• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.65.1-65.1
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• 2013

The 2011 August 09 Flare is one of the largest X-ray flares of Sunspot Cycle 24 to attract a lot of attention for its various activities detected in coronal images. In this study we concern ourselves mostly on information of high energy electrons produced during this flare provided by hard X ray data from the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and radio data from the Korean Solar Radio Burst Locator (KSRBL) and Ondrejov. EUV images obtained by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory are used to provide the context of magnetic reconnection. In our results, (1) HXR spectra have a rich spectral morphology. Initially it could be fit by one thermal component (T~30MK) and one single power law nonthermal spectrum, but later a better fit could be made by introducing an additional thermal component (T~55 MK). (2) Time delays between the KSRBL burst and the RHESSI hard X-ray emission were found which are more obvious at low frequencies and insignificant at high frequencies. (3) The HXR source lies in the core of the quadrupolar active region. In our interpretation based on AIA 94 A images, the outer part of the active region erupted to be blown out, leaving the intense hard X-ray emission concentrated in the core. We relate the appearance of the second thermal component to the evolution of the AIA 171 and 94 A images. The time delays of microwave peaks to HXR peaks are interpreted as indicating presence of trapped electrons in larger closed magnetic loops. With these result we conclude that the hard X ray and microwaves are due to impulsive acceleration in the low and high heights and a sigmoidal reconnection scenario.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.501-507
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• 2004

The uniquely large dimensions of Giant radio galaxies (GRGs) make it possible to probe for stringent limits on total energy content, Faraday rotation, Alfven speeds, particle transport and radiation loss times. All of these quantities are more stringently limited or specified for GRG's than in more 'normal' FRII radio sources. I discuss how both global and detailed analyses of GRG's lead to constraints on the CR electron acceleration mechanisms in GRG's and by extension in all FRII radio sources. The properties of GRG's appear to rule out large scale Fermi-type shock acceleration. The plasma parameters in these systems set up conditions that are favorable for magnetic reconnection, or some other very efficient process of conversion of magnetic to particle energy. We conclude that whatever mechanism operates in GRG's is probably the primary extragalactic CR acceleration mechanism in the Universe.

• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Korean Journal of Geophysical Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.6-23
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• 1994

A disconnection event (DE) of the cometary plasma tail is one of most spectacular phenomena observed in comets. Yet, for years it has remained one of the great unsolved problems I astronomy and space physics. The solar wind is thought to play a major role in the creation of comet plasma tail (type Ⅰ) disconnection events. The goal of this paper is to present a mechanism that explains the disconnection event in terms of the local conditions at the comet. Comparison of the solar wind conditions and 16 DEs in Halley's comet shows that DEs are associated primarily with crossings of the heliospheric sector boundary and apparently not with any other properties of the solar wind, such as a high speed stream[Yi et al., 1994]. A 3-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation in this paper supports this association by showing that only front-side magnetic reconnection between the reversed interplanetary magnetic fields that exist when a comet crosses the heliospheric sector boundary [Niedner and Brandt, 1978] could reproduce the morphology of a DE, including ray formation [Brandt, 1982].

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.45.1-45.1
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• 2010

Using SOHO particle and EUV detection and radio spectrograms from both ground-based and spaceborne instruments, we have studied the first phase of major solar energetic particle (SEP) events associated with wide and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) centered at different solar longitudes. Observations support the idea that acceleration of SEPs starts in the helium-rich plasma of the eruption's core well behind the CME leading edge, in association with coronal shocks and magnetic reconnection caused by the CME liftoff; and those "coronal" components dominate during the first ~1.5 hour of the SEP event, not yet being hidden by the CME-bow shock in solar wind. At magnetic connection to the eruption's periphery, onset of SEP emission is delayed for a time of the lateral expansion that is visualized by global coronal (EIT) wave. The first, "coronal" phase of SEP acceleration is followed by a second phase associated with CME-driven shock wave in solar wind, which accelerates high-energy ions from a helium-poor particle population until the interplanetary shock slows down to below 1000 km/s. Based on these and other SOHO observations, we discuss what findings can be expected from STEREO in the SOHO era perspective.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.451-466
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• 2009

