Energy Release and Initiation of Sunquake in C-class Flare

Abstract

We present analysis of C7.0 solar flare of Febrary 17, 2013, revealing a strong helioseismic response (sunquake) caused by a very compact impact in the photosphere. This is the weakest known C-class flare generating a sunquake event. To investigate possible mechanisms of this event, and to understand the role of accelerated charged particles and photospheric electric currents, we use data from three space observatories: Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). We find that the photospheric flare impact does not spatially correspond to the strongest HXR emission source, but both of these events are parts of the same energy release. Our analysis reveals a close association of the flare energy release with a rapid increase of the electric currents, and suggests that the sunquake initiation is unlikely to be explained by the impact of high-energy electrons but may be associated with a rapid current dissipation or a localized impulsive Lorentz force.

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• Relationships between Photospheric Vertical Electric Currents and Hard X-Ray Sources in Solar Flares: Statistical Study
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• Evidence of the Relationship between the Emerging Magnetic Fields, Electric Currents, and Solar Flares Observed on May 10, 2012
• A Machine Learning Enhanced Approach for Automated Sunquake Detection in Acoustic Emission Maps