TRACE Downflows and Energy ReleaseAyumi ASAIKwasan Observatory, Kyoto University

Magnetic Reconnection and the Dynamic Sun9 September, 2003 @St. Andrews

Downflow MotionYohkoh (SXT) has found downflows above post-flare loopsMcKenzie and Hudson 1999McKenzie 2000velocity: 45500 km/sdark featureoften seen in the decay phase of LDEsYohkoh/SXT : McKenzie 2000

TRACE DownflowRecently TRACE also has found the downflows above post-flare loops

Innes et al. (2003)spectroscopic analyses with SOHO/SUMERflow of rarefied plasma?

we examine such TRACE downflow motions with higher spatial resolutionwe examine evolution of the region where the downflows are seenex) : 21 April, 2002 flare

2002 July 23 FlareFlare 2002-July-23 00:15UT GOES X4.8 NOAA 0039 (SE limb)DataEUVTRACE (195)HXR...RHESSImicrowaveNoRHNOAA 0039GOES fluxNoRH 34GHzNoRH 17GHz00:0001:0002:00

TRACE (195) MovieEastWestEUV (195)images obtained with TRACE

This filter is sensitive to106 K plasmaand107 K plasma

TRACE (195) MovieEastWestRunning difference movie of TRACE 195images

Downflows are seen as dark features

Time Slice ImageTRACE 195Time slice imagedownflowsuper hot plasma (10MK) post-flare loop (1MK)time

Velocity of Downflowsdownflow velocity: 100 250 km/s ~previous resultsTime slice imageTRACE 195Aslit Bslit Aslit Bslit A

Time of DownflowsThese TRACE downflows are seen not only in the decay phase but also in the impulsive phase and main phase GOESNoRH 17GHzNoRH 34GHz00:0001:0002:00Time slice image

Timing of DownflowsTRACE 195Aslit Bslit AThe timings of the down flows correspond to microwave/HXR bursts.Time slice imageslit Bslit ARHESSI 50-100keV

Timing of DownflowsTRACE 195Aslit Bslit AThe timings of the down flows correspond to microwave/HXR bursts.Time slice imageslit Bslit ANoRH 17GHz

Ascending Loop TopTRACE 195Time slice imagesuper hot plasma (10MK) post-flare loop (1MK)timeascending velocity~ 40 km/s~ 20 km/s

Ascending Motion (TRACE)ascending velocity is enhanced when nonthermal bursts occurheightvelocitysuperhot region moving upward as the flare progressesHXRmicrowave

Ascending Motion (RHESSI)Krucker 2003heightvelocityHXR coronal source is also pushed upward when nonthermal bursts occurmicrowaveHXR

SummaryFeatures of the TRACE Downflow Motion speed : 100-250 km/s seen in the impulsive-main-decay phaseDownflows show good correlations with HXR/microwave burstsdownflows are closely related to reconnection outflow!?Superhot region ascends when the nonthermal bursts occur (Neupert effect)

Multiple Plasmoid EjectionTime slice image2000 November 24 flare shows many plasmoid ejections, and each of them is ejected at the time corresponding to the HXR burst.Takasaki (2003)Yohkoh/SXTMultiple plasmoid-ejections

Reconnection Outflow?Many plasmoids (magnetic islands) are formed in a current sheet.They consist the reconnection outflows.upward ejection :plasmoid ejectionsdownward ejection : downflowsplasmoid ejectiondownflows

What are Downflows?Tandokoro (2003)propagation of reconnection outflows

What are Downflows?simulationobservation

Evolution of Ha Ribbonprojectedseparation velocity~ 7 km/sslitcorrected separation velocity ~ 25 km/s