In this Letter, we perform a detailed analysis of the M5.5 class eruptive flare occurring in active region 12,929 on 2022 January 20. The eruption of a hot channel generates a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) and a dome-shaped extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wave at speeds of 740–860 km s⁻¹. The CME is associated with a type II radio burst, implying that the EUV wave is a fast-mode shock wave. During the impulsive phase, the flare shows quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in EUV, hard X-ray, and radio wavelengths. The periods of QPPs range from 18 to 113 s, indicating that flare energy is released and nonthermal electrons are accelerated intermittently with multiple timescales. The interaction between the EUV wave and low-lying adjacent coronal loops (ACLs) results in contraction, expansion, and transverse vertical oscillation of ACLs. The speed of contraction in 171, 193, and 211 Å is higher than that in 304 Å. The periods of oscillation are 253 s and 275 s in 304 Å and 171 Å, respectively. A new scenario is proposed to explain the interaction. The equation that interprets the contraction and oscillation of the overlying coronal loops above a flare core can also interpret the expansion and oscillation of ACLs, suggesting that the two phenomena are the same in essence.

Circular-ribbon flares (CFs) are a special type of solar flares owing to their particular magnetic topology. In this paper, we conducted a comprehensive statistical analysis of 134 CFs from 2011 September to 2017 June, including 4 B-class, 82 C-class, 40 M-class, and 8 X-class flares. The flares were observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. The physical properties of CFs are derived, including the location, area (A _CF), equivalent radius (r _CF) assuming a semispherical fan dome, lifetime (τ _CF), and peak soft X-ray (SXR) flux in 1–8 Å. It is found that all CFs are located in active regions, with the latitudes between −30° and 30°. The distributions of areas and lifetimes could be fitted with a lognormal function. There is a positive correlation between the lifetime and area. The peak SXR flux in 1–8 Å is well in accord with a power-law distribution with an index of −1.42. For the 134 CFs, 57% of them are accompanied by remote brightenings or ribbons. A positive correlation exists between the total length (L _RB) and average distance (D _RB) of remote brightenings. About 47% and 51% of the 134 CFs are related to type III radio bursts and jets, respectively. The association rates are independent of flare energies. About 38% of CFs are related to minifilament eruptions, and the association rates increase with flare classes. Only 28% of CFs are related to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), meaning that a majority of them are confined rather than eruptive events. There is a positive correlation between the CME speed and peak SXR flux in 1–8 Å, and faster CMEs tend to be wider.

Hot channels (HCs) are prevalent in the solar corona and play a critical role in driving flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In this paper, we estimate the energy content of an X1.4 eruptive flare with a fast CME generated by an HC eruption on 2011 September 22. Originating from NOAA Active Region 11302, the HC is the most dramatic feature in 131 and 94 Å images observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The flare is simultaneously observed by SDO/AIA, the Reuven Ramaty High-energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, and the Extreme-ultraviolet Imager on board the “behind” Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). The CME is simultaneously detected by the white-light coronagraphs of the Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the COR1 coronagraph on board the behind STEREO. Using multiwavelength and multiview observations of the eruption, various energy components of the HC, flare, and CME are calculated. The thermal and kinetic energies of the HC are (1.77 ± 0.61) × 10³⁰ erg and (2.90 ± 0.79) × 10³⁰ erg, respectively. The peak thermal energy of the flare and total radiative loss of the soft X-ray–emitting plasma are (1.63 ± 0.04) × 10³¹ erg and (1.03–1.31) × 10³¹ erg, respectively. The ratio between the thermal energies of the HC and flare is 0.11 ± 0.03, suggesting that the thermal energy of the HC is not negligible. The kinetic and potential energies of the CME are (3.43 ± 0.94) × 10³¹ erg and (2.66 ± 0.49) × 10³⁰ erg, yielding a total energy of (3.69 ± 0.98) × 10³¹ erg for the CME. Continuous heating of the HC is required to balance the rapid cooling by heat conduction, which probably originates from intermittent magnetic reconnection at the flare current sheet. Our investigation may provide insight into the buildup, release, and conversion of energies in large-scale solar eruptions.

In this paper, we report our multi-angle observations of the transverse oscillation of a prominence and a filament induced by an EUV wave originating from the far side of the Sun on 2014 September 1. The prominence oscillation was simultaneously observed by both the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft and the Extreme-UltraViolet Imager on board the Behind Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft. The speed of the shock traveling in interplanetary space exceeds that of the EUV wave, and the coronal dimming area experiences minimal growth. This indicates that the shock wave is driven by the CME, while the EUV wave freely propagates after the lateral motion of the CME flanks has stopped. The observed oscillation direction of the prominence, determined through three-dimensional reconstruction, further supports this point. Moreover, detailed investigation of the oscillations in the prominence and filament induced by the EUV wave reveals initial amplitudes of 16.08 and 2.15 Mm, periods of 1769 and 1863 s, damping timescales of 2640 and 1259 s, and damping ratios of 1.49 and 0.68, respectively. The radial component of the magnetic field, as derived from the prominence and filament oscillation measurements, was estimated to be 5.4 and 4.1 G, respectively. In turn, utilizing the onset times of both the prominence and filament oscillation, the average speeds of the EUV wave are determined to be 498 and 451 km s⁻¹, respectively.

In this Letter, we give a detailed analysis of the M3.3 class flare that occurred on 2013 August 17 (SOL2013-08-17T18:16). It presents a clear picture of mutual magnetic interaction initially from the photosphere to the corona via the abrupt rapid shearing motion of a small sunspot before the flare, and then suddenly from the corona back to the photosphere via the sudden retraction motion of the same sunspot during the flare’s impulsive phase. About 10 hr before the flare, a small sunspot in the active region NOAA 11818 started to move northeast along a magnetic polarity inversion line (PIL), creating a shearing motion that changed the quasi-static state of the active region. A filament right above the PIL was activated following the movement of the sunspot and then got partially erupted. The eruption eventually led to the M3.3 flare. The sunspot was then suddenly pulled back to the opposite direction upon the flare onset. During the backward motion, the Lorentz force underwent a simultaneous impulsive change both in magnitude and direction. Its directional change is found to be conformable with the retraction motion. The observation provides direct evidence for the role of the shearing motion of the sunspot in powering and triggering the flare. It especially confirms that the abrupt motion of a sunspot during a solar flare is the result of a backreaction caused by the reconfiguration of the coronal magnetic field.