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Zhenyong Hou

Publications and source records attributed to Zhenyong Hou.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Simultaneous detection of flare-associated kink oscillations and extreme-ultraviolet waves

Kink oscillations, which are frequently observed in coronal loops and prominences, are often accompanied by extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) waves. However, much more needs to be explored regarding the causal relationships between kink oscillations and EUV waves. In this article, we report the simultaneous detection of kink oscillations and EUV waves that are both associated with an X2.1 flare on 2023 March 03 (SOL2023-03-03T17:39). The kink oscillations, which are almost perpendicular to the axes of loop-like structures, are observed in three coronal loops and one prominence. One short loop shows in-phase oscillation within the same period of 5.2 minutes at three positions. This oscillation could be triggered by the pushing of an expanding loop and interpreted as the standing kink wave. Time lags are found between the kink oscillations of the short loop and two long loops, suggesting that the kink wave travels in different loops. The kink oscillations of one long loop and the prominence are possibly driven by the disturbance of the CME, and that of another long loop might be attributed to the interaction of the EUV wave. The onset time of the kink oscillation of the short loop is nearly same as the beginning of an EUV wave. This fact demonstrates that they are almost simultaneous. The EUV wave is most likely excited by the expanding loop structure and shows two components. The leading component is a fast coronal wave, and the trailing one could be due to the stretching magnetic field lines.

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The triggering process of an X-class solar flare on a small quadrupolar active region

The occurrence of X-class solar flares and their potential impact on the space weather often receive great attention than other flares. But predicting when and where an X-class flare will occur is still a challenge. With the multi-wavelength observation from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and FengYun- 3E satellite, we investigate the triggering of a GOES X1.0 flare occurring in the NOAA active region (AR) 12887. Our results show that this unique X-class flare is bred in a relatively small but complex quadrupolar AR. Before the X-class flare, two filaments (F1 and F2) exist below a null-point topology of the quadrupolar AR. Magnetic field extrapolation and observation reveal that F1 and F2 correspond to two magnetic flux ropes with the same chirality and their adjacent feet rooted at nonconjugated opposite polarities, respectively. Interestingly, these two polarities collide rapidly, accompanied by photospheric magnetic flux emergence, cancellation and shear motion in the AR center. Above this site, F1 and F2 subsequently intersect and merge to a longer filament (F3) via a tether-cutting-like reconnection process. As a result, the F3 rises and erupts, involving the large-scale arcades overlying filament and the quadrupolar magnetic field above the AR, and eventually leads to the eruption of the X-class flare with a quasi-X-shaped flare ribbon and a coronal mass ejection. It suggests that the rapid collision of nonconjugated opposite polarities provides a key condition for the triggering of this X-class flare, and also provides a featured case for flare trigger mechanism and space weather forecasting.

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Internal activities in a solar filament and heating to its threads

Filaments are one of the most common features in the solar atmosphere, and are of significance in solar, stellar and laboratory plasma physics. Using data from the Chinese H$α$ Solar Explorer, the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we report on multiwavelength imaging and spectral observations of the activation of a small filament. The filament activation produces several localized dynamic brightenings, which are probably produced by internal reconnections of the braided magnetic fields in the filament. The filament expands during the activation and its threads reconnect with the ambient magnetic fields, which leads to the formation of hot arcades or loops overlying the filament. The thermal energy of each of these localized brightenings is estimated in the order of $10^{25}-10^{27} erg$ and the total energy is estimated to be $\sim1.77 \times 10^{28} erg$. Our observations demonstrate that the internal magnetic reconnections in the filament can lead to localized heating to the filament threads and prompt external reconnections with ambient corona structures, and thus could contribute to the energy and mass transferring into the corona.

