP2 and the appearance of a bright loop system in-between the two CBPs. In addition, we observed the writhing, kinking, and violent eruption of a small kink structure close to CBP2's west end but inside the jet-base, which made the second jet brighter and broader than the first one. These features suggest that the second jet should be a blowout jet triggered by the magnetic reconnection between CBP2 and the spire of the first jet. We conclude that the two successive jets were physically connected to each other rather than a temporal coincidence, and this observation also suggests that coronal jets can be triggered by external eruptions or disturbances, besides internal magnetic activities or magnetohydrodynamic instabilities.

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arXiv2021

Measuring three-dimensional shapes of stable solar prominences using stereoscopic observations from SDO and STEREO

Although the real shapes and trajectories of erupting solar prominences in three dimensions have been intensively studied, the three-dimensional (3D) shapes of stable prominences before eruptions have not been measured accurately so far. We intend to make such a measurement to constrain 3D prominence models and to extend our knowledge of prominences. Using multiperspective observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board SDO and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board STEREO, we reconstructed 3D coordinates of three stable prominences: a quiescent, an intermediate, and a mixed type. Based on the 3D coordinates, we measured the height, length, and inclination angle of the legs of these prominences. To study the spatial relationship between the footpoints of prominences and photospheric magnetic structures, we also used the Global Oscillation Network Group H alpha images and magnetograms from the HMI on board the SDO. In three stable prominences, we find that the axes of the prominence legs are inclined by 68 degrees on average to the solar surface. Legs at different locations along a prominence axis have different heights with a two- to threefold difference. Our investigation suggests that over 96% of prominence footpoints in a sample of 70 footpoints are located at supergranular boundaries. The widths of two legs have similar values measured in two orthogonal lines of sight. We also find that a prominence leg above the solar limb showed horizontal oscillations with larger amplitudes at higher locations. With a limited image resolution and number of cases, our measurement suggests that the legs of prominences may have various orientations and do not always stand vertically on the surface of the sun. Moreover, the locations of prominence legs are closely related to supergranules.

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arXiv2019

Round-trip Slipping Motion of the Circular Flare Ribbon Evidenced in a Fan-spine Jet

A solar jet on 2014 July 31, which was accompanied by a GOES C1.3 flare and a mini-filament eruption at the jet base, was studied by using observations taken by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamic Observatory. Magnetic field extrapolation revealed that the jet was confined in a fan-spine magnetic system that hosts a null point at the height of about 9 Mm from the solar surface. An inner flare ribbon surrounded by an outer circular ribbon and a remote ribbon were observed to be associated with the eruption, in which the inner and remote ribbons respectively located at the footprints of the inner and outer spines, while the circular one manifested the footprint of the fan structure. It is interesting that the circular ribbon's west part showed an interesting round-trip slipping motion, while the inner ribbon and the circular ribbon's east part displayed a northward slipping motion. Our analysis results indicate that the slipping motions of the inner and the circular flare ribbons reflected the slipping magnetic reconnection process in the fan quasi-separatrix layer, while the remote ribbon was associated with the magnetic reconnection at the null point. In addition, the filament eruption was probably triggered by the magnetic cancellation around its south end, which further drove the slipping reconnection in the fan quasi-separatrix layer and the reconnection at the null point.

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arXiv2019

Stereoscopic Observations of an Erupting Mini-filament Driven Two-Sided-Loop Jet and the Applications for Diagnosing Filament Magnetic field

The ubiquitous solar jets or jet-like activities are generally regarded as an important source of energy and mass input to the upper solar atmosphere and the solar wind. However, questions about their triggering and driving mechanisms are not completely understood. By taking advantage of high temporal and high spatial resolution stereoscopic observations taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), we report an intriguing two-sided-loop jet occurred on 2013 June 02, which was dynamically associated with the eruption of a mini-filament below an overlying large filament, and two distinct reconnection processes are identified during the formation stage. The SDO observations reveals that the two-sided-loop jet showed a concave shape with a projection speed of about 80 - 136. From the other view angle, the STEREO ahead observations clearly showed that the trajectory of the two arms of the two-sided-loop were along the cavity magnetic field lines hosting the large filament. Contrary to the well-accepted theoretical model, the present observation sheds new light on our understanding of the formation mechanism of two-sided-loop jets. Moreover, the eruption of the two-sided-loop jet not only supplied mass to the overlying large filament, but also provided a rare opportunity to diagnose the magnetic structure of the overlying large filament via the method of three-dimensional reconstruction.

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