A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Imaging and spectropolarimetric observations of a band-split type II solar radio burst with LOFAR
Authors: Normo, Sanna; Morosan, D. E.; Zhang, P.; Zucca, P.; Vainio, Rami
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Publishing place: LES ULIS CEDEX A
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Journal name in source: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Journal acronym: ASTRON ASTROPHYS
Article number: A175
Volume: 698
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 0004-6361
eISSN: 1432-0746
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202553702
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202553702
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499016188
Context. Type II solar radio bursts are generated by electrons accelerated by coronal shock waves. They appear in dynamic spectra as lanes drifting from higher to lower frequencies at the plasma frequency and its harmonic. These lanes can often be split into two or more sub-bands that have similar drift rates. This phenomenon is called band-splitting, and its physical origins are still under debate.
Aims. Our aim is to investigate the origin of band-splitting using novel imaging and spectropolarimetric observations of a type II solar radio burst from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR).
Methods. We used LOFAR imaging at multiple frequencies and time steps to track the locations of the radio sources corresponding to the two components of the band-split emission lane. In addition, we estimated the degree of circular polarisation (dcp) for both components using LOFAR's full Stokes dynamic spectra.
Results. From the imaging of the type II burst, we found two close but clearly separated emission regions clustered over several frequencies spanning each split band. One emission region corresponds to the lower frequency band and the other to the higher frequency band of the split lane. Using the full Stokes dynamic spectra, we also found the dcp to be very similar for both bands.
Conclusions. The two distinct emission regions suggest that the split bands originate from two separate regions at the shock. The similar values of dcp for both sub-bands correspond to similar values of magnetic field strength in the two regions and indicate little to no change in the emission region plasma. Thus, our findings are in contradiction with previous theories, which have suggested that split bands originate in the same region but upstream and downstream of the shock. Instead, our results suggest that both bands originate in two separate upstream regions since we find a clear separation in locations and no magnetic compression.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Funding information in the publication:
S.N. and D.E.M. acknowledge the Research Council of Finland project 'SolShocks' (grant number 354409). P. Z. acknowledges support for this research by the NASA Living with a Star Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, administered by UCAR's Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) under award 80NSSC22M0097. This study has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101134999 (SOLER). The paper reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. The research is performed under the umbrella of the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Research of Sustainable Space (FORESAIL) funded by the Research Council of Finland (grant no. 352847). The authors wish to acknowledge CSC - IT Center for Science, Finland, for computational resources. This paper is based on data obtained with the LOFAR telescope (LOFAR-ERIC) under project code LT16_001. LOFAR (van Haarlem et al. 2013) is the Low Frequency Array designed and constructed by ASTRON. It has observing, data processing, and data storage facilities in several countries, that are owned by various parties (each with their own funding sources), and that are collectively operated by the LOFAR European Research Infrastructure Consortium (LOFAR-ERIC) under a joint scientific policy. The LOFAR-ERIC resources have benefited from the following recent major funding sources: CNRS-INSU, Observatoire de Paris and Universite d'Orleans, France; BMBF, MIWF-NRW, MPG, Germany; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), Ireland; NWO, The Netherlands; The Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK; Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland.