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Observation of two splitting processes in a partial filament eruption on the sun: the role of breakout reconnection

Partial filament eruptions have often been observed, however, the physical mechanisms that lead to filament splitting are not yet fully understood. In this study, we present a unique event of a partial filament eruption that undergoes two distinct splitting processes. The first process involves vertical splitting and is accompanied by brightenings inside the filament, which may result from internal magentic reconnection within the filament. Following the first splitting process, the filament is separated into an upper part and a lower part. Subsequently, the upper part undergoes a second splitting, which is accompanied by a coronal blowout jet. An extrapolation of the coronal magnetic field reveals a hyperbolic flux tube structure above the filament, indicating the occurrence of breakout reconnection that reduces the constraning field above. Consequently, the filament is lifted up, but at a nonuniform speed. The high-speed part reaches the breakout current sheet to generate the blowout jet, while the low-speed part falls back to the solar surface, resulting in the second splitting. In addition, continuous brightenings are observed along the flare ribbons, suggesting the occurrence of slipping reconnection process. This study presents, for the first time, the unambiguous observation of a two-stage filament splitting process, advancing our understanding of the complex dynamics of solar eruptions.

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A Type II Radio Burst Driven by a Blowout Jet on the Sun

Type II radio bursts are often associated with coronal shocks that are typically driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun. Here, we conduct a case study of a type II radio burst that is associated with a C4.5 class flare and a blowout jet, but without the presence of a CME. The blowout jet is observed near the solar disk center in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) passbands with different characteristic temperatures. Its evolution involves an initial phase and an ejection phase with a velocity of 560 km/s. Ahead of the jet front, an EUV wave propagates at a projected velocity of 403 km/s in the initial stage. The moving velocity of the source region of the type II radio burst is estimated to be 641 km/s, which corresponds to the shock velocity against the coronal density gradient. The EUV wave and the type II radio burst are closely related to the ejection of the blowout jet, suggesting that both are likely the manifestation of a coronal shock driven by the ejection of the blowout jet. The type II radio burst likely starts lower than those associated with CMEs. The combination of the velocities of the radio burst and the EUV wave yields a modified shock velocity at 757 km/s. The Alfven Mach number is in the range of 1.09-1.18, implying that the shock velocity is 10%-20% larger than the local Alfven velocity.

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Traveling kink oscillations of coronal loops launched by a solar flare

We investigate the traveling kink oscillation triggered by a solar flare on 2022 September 29. The observational data is mainly measured by the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager (SUTRI), the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX). The transverse oscillations with apparent decaying in amplitudes, which are nearly perpendicular to the oscillating loop, are observed in passbands of SUTRI 465 A, AIA 171 A, and 193 A. The decaying oscillation is launched by a solar flare erupted closely to one footpoint of coronal loops, and then it propagates along several loops. Next, the traveling kink wave is evolved to a standing kink oscillation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the evolution of a traveling kink pulse to a standing kink wave along coronal loops. The standing kink oscillation along one coronal loop has a similar period of about 6.3 minutes at multiple wavelengths, and the decaying time is estimated to about 9.6-10.6 minutes. Finally, two dominant periods of 5.1 minutes and 2.0 minutes are detected in another oscillating loop, suggesting the coexistence of the fundamental and third harmonics.

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Why "solar tsunamis" rarely leave their imprints in the chromosphere

Solar coronal waves frequently appear as bright disturbances that propagate globally from the eruption center in the solar atmosphere, just like the tsunamis in the ocean on Earth. Theoretically, coronal waves can sweep over the underlying chromosphere and leave an imprint in the form of Moreton wave, due to the enhanced pressure beneath their coronal wavefront. Despite the frequent observations of coronal waves, their counterparts in the chromosphere are rarely detected. Why the chromosphere rarely bears the imprints of solar tsunamis remained a mystery since their discovery three decades ago. To resolve this question, all coronal waves and associated Moreton waves in the last decade have been initially surveyed, though the detection of Moreton waves could be hampered by utilising the low-quality H$α$ data from Global Oscillations Network Group. Here, we present 8 cases (including 5 in Appendix) of the coexistence of coronal and Moreton waves in inclined eruptions where it is argued that the extreme inclination is key to providing an answer to address the question. For all these events, the lowest part of the coronal wavefront near the solar surface appears very bright, and the simultaneous disturbances in the solar transition region and the chromosphere predominantly occur beneath the bright segment. Therefore, evidenced by observations, we propose a scenario for the excitation mechanism of the coronal-Moreton waves in highly inclined eruptions, in which the lowest part of a coronal wave can effectively disturb the chromosphere even for a weak (e.g., B-class) solar flare.

