Abstract
Pulsations in radio emission from the solar coronal plasma have been detected for over a decade1–9. The oscillations are quasiperiodic, with periods of typically a second or so. Recently, sub-second time structures have been found in hard X rays10, and simultaneously in hard X rays and microwaves11. Here we examine whether magnetohydrodynamical oscillations in a density enhancement, treated for simplicity as a straight magnetic slab, can explain the observed short periods. A dense region in the corona (for example, a loop) can act as a wave trap, and symmetrical oscillations within that trap must be of short wavelength with correspondingly short period. An impulsive source (such as a flare) naturally gives rise to a quasiperiodic disturbance. Such oscillations are closely akin to the Pekeris modes of oceanography, the Love waves of seismology and the dielectric waves of fibre optics.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrami, A. Solar Phys. 11, 104–116 (1970); Nature 238, 25–28 (1972).
Rosenberg, H. Astr. Astrophys. 9, 159–162 (1970).
Gotwols, B. L. Solar Phys. 25, 232–236 (1972).
McLean, D. J., Sheridan, K. V., Stewart, R. T. & Wild, J. P. Nature 234, 140–142 (1971).
McLean, D. J. & Sheridan, K. V. Solar Phys. 32, 485–489 (1973).
Achong, A. Solar Phys. 37, 477–482 (1974).
Pick, M. & Trottet, G. Solar Phys. 60, 353–359 (1978).
Trottet, G., Kerdraon, A., Benz, A. O. & Treumann, R. Astr. Astrophys. 93, 129–135 (1981).
Gaizauskas, V. & Tapping, K. F. Astrophys. J. 241, 804–810 (1980).
Orwig, L. E., Frost, K. J. & Dennis, B. R. Astrophys. J. Lett. 244, L163–L166 (1981).
Takakura, T. et al. Nature 302, 317–319 (1983).
Vaiana, G. S. & Rosner, R. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 16, 393–428 (1978).
Priest, E. R. Solar Magnetohydrodynamics (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1982).
Edwin, P. M. & Roberts, B. Solar Phys. 76, 239–259 (1982); Solar Phys. (in the press).
Meerson, B. I., Sasorov, P. V. & Stepanov, A. V. Solar Phys. 58, 165–179 (1978).
Love, A. E. H. Some Problems of Geodynamics, Ch. XI (Cambridge University Press, 1911).
Ewing, W. M., Jardetzky, W. S. & Press, F. Elastic Waves in Layered Media, Ch. 4 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1957).
Pekeris, C. L. Geol. Soc. Am. Mem. 27 (1948).
Brekhovskikh, L. M. Waves in Layered Media, Ch. V (Academic, New York, 1960).
Marcuse, D. Light Transmission Optics, Ch. 8 (Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1972).
Olshansky, R. Rev. mod. Phys. 51, 341–367 (1979).
Gordon, B. E. & Hollweg, J. V. Astrophys. J. 266, 373–382 (1983).
Roberts, B., Edwin, P. M. & Benz, A. O. Astrophys. J. (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roberts, B., Edwin, P. & Benz, A. Fast pulsations in the solar corona. Nature 305, 688–690 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/305688a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/305688a0
This article is cited by
-
CME-Driven and Flare-Ignited Fast Magnetosonic Waves Detected in a Solar Eruption
Solar Physics (2021)
-
Modelling Quasi-Periodic Pulsations in Solar and Stellar Flares
Space Science Reviews (2018)
-
Flare Observations
Living Reviews in Solar Physics (2017)
-
Magnetohydrodynamic Oscillations in the Solar Corona and Earth’s Magnetosphere: Towards Consolidated Understanding
Space Science Reviews (2016)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
