arXiv subjects

Zhengyuan Tian

Publications and source records attributed to Zhengyuan Tian.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quadrupole White-light Sources in an X1.2 Flare Observed by ASO-S/LST/WST and SDO/HMI

We present observations of an X1.2 white-light flare on 2023 January 6, which exhibits a rare quadrupolar white-light source configuration. This event was observed by the White-light Solar Telescope (WST; 3600 Å) aboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI; 6173 Å) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Four flare-related footpoints (labeled as FP1--FP4) were nearly simultaneously identified in both WST 3600 Å and HMI 6173 Å continua, associated with a quadrupolar magnetic configuration and a failed filament eruption. The inner sources of FP1 and FP2 showed a similar enhancement of $\sim$65%/10% in the WST/HMI continuum, while the outer sources of FP3 and FP4 exhibited weaker responses. The inner footpoints had earlier responses in UV and EUV bands and were spatially coincident with the hard X-ray (HXR) footpoint sources. The two southern footpoints (FP2 and FP4) showed stronger HXR and white-light emissions than their northern counterparts (FP1 and FP3), with FP4 uniquely exhibiting a distinct HXR emission above 60 keV, in contrast to the absence of such an emission at FP3. Notably, faint WST 3600 Å enhancements at FP4 were observed during the gradual phase, temporally consistent with the fallback of filament material. This X1.2 flare presents a novel quadrupolar white-light structure, enriching our understanding of the generation and evolution of white-light flares.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Understanding the Lyα Emission Observed by the Solar Disk Imager Aboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory

The H I Lyman-alpha (Ly$α$) emission, with a wavelength of 1216 Å, is the brightest solar ultraviolet (UV) line. However, comprehensive observations of the Ly$α$ emission line across the full solar disk remain limited. As part of the ASO-S mission, the Solar Disk Imager (SDI) has successfully captured full-disk images in the Ly$α$ band. Gaussian fitting of SDI's spectral response function (SRF) yields a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of approximately 85 Å, which is significantly broader than the distance of Si III line at 1206 Å and the Ly$α$ line. Thus, the emission contribution of Si III to the SDI Ly$α$ passband needs to be considered. For flares, in practice, we calculated the integrated intensity ratio $I$(Si III)/$I$(Ly$α$) by analyzing spectral observations from the SOLSTICE instrument. It yields values between 1.7% and 14.6%. Empirically, the ratio is proportional to the SXR flux. Further analysis of spectral data from the SUMER instrument reveals that the ratio $I$(Si III)/$I$(Ly$α$) is approximately 0.5% for prominences, 0.7%--0.9% for the inner disk, and 1.4%--1.9% close to the limb. These findings suggest that $I$(Si III)/$I$(Ly$α$) is minimal for prominences and the inner disk, and the varying ratios across regions align with the center-to-limb variation of the Si III and Ly$α$ lines. Additionally, we compared Ly$α$ image intensity with 304 Å, 1600 Å, and 1700 Å observations from AIA, as well as H$α$ from CHASE, in multiple regions (a prominence region, two active regions, and a quiet region). A relatively higher correlation of about 85% is found between Ly$α$ and 304 Å in active regions, whereas in the quiet region and prominence, their correlation coefficients are about 55%.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Inflight Performance and Calibrations of the Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope on board the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory

The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST) on board the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) is the first payload to image the full solar disk and the solar corona in both white-light (WL) and ultraviolet (UV) H I Lya, extending up to 2.5 solar radii (Rs). Since the launch of the ASO-S on 9 October 2022, LST has captured various significant solar activities including flares, prominences, coronal mass ejections (CMEs). LST covers different passbands of 121.6 nm, 360 nm and 700 nm. The Lya Solar Disk Imager (SDI) has a field of view (FOV) of 38.4 arcmin and a spatial resolution of around 9.5 arcsec, while the White-Light Solar Telescope (WST) has a FOV of 38.43 arcmin and a spatial resolution of around 3.0 arcsec. The FOV of the Lya Solar Corona Imager (SCI) reaches 81.1 arcmin and its spatial resolution is 4.3 arcsec. The stray-light level in the 700 nm waveband is about 7.8e-6 MSB (mean solar brightness) at 1.1 Rs and 7.6e-7 MSB at 2.5 Rs, and in the Lya waveband it is around 4.3e-3 MSB at 1.1 Rs and 4.1e-4 MSB at 2.5 Rs. This article will detail the results from on-orbit tests and calibrations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Association between a Failed Prominence Eruption and the Drainage of Mass from Another Prominence

