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OBSERVATIONS and MODELING of PLASMA FLOWS DRIVEN by SOLAR FLARES by Sean Robert Brannon a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulf

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OBSERVATIONS and MODELING of PLASMA FLOWS DRIVEN by SOLAR FLARES by Sean Robert Brannon a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulf OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING OF PLASMA FLOWS DRIVEN BY SOLAR FLARES by Sean Robert Brannon A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana January 2016 c COPYRIGHT by Sean Robert Brannon 2016 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To Molly Catherine Arrandale. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin by thanking my academic advisor and committee chair, Prof. Dana Longcope. His knowledge of physics is without peer, and he was kind enough to patiently bestow his time and advice to me time and again as I hammered my way painfully through this process. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my graduate committee, especially Profs. David McKenzie and Charles Kankelborg for their invaluable support along the way and for listening when I had concerns. Of course, I must thank the MSU Department of Physics and the MSU Solar Group, for providing me with a community of peers to whom I could always turn when I needed help. I am forever indebted to all of the staff who have tirelessly worked to shield me from the horrors of bureaucracy; this goes double for Margaret Jarrett, who was always there for me with a kind heart and sound advice when I didn't know where else to turn. My family, especially Mom and Dad, who always encouraged me along the way even when they had no idea what solar physics is. All of my friends and classmates, especially Ritoban and Nickolas, who made physics fun even as we complained about it. And finally, most importantly, to my fianc´eMolly: you are the love of my life, my confidant, and my best friend. I look forward every day to our journey together, and to whatever life brings us next. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION. .1 Overture . .1 Structuring in the Solar Atmosphere . .5 Evolution of a Solar Flare . 11 Plasma Flows Driven by Solar Flares. 18 The Narrative of My Story . 26 2. MODELING PROPERTIES OF CHROMOSPHERIC EVAPORATION DRIVEN BY THERMAL CONDUCTION FRONTS FROM RECONNECTION SHOCKS. 30 Contribution of Authors and Co{Authors . 30 Manuscript Information Page . 31 Introduction . 32 Flare Loop Model . 37 Simulation Setup . 41 1-D Fluid Equations . 41 Numerical Integration . 43 Viscosity and Conductivity . 45 Initial Loop Atmosphere . 48 Initial Piston Shock . 51 Simulation Results . 53 Hydrodynamics . 53 Differential Emission Measure . 61 Synthetic Doppler Velocities . 64 Observational Data Fit . 70 Scaling Laws . 73 Discussion . 79 Acknowledgements . 86 3. SPECTROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF EVOLVING FLARE RIBBON SUBSTRUCTURE SUGGESTING ORI- GIN IN CURRENT SHEET WAVES . 87 Contribution of Authors and Co{Authors . 87 Manuscript Information Page . 88 Introduction . 89 Observation . 94 Instrument . 94 Flare ....................................................... 95 v TABLE OF CONTENTS { CONTINUED Wavelength Correction . 100 Results . 102 Ribbon Evolution . 102 Spectral Line Fitting . 107 Doppler Velocities . 113 Additional Spectral Lines . 115 East Ribbon . 118 Interpretation . 121 Discussion . 129 Acknowledgements . 136 4. OBSERVATIONS OF PSEUDO-BALLISTIC DOWNFLOWS IN A M-CLASS FLARE WITH THE INTERFACE REGION IMAGING SPECTROGRAPH . 137 Contribution of Authors and Co{Authors . 137 Manuscript Information Page . 138 Introduction . 139 Instrument . 144 Flare Details. 145 Results . 151 Flare Evolution . 151 Spectral Intensity Evolution . 156 Doppler Velocities and Line Widths . 159 Plasma Density . 165 Cooling Time . 168 Synthetic Spectra . 171 Discussion . 176 Acknowledgements . 182 5. DISCUSSION. 183 REFERENCES CITED . 190 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2.1. Simulation labels and properties. 75 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1. Large-scale structuring of the solar atmosphere . .6 1.2. Small-scale structuring of the solar atmosphere . .9 1.3. Schematic diagram of a solar flare . 13 2.1. Schematic diagram of shock tube model . 39 2.2. Artificial loop atmosphere . 50 2.3. Hydrodynamic simulation evolution . 55 2.4. Conductive-to-freestreaming flux ratio . 60 2.5. Differential emission measure evolution . 62 2.6. Flow velocity and synthetic Doppler velocity . 66 2.7. Evolution of the flow reversal point . 69 2.8. Fit to observational data . 71 2.9. Results of parameter survey . ..
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