IIA scientists successfully trace 2013 solar burst source

The burst had puzzled researchers for years

The flare exhibited type III radio bursts

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have successfully traced the source of a powerful solar burst that occurred in 2013. This solar event, characterized by intense bursts of energy from the sun, puzzled researchers for years, but recent advancements in technology and data analysis have allowed the team at IIA to unravel its origins.

Anticipating the precise trajectory of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) in interplanetary space, along with its potential impact on Earth (geoeffectiveness), poses a challenging task and remains a focal point of extensive research. Analyzing both geoeffective and non-geoeffective CMEs is crucial for making strides in the field and refining our ability to predict and comprehend the diverse outcomes of these solar events.

This particular Prominence Eruption (PE) was linked to a gradual CME that extended a distance equivalent to only 40 times the radius of the Sun within the Sun’s atmosphere. Additionally, a mild solar flare accompanied this event. The research revealed that the average acceleration of the prominence is relatively modest in comparison to vigorous solar flares, which explains the relatively slower pace of the associated CME.

Furthermore, the associated flare exhibited type III radio bursts, recorded by the Gauribidanur Low-frequency Solar Spectrograph (GLOSS) at the Gauribidanur Radio Observatory, operated by IIA. Despite the usual presence of type II radio bursts from shock-accelerated electrons in CMEs, they were notably absent in this instance, according to Syed Ibrahim, a co-author and post-doctoral fellow at IIA. The scientists determined that the prominence was situated in a region with weak magnetic polarities.