While substorms are known to generally occur under southward IMF conditions, they can sometimes occur even under northward IMF conditions. In this paper, we studied the substorms that occurred in May, 2000 to 2002 to examine some statistical characteristics of the IMF and solar wind associated with northward IMF substorms. We focused on the cases where two or more substorms occurred successively under northward IMF conditions. Also, by checking Sym-H index associated with each of the substorms we determined whether or not there is any association of such northward IMF substorm occurrence with storm times. We also examined statistical properties at geosynchronous altitude in terms of magnetic field dipolarization and energetic particle injection. The following results were obtained. (i) Most of the northward IMF substorms occurred under average solar wind conditions. The majority of them occurred within 2 hrs duration of northward IMF Bz state, but there are also a nonnegligible number of substorms that occurred after a longer duraiton of northward IMF Bz state. (ii) While most of the substorms occurred as isolated from a magnetic storm time, those that occurred in a magnetic storm time show a higher average value of IMF and solar wind than that for the isolated substorms. (iii) About 55% of the substorms were associated with the IMF clock angle that can possibly allow dayside reconnection, and the other 45% were associated with more or less pure northward IMF conditions. Therefore, for the latter cases, the energy input from the solar wind into the magnetosphere should be made by other way than the dayside reconnection. (iv) For most of the substorms, the magnetic field dipolarizations and energetic particle injections at geosynchronous altitude were identified to be generally weak. But, several events indicated strong magnetic field dipolarizations and energetic particle injections.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.42.1-42.1
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• 2016

The formation process and the dynamical properties of a large-scale quasi-circular flare ribbon were investigated using the SDO AIA and HMI data along with data from RHESSI and SOT. Within one hour time interval, two subsequent M-class flares were detected from the NOAA 12371 that had a ${\beta}{\gamma}{\delta}$ configuration with one bipolar sunspot group in the east and one unipolar spot in the west embedded in a decayed magnetic field. Earlier M2.0 flare was associated with a coronal loop eruption, and a two-ribbon structure formed within the bipolar sunspot group. On the other hand, the later M2.6 flare was associated with a halo CME, and a quasi-circular ribbon developed encircling the full active region. The observed quasi-circular ribbon was strikingly large in size spanning 650" in north-south and 500" in east-west direction. It showed the well-known sequential brightening in the clockwise direction during the decay phase of the M2.6 flare at the estimated speed of 160.7 km s-1. The quasi-circular ribbon also showed the radial expansion, especially in the southern part. Interestingly, at the time of the later M2.6 flare, the third flare ribbon parallel to the early two-ribbon structure also developed near the unipolar sunspot, then showed a typical separation in pair with the eastern most ribbon of the early two ribbons. The potential field reconstruction based on the PFSS model showed a fan shaped magnetic configuration including fan-like field lines stemming from the unipolar spot and fanning out toward the background decayed field. This large-scale fan-like field overarched full active region, and the footpoints of fan-like field lines were co-spatial with the observed quasi-circular ribbon. From the NLFF magnetic field reconstruction, we confirmed the existence of a twisted flux rope structure in the bipolar spot group before the first M2.0 flare. Hard X-ray emission signatures were detected at the site of twisted flux rope during the pre-flare phase of the M2.0 flare. Based on the analysis of both two-ribbon structure and quasi-circular ribbon, we suggest that a tether-cutting reconnection between sheared arcade overarching the twisted flux rope embedded in a fan-like magnetic field may have triggered the first M2.0 flare, then secondary M2.6 flare was introduced by the fan-spine reconnection because of the interaction between the expanding field and the nearby quasi-null and formed the observed large-scale quasi-circular flare ribbon.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 2008