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Heating of quiescent coronal loops caused by nearby eruptions observed with the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager

How structures, e.g., magnetic loops, in the upper atmosphere, i.e., the transition region and corona, are heated and sustained is one of the major unresolved issues in solar and stellar physics. Various theoretical and observational studies on the heating of coronal loops have been undertaken. The heating of quiescent loops caused by eruptions is, however, rarely observed. In this study, employing data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar Upper Transition Region Imager (SUTRI), we report the heating of quiescent loops associated with nearby eruptions. In active regions (ARs) 13092 and 13093, a long filament and a short filament, and their overlying loops are observed on 2022 September 4. In AR 13093, a warm channel erupted toward the northeast, whose material moved along its axis toward the northwest under the long filament, turned to the west above the long filament, and divided into two branches falling to the solar surface. Subsequently, the short filament erupted toward the southeast. Associated with these two eruptions, the quiescent loops overlying the long filament appeared in SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) high-temperature images, indicating the heating of loops. During the heating, signature of magnetic reconnection between loops is identified, including the inflowing motions of loops, and the formation of X-type structures and newly reconnected loops. The heated loops then cooled down. They appeared sequentially in AIA and SUTRI lower-temperature images. All the results suggest that the quiescent loops are heated by reconnection between loops caused by the nearby warm channel and filament eruptions.

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The Solar Upper Transition Region Imager (SUTRI) onboard the SATech-01 satellite

The Solar Upper Transition Region Imager (SUTRI) onboard the Space Advanced Technology demonstration satellite (SATech-01), which was launched to a sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 500 km in July 2022, aims to test the on-orbit performance of our newly developed Sc-Si multi-layer reflecting mirror and the 2kx2k EUV CMOS imaging camera and to take full-disk solar images at the Ne VII 46.5 nm spectral line with a filter width of 3 nm. SUTRI employs a Ritchey-Chretien optical system with an aperture of 18 cm. The on-orbit observations show that SUTRI images have a field of view of 41.6'x41.6' and a moderate spatial resolution of 8" without an image stabilization system. The normal cadence of SUTRI images is 30 s and the solar observation time is about 16 hours each day because the earth eclipse time accounts for about 1/3 of SATech-01's orbit period. Approximately 15 GB data is acquired each day and made available online after processing. SUTRI images are valuable as the Ne VII 46.5 nm line is formed at a temperature regime of 0.5 MK in the solar atmosphere, which has rarely been sampled by existing solar imagers. SUTRI observations will establish connections between structures in the lower solar atmosphere and corona, and advance our understanding of various types of solar activity such as flares, filament eruptions, coronal jets and coronal mass ejections.

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Cross-loop propagation of a quasi-periodic extreme-ultraviolet wave train triggered by successive stretching of magnetic field structures during a solar eruption

Solar extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) waves generally refer to large-scale disturbances propagating outward from sites of solar eruptions in EUV imaging observations. Using the recent observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we report a quasi-periodic wave train propagating outward at an average speed of $\sim$308 km s$^{-1}$. At least five wavefronts can be clearly identified with the period being $\sim$120 s. These wavefronts originate from the coronal loop expansion, which propagates with an apparent speed of $\sim$95 km s$^{-1}$, about 3 times slower than the wave train. In the absence of a strong lateral expansion, these observational results might be explained by the theoretical model of Chen et al. (2002), which predicted that EUV waves may have two components: a faster component that is a fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave or shock wave and a slower apparent front formed as a result of successive stretching of closed magnetic field lines. In this scenario, the wave train and the successive loop expansion we observed likely correspond to the fast and slow components in the model, respectively.

