Szymon Gburek

XIPE: the X-ray imaging polarimetry explorer

Abstract X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017. The proposal was, unfortunately, not selected. To be compliant with this schedule, we designed the payload mostly with existing items. The XIPE proposal takes advantage of the completed phase A of POLARIX for an ASI small mission program that was cancelled, but is different in many aspects: the detectors, the presence of a solar flare polarimeter and photometer and the use of a light platform derived by a mass production for a cluster of satellites. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus. Two additional GPDs filled with a 3-bar Ar-DME mixture always face the Sun to detect polarization from solar flares. The Minimum Detectable Polarization of a 1 mCrab source reaches 14 % in the 2–10 keV band in 105 s for pointed observations, and 0.6 % for an X10 class solar flare in the 15–35 keV energy band. The imaging capability is 24 arcsec Half Energy Width (HEW) in a Field of View of 14.7 arcmin × 14.7 arcmin. The spectral resolution is 20 % at 6 keV and the time resolution is 8 μs. The imaging capabilities of the JET-X optics and of the GPD have been demonstrated by a recent calibration campaign at PANTER X-ray test facility of the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE, Germany). XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil). The data policy is organized with a Core Program that comprises three months of Science Verification Phase and 25 % of net observing time in the following 2 years. A competitive Guest Observer program covers the remaining 75 % of the net observing time.

X-ray emitting hot plasma in solar active regions observed by the SphinX spectrometer

Aims. The detection of very hot plasma in the quiescent corona is important for diagnosing heating mechanisms. The presence and the amount of such hot plasma is currently debated. The SphinX instrument on-board the CORONAS-PHOTON mission is sensitive to X-ray emission of energies well above 1 keV and provides the opportunity to detect the hot plasma component. Methods. We analysed the X-ray spectra of the solar corona collected by the SphinX spectrometer in May 2009 (when two active regions were present). We modelled the spectrum extracted from the whole Sun over a time window of 17 days in the 1.34− 7k eV energy band by adopting the latest release of the APED database. Results. The SphinX broadband spectrum cannot be modelled by a single isothermal component of optically thin plasma and two components are necessary. In particular, the high statistical significance of the count rates and the accurate calibration of the spectrometer allowed us to detect a very hot component at ∼7 million K with an emission measure of ∼2.7 × 10 44 cm −3 . The X-ray emission from the hot plasma dominates the solar X-ray spectrum above 4 keV. We checked that this hot component is invariably present in both the high and low emission regimes, i.e. even excluding resolvable microflares. We also present and discuss the possibility of a non-thermal origin (which would be compatible with a weak contribution from thick-target bremsstrahlung) for this hard emission component. Conclusions. Our results support the nanoflare scenario and might confirm that a minor flaring activity is ever-present in the quiescent corona, as also inferred for the coronae of other stars.

SphinX Measurements of the 2009 Solar Minimum X-Ray Emission

The SphinX X-ray spectrophotometer on the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft measured soft X-ray emission in the 1-15 keV energy range during the deep solar minimum of 2009 with a sensitivity much greater than GOES. Several intervals are identified when the X-ray flux was exceptionally low, and the flux and solar X-ray luminosity are estimated. Spectral fits to the emission at these times give temperatures of 1.7-1.9 MK and emission measures between 4 × 1047 cm–3 and 1.1 × 1048 cm–3. Comparing SphinX emission with that from the Hinode X-ray Telescope, we deduce that most of the emission is from general coronal structures rather than confined features like bright points. For one of 27 intervals of exceptionally low activity identified in the SphinX data, the Suns X-ray luminosity in an energy range roughly extrapolated to that of ROSAT (0.1-2.4 keV) was less than most nearby K and M dwarfs.

Soft X-ray variability over the present minimum of solar activity as observed by SphinX

Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) is an instrument designed to observe the Sun in X-rays in the energy range 0.85–15.00 keV. SphinX is incorporated within the Russian TESIS X and EUV telescope complex aboard the CORONAS-Photon satellite which was launched on January 30, 2009 at 13:30 UT from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, northern Russia. Since February, 2009 SphinX has been measuring solar X-ray radiation nearly continuously. The principle of SphinX operation and the content of the instrument data archives is studied. Issues related to dissemination of SphinX calibration, data, repository mirrors locations, types of data and metadata are discussed. Variability of soft X-ray solar flux is studied using data collected by SphinX over entire mission duration.

