6533b7defe1ef96bd12768fd
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Bright hot impacts by erupted fragments falling back on the Sun: a template for stellar accretion.
Giovanni PeresGiovanni PeresSalvatore OrlandoPaola TestaEnrico LandiCarolus J. SchrijverFabio RealeFabio Realesubject
PhysicsMultidisciplinarySolar flareInfraredAstrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical PhenomenaYoung stellar objectAstronomyAstrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic AstrophysicsAstrophysicsPlasmamedicine.disease_causeAccretion (astrophysics)AstrophysicProtein filamentStarsSettore FIS/05 - Astronomia E AstrofisicaSolar PhysicHydrodynamicsmedicineAstrophysics::Solar and Stellar AstrophysicsAstrophysics::Earth and Planetary AstrophysicsAstrophysics::Galaxy AstrophysicsUltravioletdescription
Impacts of falling fragments observed after the eruption of a filament in a solar flare on 7 June 2011 are similar to those inferred for accretion flows on young stellar objects. As imaged in the ultraviolet (UV)-extreme UV range by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, many impacts of dark, dense matter display uncommonly intense, compact brightenings. High-resolution hydrodynamic simulations show that such bright spots, with plasma temperatures increasing from ~10(4) to ~10(6) kelvin, occur when high-density plasma (>>10(10) particles per cubic centimeter) hits the solar surface at several hundred kilometers per second, producing high-energy emission as in stellar accretion. The high-energy emission comes from the original fragment material and is heavily absorbed by optically thick plasma, possibly explaining the lower mass accretion rates inferred from x-rays relative to UV-optical-near infrared observations of young stars.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-22 | Science (New York, N.Y.) |