On August 31, 2001, ${\sim}$ 1705 - 1718 UT, Cluster was located near the midnight magnetotail, GSE (x, y, z) ${\sim}$ (-19, - 2,2) RE, and observed fast earthward flow bursts in the vicinity of the neutral sheet. They occurred while the tail magnetic field suddenly increased. Using simultaneous measurements in the solar wind, at geosynchronous orbit, and on the ground, it is confirmed that tail magnetic field enhancement is due to an increased solar wind pressure. In the neutral sheet region, strongly enhanced earthward flow bursts perpendicular to the local magnetic field $(V_{{\perp}x})$ were observed. Auroral brightenings localized in the pre-midnight sector (${\sim}$ 2200 - 2400 MLT) occurred during the interval of the $V_{{\perp}x}$ enhancements. The $V_{{\perp}x}$ bursts started ${\sim}$ 2 minutes before the onset of auroral brightenings. Our observations suggest that the earthward flow bursts are associated with tail reconnection directly driven by a solar wind pressure impulse and that $V_{{\perp}x}$ caused localized auroral brightenings.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.26.1-26.1
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• 2010

In this talk we outline the current understanding of solar flares, mainly focusing on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes. A flare causes plasma heating, mass ejection, and particle acceleration which generates high-energy particles. The key physical processes producing a flare are: the emergence of magnetic field from the solar interior to the solar atmosphere (flux emergence), formation of current-concentrated areas (current sheets) in the corona, and magnetic reconnection proceeding in a current sheet to cause shock heating, mass ejection, and particle acceleration. A flare starts with the dissipation of electric currents in the corona, followed by various dynamic processes that affect lower atmosphere such as the chromosphere and photosphere. In order to understand the physical mechanism for producing a flare, theoretical modeling has been develops, where numerical simulation is a strong tool in that it can reproduce the time-dependent, nonlinear evolution of a flare. In this talk we review various models of a flare proposed so far, explaining key features of individual models. We introduce the general properties of flares by referring observational results, then discuss the processes of energy build-up, release, and transport, all of which are responsible for a flare. We will come to a concluding viewpoint that flares are the manifestation of the recovering and ejecting processes of a global magnetic flux tube in the solar atmosphere, which has been disrupted via interaction with convective plasma while rising through the convection zone.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 1989

Magnetospheic substorm in the magnetotail region is studied numerically by means of a three dimensional MHD code. The analytic solution for the quiet magnetotail is employed as an initial configuration. The localized solar wind is modeled to enter the simulation domain through the boundaries located in the magnetotail lobe region. As a result of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere, the magnetic field lines are stretched, and the plasma sheet becomes thinner and thinner. When the current driven resistivity is generated, magnetic reconnection is triggered by this resistivity. The resulting plasma jetting is found to be super-magnetosonic. Although the plasmoid formation and its tailward motion is not quite clear as in the two dimensional simulation, which is mainly because of the numerical model chosen for the present simulation, the rarification of the plasmas near the x-point is observed. Field aligned currents are observed in the late expansive stage of the magnetospheric substorm. These field aligned currents flow from the tail toward the ionosphere on the dawn side from the ionosphere to ward the tail on the dusk side, namely in the same sense of the region 1 current. As the field aligned currents develop, it is found that the cross tail current in the earth side midnight section of the magnetic x-point is reduced.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.25.1-25.1
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• 2010

This talk outlines the current understanding of solar flares, mainly focusing on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes. A flare causes plasma heating, mass ejection, and particle acceleration that generates high-energy particles. The key physical processes related to a flare are: the emergence of magnetic field from the solar interior to the solar atmosphere (flux emergence), formation of current-concentrated areas (current sheets) in the corona, and magnetic reconnection proceeding in current sheets that causes shock heating, mass ejection, and particle acceleration. A flare starts with the dissipation of electric currents in the corona, followed by various dynamic processes which affect lower atmospheres such as the chromosphere and photosphere. In order to understand the physical mechanism for producing a flare, theoretical modeling has been developed, in which numerical simulation is a strong tool reproducing the time-dependent, nonlinear evolution of plasma before and after the onset of a flare. In this talk we review various models of a flare proposed so far, explaining key features of these models. We show observed properties of flares, and then discuss the processes of energy build-up, release, and transport, all of which are responsible for producing a flare. We come to a concluding view that flares are the manifestation of recovering and ejecting processes of a global magnetic flux tube in the solar atmosphere, which was disrupted via interaction with convective plasma while it was rising through the convection zone.