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A new post-hoc flat field measurement method for the Solar X-ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard the Fengyun-3E satellite

The extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations are widely used in solar activity research and space weather forecasting since they can observe both the solar eruptions and the source regions of the solar wind. Flat field processing is indispensable to remove the instrumental non-uniformity of a solar EUV imager in producing high-quality scientific data from original observed data. Fengyun-3E (FY-3E) is a meteorological satellite operated in Sun-synchronous orbit, and the routine EUV imaging data from the Solar X-ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (X-EUVI) onboard FY-3E has the characteristics of concentric rotation. Taking advantage of the concentric rotation, we propose a post-hoc flat field measurement method for its EUV 195 channel in this paper. This method removes small-scale and time-varying component of the coronal activities by taking the median value for each pixel along the time axis of a concentric rotation data cube, and then derives large-scale and invariable component of the quiet coronal radiation, and finally generates a flat field image. Analysis shows that our method is able to measure the instrumental spot-like non-uniformity possibly caused by contamination on the detector, which mostly disappears after the in-orbit self-cleaning process. It can also measure the quasi-periodic grid-like non-uniformity, possibly from the obscuration of the support mesh on the rear filter. After flat field correction, these instrumental non-uniformities from the original data are effectively removed. X-EUVI 195 data after dark and flat field corrections are consistent with the 193 channel data from SDO/AIA, verifying the suitability of the method. Our method is not only suitable for FY-3E/X-EUVI but also a candidate method for the flat field measurement of future solar EUV telescopes.

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Detection of Flare-induced Plasma Flows in the Corona of EV Lac with X-ray Spectroscopy

Stellar flares are characterized by sudden enhancement of electromagnetic radiation from the atmospheres of stars. Compared to their solar counterparts, our knowledge on the coronal plasma dynamics of stellar flares and their connection to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) remains very limited. With time-resolved high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the \textit{Chandra} X-ray observatory, we detected noticeable coronal plasma flows during several stellar flares on a nearby dMe star EV Lac. In the observed spectra of O~{\sc{viii}} (3 MK), Fe~{\sc{xvii}} (6 MK), Mg~{\sc{xii}} (10 MK), and Si~{\sc{xiv}} (16 MK) lines, these flare-induced upflows/downflows appear as significant Doppler shifts of several tens to \speed{130}, and the upflow velocity generally increases with temperature. Variable line ratios of the Si~{\sc{xiii}} triplet reveal that these plasma flows in most flares are accompanied by an increase of the coronal plasma density and temperature. We interpret these results as X-ray evidences for chromospheric evaporation on EV Lac. In two successive flares, the plasma flow pattern and a sharp increase of the measured coronal density are highly suggestive of explosive evaporation. The transition from redshifts to blueshifts in such an explosive evaporation occurs at a temperature of at least 10 MK, much higher than that observed in solar flares ($\sim$1 MK). However, in one flare the cool and warm upflows appear to be accompanied by a decreasing plasma density, which might be explained by a stellar filament/prominence eruption coupled to this flare. These results provide important clues to understand the coronal plasma dynamics during flares on M dwarfs.