Sympathetic eruptions of solar prominences have been studied for decades, however, it is usually difficult to identify their causal links. Here we present two failed prominence eruptions on 26 October 2022 and explore their connections. Using stereoscopic observations, the south prominence (PRO-S) erupts with untwisting motions, flare ribbons occur underneath, and new connections are formed during the eruption. The north prominence (PRO-N) rises up along with PRO-S, and its upper part disappears due to catastrophic mass draining along an elongated structure after PRO-S failed eruption. We suggest that the eruption of PRO-S initiates due to a kink instability, further rises up, and fails to erupt due to reconnection with surrounding fields. The elongated structure connecting PRO-N overlies PRO-S, which causes the rising up of PRO-N along with PRO-S and mass drainage after PRO-S eruption. This study suggests that a prominence may end its life through mass drainage forced by an eruption underneath.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Spectral and Imaging Observations of a C2.3 White-Light Flare from the Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) and the Chinese H$α$ Solar Explorer (CHASE)

Solar white-light flares are characterized by an enhancement in the optical continuum, which are usually large flares (say X- and M-class flares). Here we report a small C2.3 white-light flare (SOL2022-12-20T04:10) observed by the \emph{Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory} and the \emph{Chinese H$α$ Solar Explorer}. This flare exhibits an increase of $\approx$6.4\% in the photospheric Fe \textsc{i} line at 6569.2\,Å and {$\approx$3.2\%} in the nearby continuum. The continuum at 3600\,Å also shows an enhancement of $\approx$4.7\%. The white-light brightening kernels are mainly located at the flare ribbons and co-spatial with nonthermal hard X-ray sources, which implies that the enhanced white-light emissions are related to nonthermal electron-beam heating. At the brightening kernels, the Fe \textsc{i} line displays an absorption profile that has a good Gaussian shape, with a redshift up to $\approx$1.7 km s$^{-1}$, while the H$α$ line shows an emission profile though having a central reversal. The H$α$ line profile also shows a red or blue asymmetry caused by plasma flows with a velocity of several to tens of km s$^{-1}$. It is interesting to find that the H$α$ asymmetry is opposite at the conjugate footpoints. It is also found that the CHASE continuum increase seems to be related to the change of photospheric magnetic field. Our study provides comprehensive characteristics of a small white-light flare that help understand the energy release process of white-light flares.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

A Statistical Study of Solar White-Light Flares Observed by the White-light Solar Telescope of the Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope on the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S/LST/WST) at 360 nm

Solar white-light flares (WLFs) are those accompanied by brightenings in the optical continuum or integrated light. The White-light Solar Telescope (WST), as an instrument of the Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST) on the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), provides continuous solar full-disk images at 360 nm, which can be used to study WLFs. We analyze 205 major flares above M1.0 from October 2022 to May 2023 and identify 49 WLFs at 360 nm from WST observations, i.e. with an occurrence rate of 23.9%. The percentages of WLFs for M1 - M4 (31 out of 180), M5 - M9 (11 out of 18), and above X1 (7 for all) flares are 17.2%, 61.1%, and 100%, respectively, namely the larger the flares, the more likely they are WLFs at 360 nm. We further analyze 39 WLFs among the identified WLFs and investigate their properties such as white-light enhancement, duration, and brightening area. It is found that the relative enhancement of the white-light emission at 360 nm is mostly (>90%) less than 30% and the mean enhancement is 19.4%. The WLFs' duration at 360 nm is mostly (>80%) less than 20 minutes and its mean is 10.3 minutes. The brightening area at 360 nm is mostly (>75%) less than 500 arcsecond2 and the median value is 225. We find that there exist good correlations between the white-light enhancement/duration/area and the peak soft X-ray (SXR) flux of the flare, with correlation coefficients of 0.68, 0.58, and 0.80, respectively. In addition, the white-light emission in most WLFs peaks around the same time as the temporal derivative of SXR flux as well as the hard X-ray emission at 20 - 50 keV, indicative of Neupert effect. It is also found that the limb WLFs are more likely to have a greater enhancement, which is consistent with numerical simulations.

astro-ph.SR↗