Solar Flare Induced Power Variation of Oscillations Around an Active Region.

Abstract

Active regions on the Sun are abundant with a variety of waves that are both acoustically helioseismic and magnetohydrodynamic in nature. The occurrence of a solar flare can disrupt these waves, by excitation of these waves moving through and around the solar atmosphere. This comprehensive study aims at understanding how acoustic wave modes are affected by the behavior of solar flares by studying the acoustic power of the waves during such events. Initially the chromosphere of the Sun is studied with GONG H-alpha to search for signals within a time series of images by producing multi-frequency power map movies utilizing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. Further in our study we take multi-wavelength measurements utilizing NASA’s SDO AIA 1700, 1600 and 304. We take a multi-wavelength observational approach to understand the source of these waves by studying active regions within different heights of the solar atmosphere. The study found that solar flares do enhance the acoustic power of the acoustic oscillations during the flare. The chromospheric GONG H-alpha line appears to have similar features with the SDO AIA 304. The study is in the initial stages of understanding the behaviors of these waves which could one day contribute to understanding the mechanism responsible for their formation.