Abstract
Using a newly developed Aerospace digital videomagnetograph, three solar active regions are studied as to their magnetic configurations and their flare productivity. These three regions have very different types of magnetic configurations and different types of flare productivity. We review previous theoretical and experimental research on flares and magnetic energy storage, and discuss various ways to observe magnetic energy release due to flares. Results for six subflares are presented. Five showed no measurable magnetic energy change and one result is questionable.
We show three counterexamples to Zirin's (1972) contention that as a rule Hα plage brightness is proportional to magnetic field strength. Each of these three cases involved two plage regions of the same polarity and equal field strengths with one of the plages adjacent to a neutral line. In all three cases the plage region nearer the neutral line was much brighter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alfvén, H. and Carlquist, P.: 1967, Solar Phys. 1, 220.
Elliot, H.: 1969, in C. de Jager and Z. Švestka (ed.), Solar Flares and Space Research, Proc. XI COSPAR Symp. at Tokyo, North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, p. 356.
Evans, J. W.: 1959, Astron. J. 64, 330.
Frazier, E. N.: 1971, private communication.
Gopasyak, S. I.: 1961, Soviet Astron. - A J 5, 158.
Howard, R. and Severny, A. B.: 1963, Astrophys. J. 137, 1242.
Hyder, C. L.: 1967, Solar Phys. 2, 49 and 267.
Janssens, T. J. and Baker, N. K.: 1971, in R. Howard (ed), ‘Solar Magnetic Fields’, IAU Symp. 43, 44.
Malville, J. M. and Tandberg-Hanssen, E.: 1969, Solar Phys. 6, 278.
Mayfield, E. B.: 1971, in R. Howard (ed.), ‘Solar Magnetic Fields’, IAU Symp. 43, 376.
Osterbrock, D. E.: 1961, Astrophys. J. 134, 347.
Pneuman, G. W.: 1968, Solar Phys. 2, 462.
Severny, A. B.: 1969, in Annals of the IQSY 3, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., p. 11.
Solar-Geophysical Data, No. 321 Part II, 89, May 1971a, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80302).
Solar-Geophysical Data, No. 323 Part II, 79, July 1971b, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80302).
Solar-Geophysical Data, No. 328 Part II, 62, December 1971c, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80302).
Sturrock, P. A. and Coppi, B. A.: 1966, Astrophys. J. 143, 3.
Sweet, P. A.: 1969, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 7, 149.
Vrabec, D.: 1971, R. Howard (ed.), ‘Solar Magnetic Fields’, IAU Symp. 43, 329.
Wilson, P. R.: 1972, Solar Phys. 21, 101.
Zirin, H.: 1972, Solar Phys. 22, 34.
Zvereva, A. M. and Severny, A. B.: 1970, Izv. Krymsk. Astrofiz. Obs. 41–42, 98.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Janssens, T.J. Flares, magnetic configurations, and magnetic energy release. Sol Phys 27, 149–163 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00151779
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00151779