Small-scale Langmuir wave instability in preflare chromosphere of solar active region

• Published in: Astrophysics and space science Vol. 349; no. 2; pp. 637 - 646
• Main Authors: Kryshtal, A. N., Gerasimenko, S. V., Voitsekhovska, A. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Astrobiology; Astronomy; Astrophysics; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Cosmology; Magnetic fields; Observations and Techniques; Original Article; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Plasma; Solar flares; Solar physics; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Sun; Plasma instabilities; Sun activity; Magnetic field; Flare loop
• ISSN: 0004-640X; 1572-946X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10509-013-1665-1

Necessary conditions have been investigated for the appearance of instability of high-frequency electron Langmuir waves in plasma of solar chromosphere near the foot-point of loop structure. We have considered the earliest stage of a flare process in solar active region. At the chromospheric part of current circuit of a flare loop such instability can appear and develop as the result of combined action of large-scale electric field, Landau damping and collisional processes in preflare plasma. We have investigated the process of instability development for two possible scenarios: (a) when preflare loop plasma has a classical Coulomb conductivity and (b) when anomalous resistance appears due to saturation of Bernstein turbulence. The growth rates of instability have been obtained and analyzed in detail. It has been assumed in the process of calculation that preflare plasma can be described by the FAL model of the solar atmosphere, which takes into account the process of helium diffusion. It has been shown that Langmuir wave instability can appear in its marginal form in the area under investigation either in the presence of Coulomb conductivity or in the presence of saturated Bernstein turbulence. Existence of instability with the growth rate, which changes its sign, proves the principal possibility of generation of nondamping Langmuir waves with small amplitudes.