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Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic observations of the line-of-sight velocity of a solar eruption on October 28, 2021

The propagation direction and true velocity of a solar coronal mass ejection, which are among the most decisive factors for its geo-effectiveness, are difficult to determine through single-perspective imaging observations. Here we show that Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic observations, together with imaging observations, could allow us to solve this problem. Using observations of the Extreme-ultraviolet Variability Experiment onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we found clear blue-shifted secondary emission components in extreme ultraviolet spectral lines during a solar eruption on October 28, 2021. From simultaneous imaging observations, we found that the secondary components are caused by a mass ejection from the flare site. We estimated the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity of the ejecta from both the double Gaussian fitting method and the red-blue asymmetry analysis. The results of both methods agree well with each other, giving an average LOS velocity of the plasma of $\sim 423~\rm{km~s^{-1}}$. From the $304$ Å~image series taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory-A (STEREO-A) spacecraft, we estimated the plane-of-sky (POS) velocity from the STEREO-A viewpoint {to be around $587~\rm{km~s^{-1}}$}. The full velocity of the bulk motion of the ejecta was then computed by combining the imaging and spectroscopic observations, which turns out to be around $596~\rm{km~s^{-1}}$ with an angle of $42.4^\circ$ to the west of the Sun-Earth line and $16.0^\circ$ south to the ecliptic plane.

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Three-dimensional Propagation of the Global EUV Wave associated with a solar eruption on 2021 October 28

We present a case study for the global extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wave and its chromospheric counterpart `Moreton-Ramsey wave' associated with the second X-class flare in Solar Cycle 25 and a halo coronal mass ejection (CME). The EUV wave was observed in the H$α$ and EUV passbands with different characteristic temperatures. In the 171 Å and 193/195 Å images, the wave propagates circularly with an initial velocity of 600-720 km s$^{-1}$ and a deceleration of 110-320 m s$^{-2}$. The local coronal plasma is heated from log(T/K)=5.9 to log(T/K)=6.2 during the passage of the wavefront. The H$α$ and 304 Å images also reveal signatures of wave propagation with a velocity of 310-540 km s$^{-1}$. With multi-wavelength and dual-perspective observations, we found that the wavefront likely propagates forwardly inclined to the solar surface with a tilt angle of ~53.2$^{\circ}$. Our results suggest that this EUV wave is a fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic wave or shock driven by the expansion of the associated CME, whose wavefront is likely a dome-shaped structure that could impact the upper chromosphere, transition region and corona.

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Coronal Condensation as the Source of Transition Region Supersonic Downflows above a Sunspot

Plasma loops or plumes rooted in sunspot umbrae often harbor downflows with speeds of 100 km/s. These downflows are supersonic at transition region temperatures of 0.1 MK. The source of these flows is not well understood. We aim to investigate the source of sunspot supersonic downflows (SSDs) in AR 12740 using simultaneous spectroscopic and imaging observations. We identified SSD events from multiple raster scans of a sunspot by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, and calculated the electron densities, mass fluxes and velocities of these SSDs. The EUV images provided by the AIA onboard the SDO and the EUVI onboard the STEREO were employed to investigate the origin of these SSDs and their associated coronal rain. Almost all the identified SSDs appear at the footpoints of sunspot plumes and are temporally associated with appearance of chromospheric bright dots inside the sunspot umbra. Dual-perspective EUV imaging observations reveal a large-scale closed magnetic loop system spanning the sunspot region and a remote region. We observed that the SSDs are caused by repeated coronal rain that forms and flows along these closed magnetic loops toward the sunspot. One episode of coronal rain clearly indicates that reconnection near a coronal X-shaped structure first leads to the formation of a magnetic dip. Subsequently, hot coronal plasma catastrophically cools from 2 MK in the dip region via thermal instability. This results in the formation of a transient prominence in the dip, from which the cool gas mostly slides into the sunspot along inclined magnetic fields under the gravity. This drainage process manifests as a continuous rain flow, which lasts for around 2 hrs and concurrently results in a nearly steady SSD event. Our results demonstrate that coronal condensation in magnetic dips can result in the quasi-steady sunspot supersonic downflows.

