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Yohkoh observations of the creation of high-temperature plasma in the flare of 16 December 1991

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Abstract

Yohkoh observations of an impulsive solar flare which occurred on 16 December, 1991 are presented. This flare was a GOES M2.7 class event with a simple morphology indicative of a single flaring loop. X-ray images were taken with the Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) and soft X-ray spectra were obtained with the Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) on board the satellite. The spectrometer observations were made at high sensivity from the earliest stages of the flare, are continued throughout the rise and decay phases, and indicate extremely strong blueshifts, which account for the majority of emission in Caxix during the initial phase of the flare. The data are compared with observations from other space and ground-based instruments. A balance calculation is performed which indicates that the energy contained in non-thermal electrons is sufficient to explain the high temperature plasma which fills the loop. The cooling of this plasma by thermal conduction is independently verified in a manner which indicates that the loop filling factor is close to 100%. The production of ‘superhot’ plasma in impulsive events is shown to differ in detail from the morphology and mechanisms appropriate for more gradual events.

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Author notes

  1. M. Inda-Koide

    Present address: Department of Electronics and Information, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama University, 3190 Gokufu, 930, Toyama, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, RH5 6NT, Holmbury, UK

    J. L. Culhane, A. T. Phillips, A. Fludra & R. D. Bentley

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo, 113, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    M. Inda-Koide & K. Makishima

  3. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 181, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan

    T. Kosugi, T. Sakao & T. Sakurai

  4. Hida Observatory, Kyoto Observatory, 506-13, Kamitakara, Gifu, Japan

    H. Kurokawa

  5. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, OX11 0QX, Chilton, Didcot, UK

    C. D. Pike

  6. US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., USA

    G. A. Doschek

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  1. J. L. Culhane
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  2. A. T. Phillips
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  3. M. Inda-Koide
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  4. T. Kosugi
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  6. H. Kurokawa
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  7. K. Makishima
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  8. C. D. Pike
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  9. T. Sakao
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  11. G. A. Doschek
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  12. R. D. Bentley
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Culhane, J.L., Phillips, A.T., Inda-Koide, M. et al. Yohkoh observations of the creation of high-temperature plasma in the flare of 16 December 1991. Sol Phys 153, 307–336 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00712508

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00712508

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