Extreme-ultraviolet and hard X-ray signatures of electron acceleration during the failed eruption of a filament

Aims. We search for extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) brightenings in TRACE 171 A images and hard X-ray (HXR) bursts observed during failed eruptions. We expect that if an eruption is confined by interaction with overlaying magnetic structures, we should observe effects caused by reconnection between magnetic structures and acceleration of particles. Methods. We used TRACE observations of three well-observed failed eruptions. A semi-automated method was used to search for abrupt brightness changes in the TRACE field of view. The EUV images were compared to the HXR spatial distribution reconstructed from YOHKOH/HXT and RHESSI data. The EUV light curves of a selected area were compared to height profiles of eruption, HXR emission, and the HXR photon spectral index of a power-law fit to the HXR data. Results. We have found that EUV brightenings are closely related to the eruption velocity decrease, to HXR bursts, and to episodes of hardening of the HXR spectra. The EUV-brightened areas are observed far from the flaring structure, in footpoints of large systems of loops observed 30–60 min after the maximum of a flare. These are not “post-flare” loops, which are also observed, but at significantly lower heights. The high-lying systems of loops are observed at heights equal to the height at which the eruption was observed to stop. We observed only one HXR source that was spatially correlated with EUV brightening. For other EUV-brightened areas we estimated the expected brightness of HXR sources. Conclusions. We find that EUV brightenings are produced by interaction between the erupting structure with overlaying loops. The interaction is strong enough to heat the system of high loops. These loops cool and are visible in the EUV range about 30–60 min later. The estimated brightness of HXR sources associated with EUV brightenings shows that they are too weak to be detected with present instruments. However, next-generation instruments will have sufficient dynamic range and sensitivity to enable such observations.

The Sun's X‐ray Emission During the Recent Solar Minimum

The Sun recently underwent a period of a remarkable lack of major activity such as large flares and sunspots, without equal since the advent of the space age a half century ago. A widely used measure of solar activity is the amount of solar soft X-ray emission, but until recently this has been below the threshold of the X-ray-monitoring Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). There is thus an urgent need for more sensitive instrumentation to record solar X-ray emission in this range. Anticipating this need, a highly sensitive spectrophotometer called Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) was included in the solar telescope/spectrometer TESIS instrument package on the third spacecraft in Russias Complex Orbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun (CORONAS-PHOTON) program, launched 30 January 2009 into a near-polar orbit. SphinX measures X-rays in a band similar to the GOES longer-wavelength channel.

Small flares with unusually strong X-ray emission

Abstract The RF15-I X-ray photometer aboard INTERBALL-Tail satellite has observed numerous flares of B GOES class with significant emission above 30 keV. In this paper we analyse these flares using Yohkoh SXT images and RF15-I data. We show that some of these flares occur in systems of relatively small low laying loop systems with Y type interaction.

Calibration of the SphinX experiment at the XACT facility in Palermo

Three of the four detectors of the SphinX experiment to be flown on the Russian mission Coronas-Photon have been measured at the XACT Facility of the Palermo Observatory at several wavelengths in the soft X-ray band. We describe the instrumental set-up and report some measurements. The analysis work to obtain the final calibration is still in progress.

Search for Compact x-ray Sources in sxt Observations

We show the result of a search for compact sources in observations of Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) aboard the Yohkoh satellite. We focused the search on the highest-resolution SXT images taken with the SXT thick aluminum filter. Non-standard methods have been used in order to avoid data corrupted by spikes or dark current saturation effects. Search criteria and certain questions concerning the SXT database are addressed and discussed in more detail. For the most compact structures found we show also comparison of their brightness spatial distribution with ground calibration data. The search was performed to identify regions with well-localized X-ray emission in SXT images and to gather basic information about them.

Long duration very soft X-ray flares

Abstract Using the RF15-I X-ray photometer aboard the INTERBALL-Tail satellite, we have identified a class of very soft, low intensity and long duration flares. They have decay time of the order of hours, low GOES class (∼A or ∼B) and usually no detectable emission above 10 keV. We used YOHKOH Soft X-ray Telescope images to search for the sources of these events. We have found that, similarly to bigger flares, there is a large diversity in the morphology of these small events, including arcades of loops, interacting loop systems, and in one case a sigmoid. Many of these sources are observed at the limb and they may be a part of the larger structures hidden behind the solar disk. In this paper we present the morphology and investigate the physical parameters of three selected events.