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Statistical properties of Hα jets in the polar coronal hole and their implications in coronal activities

Dynamic features, such as chromospheric jets, transition region network jets, coronal plumes and coronal jets, are abundant in the network regions of the solar polar coronal holes. We investigate the relationship between chromospheric jets and coronal activities (e.g., coronal plumes and jets).We analyze observations of a polar coronal hole including the filtergrams that were taken by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) at the Hα-0.6 Åto study the Hα jets,and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 171 Å images to follow the evolution of coronal activities. Hα jets are persistent in the network regions, only some regions (denoted as R1-R5) are rooted with discernible coronal plumes.With an automated method, we identify and track 1 320 Hα jets in the network regions. We find that the average lifetime, height and ascending speed of the Hα jets are 75.38 s, 2.67 Mm, 65.60 km s$^{-1}$, respectively. The Hα jets rooted in R1-R5 are higher and faster than those in the others. We also find that propagating disturbances (PDs) in coronal plumes have a close connection with the Hα jets. The speeds of 28 out of 29 Hα jets associated with PDs are about 50 km s$^{-1}$ . In a case of coronal jet, we find that the speeds of both the coronal jet and the Hα jet are over 150 km s$^{-1}$, suggesting that both cool and hot jets can be coupled together. Based on our analyses, it is evident that more dynamic Hα jets could release the energies to the corona, which might be the results of the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHi) or small-scaled magnetic activities. We suggest that chromospheric jets, transition region network jets and ray-like features in the corona are coherent phenomena, and they are important tunnels for cycling energy and mass in the solar atmosphere.

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Coronal microjets in quiet-Sun regions observed with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard Solar Orbiter

We report the smallest coronal jets ever observed in the quiet Sun with recent high resolution observations from the High Resolution Telescopes (HRI-EUV and HRI-Lyα) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard Solar Orbiter. In the HRI-EUV (174 Å) images, these microjets usually appear as nearly collimated structures with brightenings at their footpoints. Their average lifetime, projected speed, width, and maximum length are 4.6 min, 62 km s^(-1), 1.0 Mm, and 7.7 Mm, respectively. Inverted-Y shaped structures and moving blobs can be identified in some events. A subset of these events also reveal signatures in the HRI-Lyα (H I Lyα at 1216 Å) images and the extreme ultraviolet images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Our differential emission measure analysis suggests a multi-thermal nature and an average density of ~1.4x10^9 cm^(-3) for these microjets. Their thermal and kinetic energies were estimated to be ~3.9x10^24 erg and ~2.9x10^23 erg, respectively, which are of the same order of the released energy predicted by the nanoflare theory. Most events appear to be located at the edges of network lanes and magnetic flux concentrations, suggesting that these coronal microjets are likely generated by magnetic reconnection between small-scale magnetic loops and the adjacent network field.

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Dynamics in the transition region beneath active region upflows viewed by IRIS

Coronal upflows at the edges of active regions (AR), which are a possible source of slow solar wind, have been found to connect with dynamics in the transition region. To infer at what scale transition region dynamics connect to AR upflows, we investigate the statistical properties of the small-scale dynamics in the transition region underneath the upflows at the edge of AR NOAA 11934. With observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectragraph (IRIS), we found that the Si IV 1403\,Å Doppler map consists of numerous blue-shifted and red-shifted patches mostly with sizes less than 1\,$Mm^2$. The blue-shifted structures in the transition region tend to be brighter than the red-shifted ones, but their nonthermal velocities have no significant difference. With the SWAMIS feature tracking procedure, in IRIS slit-jaw 1400\,Å images we found that dynamic bright dots with an average size of about 0.3\,$Mm^2$ and lifetimes mostly less than 200\,s spread all over the region. Most of the bright dots appear to be localised, without clear signature of propagation of plasma to a long distance on the projection plane. Surge-like motions with speeds about 15 km/s could be seen in some events at the boundaries of the upflow region, where the magnetic field appear to be inclined. We conclude that the transition region dynamics connecting to coronal upflows should occur in very fine scale, suggesting that the corresponding coronal upflows should also be highly-structured. It is also plausible that the transition region dynamics might just act as stimulation at the coronal base that then drives the upflows in the corona.

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